19th Sunday of Ordinary Time, year C, August 6, 2022
Luke 12:32-38
With His emphasis on judgement and violent punishment, the language of Jesus in the Gospel today (Luke 12:32-38) is startling. He sounds like a "fire and brimstone" preacher declaring a message that seems far removed from the Gospel of love and mercy with which we are accustomed. When we look closer, however, Jesus' proclamation about judgement is in fact Gospel. It is good news.
.jpg/1920px-Last_Judgement_(Michelangelo).jpg "Last Judgement, Michelangelo") |
| Last Judgement, Michelangelo |
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We're all probably familiar with the cliche of “a fire and brimstone preacher”. We see this kind of preacher in movies. A “fire and brimstone preacher” brings to mind someone standing in the pulpit, wildly waving his hands, shouting loudly, and perhaps red in the face. Such a preacher uses vivid descriptions of God's judgment and eternal damnation to move the congregation to change their ways. Don't worry, I am not about to become a fire and brimstone preacher! I imagine that many of us think that fire and brimstone preaching is something that belongs in the past. We would not want to see it again. It relies too much on motivating people by fear rather than love. It is difficult to see this as Gospel, as good news.
With this in mind, the Gospel of today is startling because Jesus is behaving like a fire and brimstone preacher! He speaks about a final judgement when the master will return after being away for a long time. Those servants who are ready for the master’s return will receive a reward, while the others who are not ready will receive a severe punishment. The language is harsh. Jesus says things like, “that slave who knew what is master wanted, but did not prepare himself or do what was wanted, will receive a severe beating”. If this is not fire and brimstone preaching, I don't know what is! What can we make of all this? Why is Jesus speaking in such a severe way? This does not sound like good news. What does this have to do with the Gospel of love and mercy with which we are so accustomed to Jesus preaching?
When we look closer however, we realize that the Jesus’ emphasis on judgement is in fact good news for those who have tried to follow Him. When we try our best to follow the way of life Jesus lays out for us, judgement is not something to be feared, but rather something to look forward to. Early Christians prayed for the rapid return of Jesus. A common prayer was, maranatha, which means “Come Lord” in Aramaic. Early followers of Christ longed for him to return as judge. Jesus tells us that for those “whom the master finds alert when he comes; truly I tell you, he will fasten his belt and have them sit down to eat, and he will come and serve them.” That a master would serve and care for a servant in this way is truly remarkable. We would hardly expect a CEO of a multinational corporation to go down to the assembly line in one of the company’s many factories, find a worker who is doing his or her job well, and take that worker out to enjoy the most lavish of meals which the CEO has prepared from scratch. This, however, is how Jesus will care for those who have followed him faithfully. They will enjoy eternal life with God. This communion with with the Holy Trinity is goodness and complete happiness. For those who have been faithful, is a wonderful thing!
The judgment which Jesus speaks about is also good news for those who have been downtrodden, oppressed, and treated poorly. Throughout the Bible, we find many passages grappling with the following paradox. Why is it that bad things happen to good people and bad people seem to get away with their behavior, and even prosper? These questions are raised in various books, such as Ecclesiastes. These questions naturally arose in the minds of biblical authors. The people of Israel lived a tumultuous history. They were persecuted and oppressed by one empire after another: Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Persia, Greece, and finally, during the time of Jesus, Rome. In the time before Jesus as well as during his life the people of Israel suffered terribly. They were robbed of their autonomy and oftentimes forbidden from practicing their religion. They longed for a time when God would exercise justice upon those who had harmed them. We can feel the same way. When we look out throughout human history, even in recent years, we see people committing great evil and violence against the innocent. Brutal regimes violently persecute minority groups within their boundaries. Wealthy corporations exploit the poor and vulnerable for profit. Such wrong doers appear at times to thrive. This reality seems to fly in the face of our conceptions of a just, loving God who cares for the downtrodden. For this reason, the message that evildoers – such as the servants who ruthlessly beat other servants – will be punished can seem like a relief. Wickedness will not continue indefinitely. Wrongs will be made right. The judgement that Jesus speaks of is good news because, in the end, goodness and justice will prevail.
While it may not seem like it at first glance, the Gospel today is a positive message because it encourages us to live our best life, to make our existence matter. The main lesson of the Gospel is this: always be ready to meet Jesus. Christ teaches us to live each day as though it were our last. Although this may seem grim at first glance, this attitude helps us make the most out of life and all the blessings God has bestowed on us. Some years ago (2007) a movie was released called “The Bucket List” starring Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman. In this, both characters played by the leads were diagnosed with terminal cancer. Since one of the characters happens to be a millionaire, the pair decide to embark on an incredibly journey in which they do all the things they wish they could have done in their lives – their bucket list – in the few months they have left – before they “kick the bucket”. They go skydiving and visit incredible places. Now, the movie is flawed in many ways. However, the message the film attempts to convey is important. Ultimately, the pair learn they should always have lived their life as though time was limited. Knowing that they had a fixed number of days to live helped them make the most of their life. This attitude should characterize our lives as followers of Jesus. We should always be ready to meet Christ. We ought to live our life in the best way possible, the way Jesus has called us to. This will probably mean that things like skydiving won’t be the highest on our bucket list. Rather we will be concerned with following the Gospel here and now. We will be sure to reconcile with those we have grown apart from. We will be generous with those around us, sharing our time, talents, and treasures. We will stay close to Jesus. Living our life constantly ready to meet Jesus means that we live our best possible life.
We rightfully are turned off by “fire and brimstone” preaching. Only Jesus can get the message right. Only He correctly presents the theme of judgement as good news. Still, the idea of living each day as though it may be our last can be frightening and intimidating. At least it is for me. If Jesus were to come back today, there are so many things in my life that I would want to change. In order to ensure we do not become overwhelmed, it is helpful to remember the adage often repeated by Desmond Tutu: “there is only one way to eat an elephant: a bite at a time.” As we sit here today, we could ask ourselves, “what is one thing Jesus might be asking me to change in my life starting now?” Let us try in this coming week to work on this one thing, always trusting that Jesus is a judge yes, but, most importantly, Jesus is a merciful judge. Jesus understands us. He loves us, and is patient with us.
