Thursday, April 18, 2013

Luke 19:11-27


Dear Theophilus,
What a marvelous story of transformation.  My mind’s eye pictures Zacchaeus clinging to that tree in the hopes of seeing Jesus, then almost falling out when Jesus stops and stares directly at him!  What a picture that would be! 
I did not miss your point at the end about God doing miracles in all of our lives.  I know that you intend for me to climb a tree of my own, that I might see God drawing near and recognize the things God has done for me.  The problem is, Theophilus, that I am struggling to see Jesus reaching out to me.  I cry out into the silence for God to reveal things to me as clearly as he did to Zacchaeus, but silence only answers my cries, and I wonder if it’s all too good to be true, a story so wonderful that truth could never be behind it.  I want to believe it, but I can’t help but think that it’s just a figment of a man’s imagination, sold to an adoring crowd, that has taken on a life of its own.  How could all this be true?  And if so, why is it so hard to see and understand today?  Am I doing something wrong?  Or perhaps you are the one that is wrong?  I don’t mean to attack you, good and faithful friend, but I wonder sometimes if you want it to be true so badly that you see past the impossibilities of it all.  I would have no problem acknowledging my error if it were revealed clearly to me by God that I was wrong, but God seems silent in these parts, and there seems to be no hurry on his part to address my concerns.
I am not giving up until we reach the end, I can assure you of that, and I won’t give up on the possibility of God, for my curiosity compels me forward.  I will hold onto the hope of God’s dramatic revelation in my own life, but until then I remain somewhat skeptical of the truth of it all, yet still captured by how compelling this story is. 
As the crowd was still responding with wonder to the miracle that had fallen upon the house of Zacchaeus, Jesus went on to tell yet another story to keep their attention focused on God’s kingdom, to continue pushing them to understand more about this kingdom.  As one who doesn’t fully understand all of this, I would be grateful for this further explanation, except I’m not sure I find the story very satisfactory in helping me see more clearly!  They continued to draw near to Jerusalem, and many in the crowd expected the kingdom to begin very soon, as though Jesus might conquer the city the closer he came to it.  I think Jesus was trying to teach them that it would be a while before such a thing took place, as we can clearly see, since we still wait for such dramatic actions today. 
Here is the story.  Curiously, there was a nobleman who opted to visit a far-off country in the hopes of receiving royal power.  Before leaving, he distributed ten pounds evenly among his ten slaves, commanding them to use their pound to do business and trade until he returned.  I do not believe this nobleman was widely admired, for those within the country tried to prevent the distant country from granting him royal power by sending a delegation, but I think we can all agree that the will of the commoners is often disregarded when it comes to leadership and power! 
The nobleman, now a king, returned from his successful venture, and upon doing so he had his slaves brought forth to determine the results of their business while he was away.  The first slave came forward with the positive news that the one pound had been used to make ten more pounds! The king  was quite pleased with the slave’s result, and he told the slave that since he had been so faithful in this small deed, he was going to be placed in charge of ten cities! 
Yet another slave came forward and reported that the one pound had been used to make five more pounds.  The king was still pleased with this result, offering the slave five cities over which he could rule. 
A third slave came forward and offered the king nothing but the original pound.  He confessed that fear of the king, who harshly benefits from the work of others, drove him to enclose it safely in cloth and not use it in business. 
The slave’s fear was realized when the king answered with wrath in his voice, informing the slave that he would be judged just as he expected to be judged.  The king asked the slave why he had been so passive if he knew that the king was a harsh man who benefited from the work of others.  He suggested that the slave could have at least left the money in the bank, where it might have earned interest. 
To those standing by, the king ordered them to take the one pound from this slave and give it to the first slave who had made ten pounds.  They openly wondered why, when this slave already had ten pounds, but the king cut them off by saying that those who have will receive more, while everything will be taken from those without.  Also, the king concluded by commanding all of those who had sent the delegation seeking to prevent his kingship to be brought before him, that they might be killed before the king’s eyes.
At best, I would describe this story as odd.  At worst, I would say it is cruel and punishing.  To be honest, Theophilus, I lean toward the latter.  I want to give Jesus the benefit of the doubt, but I don’t see a lot of redeeming qualities in this story, and it certainly doesn’t do much to help me understand God’s kingdom.  I’m sure that it was a long and arduous journey for the nobleman to be granted the power to be a king, and he obviously is very angry at those who oppose his rule, but please explain to me the interactions with the slaves, for that is a mystery to this man.
Sincerely,
Luke

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