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| The Workers Being Paid (Rembrandt, 1637) |
Have
you ever wondered why everyone else seems to catch a break and you never do?
That seems to be the complaint of the agricultural workers in the parable Jesus
tells in the gospel assigned for Pentecost 16 in the RCL (Matthew 20:1-16). I
mean, these guys who’ve been working all day in the hot sun are pretty pissed
at their boss. If they weren’t day laborers, I’m sure they’d take it up with
the steward of the vineyard workers local. They’ve busted their humps all day,
gotten no overtime, and the part-timers who came on at the end of the shift got
extra perks for only working a few hours! What the freak is up with that??!!
If
the anger these guys feel about being mistreated isn’t enough, the Hebrew
Scripture lesson (Jonah 3:10-4:11) is also jam-packed with vitriol and
indignation. Just put yourself in Jonah’s place—here the guy’s been righteous
and God-fearing all of his life (Well, except for his little act of
disobedience in Chapter 1, but he repented his butt off in Chapter 2 so I’m
sure he feels he’s made up for it), and these godless feminine hygiene products
(metaphorically speaking) of Nineveh get forgiven for all the crime they’ve
committed just by repenting one stinkin’ day. Jonah had to spend three days
in a fish’s belly before God cut him some slack. Imagine how this guy must be fuming!
And to top it all off, not only does God relent and not destroy Jonah’s
enemies, but he kills the plant that Jonah was using for shade. How unfair can
you get..?
Why
do the undeserving prosper when the rest of us get screwed? Why does God let
that happen? Ever ask yourself that?
Or
have you ever stopped to consider what a powerful, sinful, and poisonous thing is
our sense of wounded entitlement? We keep saying, “I’m doing my best, but the
other guy keeps getting ahead. It’s not fair!” But that attitude has been the
bane of the human race since we climbed out of the slime. Sometimes I think the
Old Testament story of Cain and Able might’ve been a more appropriate companion
piece for the parable in Matthew’s gospel. Why? Because envy and self-righteousness
not only pollute our lives but can lead to violence and destruction.
The
big issue in the news here in the US lately has been the question of
immigration policy. What do we do about those who’ve come into this country
illegally? Are they entitled to the same social safety nets and benefits as
law-abiding American citizens? I’m sure there are many who are asking why we
pay for healthcare for illegals when good American citizens whose families have
been here for generations, are struggling. We keep saying, “But we did
everything right and played by the rules. Why do they get special
treatment?”
But
let’s watch our attitudes. Once upon a time there was a great nation. Many
states united to form one country with a single language. It grew prosperous
and militarily strong. It was victorious in war and economically powerful. Then
it got involved in a long, protracted war it couldn’t win. The economy went
south, and the people became discontented until a charismatic man arose and
told the people that they had been cheated of their rights. Their government
had betrayed them, he said, and a bunch of undeserving folks who weren’t
real citizens were responsible for their predicament. If they voted for
him, he told the people, he would make their country great again. Many people
thought he was full of crap, but many didn’t. In March of 1933, Adolf Hitler
was appointed Chancellor of Germany and the world suffered in consequence.
But
the parable Jesus tells is not about leaders. Indeed, it’s not a ruler who
corrupts a country—it’s the sin of covetousness, envy, and ingratitude
which is in the hearts of the people which is just waiting to be exploited.
I
don’t think I suffer when my brother prospers. But we all suffer if our
brothers suffer and we remain arrogantly indifferent to that suffering.
God has
not wronged me when others prosper or when they receive an act of mercy.
Indeed, God has paid me the agreed upon wage. “Give us this day our daily
bread.” The key to joyful living has got to be letting go of comparisons and
false ideas of justice and fairness, while at the same time cultivating a sense
of gratitude for what God has already done. The rottenest day you’re ever going
to have in your life will be full of more blessings than you can count. On the
day you drive home from work banging the steering wheel in frustration over the
mindless jerks you have to work with, you may just want to remember that you still
have a steering wheel to bang, a home to go to, and a job where you meet those
idiots. God has not wronged you. Rather, he’s blessed you every single day.
Be
joyful, my friends, in the love and mercy of God. Thanks for hanging out with
me.
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