But Jesus, That's Not Fair!

Brad Sullivan

Proper 20, Year A

September 24, 2017

Emmanuel, Houston

Jonah 3:10-4:11

Matthew 20:1-16

But Jesus, That’s Not Fair!

“But Jesus, that’s not fair!”  That pretty well sums up the response of the laborers at the end of Jesus’ parable of the laborers in the vineyard.  They had agreed to work for the day for the usual daily wage.  They negotiated those terms with the landowner.  Then, when they found out that those who worked for only an hour also made the usual daily wage, they felt cheated.  “That’s not fair!”  Well, as a friend of mine was thinking of titling her sermon for today, “Suck it up, Buttercup.” 

Clarence Jordan of Koinonia Farms once said, “Whenever Jesus told a parable, he lit a stick of dynamite and covered it with a story.”  At first glance many of us, myself included, look at this parable and think, “Well that’s not fair, Jesus.”  Then we look a little deeper into the story, and “boom”.  The dynamite goes off.  Our notions of fairness and deservedness, our shoulds and aught tos get blown up. 

True enough, it isn’t exactly fair to pay those who worked only an hour the same as those who worked all day, but look at the alternative.  If the landowner was being fair it, would seem that the laborers who worked all day would have had the landowner pay for only an hours’ worth of work to those who worked an hour for only.  That would be fair, but that was 1/8th of what they needed each day to get by.  So, ultimately the attitude of the laborers who worked all day was, “in order to be fair, you should let those other people starve.  Ultimately, the laborers who worked all day were saying that those who were only able to work for an hour should die.  “Boom.”  The dynamite goes off.

“Well wait, no, Jesus didn’t mean it like that.”  “I thought it was unfair, but I didn’t want the other laborers to die.”  We hear Jesus’ parables, the dynamite goes off, and then while the dust is still settling, we often try to rebuild our world just like it was before Jesus’ pesky meddling.  “No, he didn’t mean it like that.”  “Sure Jesus is the messiah, but he didn’t really mean what he said in this parable.”  “Something in this story got lost in translation.”  It’s easy to try to rebuild too quickly, wanting the security of our previous notions of what is right, without first looking at what Jesus has revealed in his pesky parable dynamite demolition thing.

We often want this parable not to be about money, and it isn’t only about money.  This parable may not be Jesus’ instruction manual for economists, may not be, but the response is often to see the economic flaws in Jesus’ notion of generosity over deservedness.  “This wouldn’t work as an economic system.  You know what people are like.  No one would work more than an hour a day.”  Probably true, and that’s a fair point, but before we rebuild what Jesus demolished over that one security keeping argument, what lessons might there be for us as we consider this parable?

Looking at how people tend to get compensated for their work, we tend to look at averages.  What do others make on average for this same type of work?  That seems fair enough, but in the light of Jesus’ parable, a more appropriate question would be “Is this compensation enough?  While others might make “X” for this job, I know that “X” isn’t really enough in today’s world.  It may be fair in comparison with what others make, but it isn’t really enough.”

For a modern example of choosing to pay what is enough, rather than seems fair by comparison, Dan Price, the CEO of Gravity Payments cut his own salary by 90% back in 2015 so that all of his employees could earn $70,000.  I don’t know that Mr. Price was inspired by Jesus; I’ve read nothing to indicate that he was, but his example shows the possibility of living into the kingdom way that Jesus taught, even in our modern economy.  The company is still going strong, or was as of January of this year when the article I read about it was written.  There were some negative consequences.  Some clients pulled out of the company, fearing their fees would increase.  They didn’t.  Other clients liked what the CEO had done and began giving him their business.  Some of the employees didn’t like the new arrangement and quit because they didn’t think it was fair for those who had been earning less than they to receive the same as they.  These employees felt diminished by their boss’ generosity.  I tend to go with the title of my friend’s sermon on that one.  “Suck it up, buttercup.” 

Like the laborers in the vineyard who worked all day, they felt it wasn’t fair to earn the same as those whom they felt didn’t deserve as much.  Jesus again takes dynamite to our notions of fairness and to the comparisons we so often draw.  “Am I making as much as compared to others?”  “Should those people earn as much as I do when I compare the amount or kind of work I do with the work they do?”  “Do they really deserve to have enough for the work they do?”  “Don’t I deserve more than enough for the work I do?”  Boom.

Such comparison is something else Jesus dynamites in the parable of the workers in the vineyard, along with our notions of fairness and deservedness.  When the dust settles, we might just learn from Jesus that comparison may seem like wisdom, but it doesn’t tend to lead to a good place.  Comparison leads to jealousy and envy.  Comparison leads to being bitter about what someone else has rather than being happy about what I have.  Comparison leads to always wanting more.  Comparison leads to feelings of inadequacy and never being good enough.  Comparison leads to us being deaf to Jesus’ teaching not to worry; his teaching that we are enough as we have been made to be; his teaching not to put our faith in stuff, but to put our faith in him, to trust in our beloved-ness, and to love others as we are loved. 

Theodore Roosevelt, Brené Brown, and others have said variations of the following concerning the supposed wisdom of comparison.  “Comparison is the thief of happiness, and jealousy is usually it’s partner in crime.”  The laborers in the vineyard and the employees of Gravity Payments were happy with what they had, until they started comparing what they had to others.  Then comparison and jealousy stole their happiness away and did absolutely nothing to help them or anyone else.

To the cry that this story isn’t fair, I’d simply say, God isn’t fair, and thank God for that.  God’s Kingdom doesn’t deal all that much in fairness and deservedness.  God’s kingdom doesn’t deal in our jealous comparisons.  God isn’t interested in our hierarchies.  He’s not interested in us raising ourselves up above others because we feel that our greater efforts make us deserving of greater benefits.  In God’s Kingdom, Jesus dynamites or concepts of deservedness, fairness, and comparison.  Then in the crater and debris that is left, Jesus teaches us, and God builds up in us his love, his selflessness, and his generosity toward others. 

Our Pre-Harvey Lives Are Dead and In the Tomb

Brad Sullivan

Proper 16, Year A

August 27, 2017

Emmanuel, Houston

Exodus 12:1-14

Romans 13:8-14

Matthew 18:15-20

Our Pre-Harvey Lives Are Dead and In the Tomb

Last Friday, I was volunteering over at FamilyPoint Resources, a little ways down Memorial from here.  Family Point has after school programs for children in this area along with other services for children and families.  With school not yet in session last week, FamilyPoint opened up to have some hang out time for the neighborhood kids, and I was there to help with that.  I spent a little bit of time on the soccer field, but mostly built LEGOs with a group kids.  It’s great getting to see what they come up with and how excited they are to show off their creations. There was the occasional dispute over, ‘that piece is mine,’ but mostly we just built together and admired each others’ creations. 

Afterwards, I was talking with the executive director, Stephanie Hruzek, about Family Point and the needs of the neighborhood.  They need folks to come help with after school, of course, and they’re also assembling teams to help muck out houses.  All are welcome to join in those efforts, by the way.  One thing that was so heartening and wonderful in Stephanie’s and my conversation  was the seeming role reversal of families that Family Point is used to serving, coming out to help serve others, be it through mucking houses, helping at Family Point, or just helping out a neighbor in any way they need.  The humanity that she has seen in the wake of Hurricane Harvey has far surpassed the damage done.  Fear of the other and fear of the unknown seem to be down right now, and our shared humanity is coming to the fore.  Stephanie shared her joy at this recognition of, this living into our shared humanity, and our hope and prayer is that this seeking out and reaching out for the other continues.

Reaching out for one another and recognizing our shared humanity feels like pre-Harvey burdens have been lifted off our shoulders, burdens we were not even all that aware of:  burdens of fearing others or ignoring others.  Amidst these burdens which we often carry, Jesus says, “Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30)

Jesus’ yoke is his teaching, his way.  As much as our religion has at times tried to make Jesus’ way difficult and heavy, the way of Jesus, the teachings of Jesus are easy, and light.  The way of Jesus takes other burdens off our shoulders and lightens our loads as we walk this life together.  Helping others with our post-Harvey, newfound common humanity has felt lighter than before.  This is the way and the teaching of Jesus.  Post-Harvey, we’ve been walking in the way of love, and we’ve been less encumbered by the burden of fearing the other, less encumbered by the burden of ignoring the other, less encumbered by the burden of enmity towards the other.

Friends and family who have had estrangement growing over differing political and religious beliefs have found that such differences don’t matter in the wake of Harvey.  Our petty differences and even our important differences do keep us…different, but they don’t need to divide us.  If we need to be divided, God will sort that out later on.  In all seriousness, Jesus taught on several occasions that any sorting out of the people, any dividing of humanity that needs to happen will be done by God at the end of the ages.  In the mean time, Jesus taught that we are to live with each other, sometimes to put up with each other, but above all to love each other and to live out our common humanity. 

Paul told the church in Rome to “owe no one anything except to love one another.”  The burden of fear keeps us from loving one another, and there are few heavier burdens than fear - except perhaps a desire for vengeance.  Before Paul wrote to owe no one anything except to love one another, Paul wrote, “Repay no one evil for evil…never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God…” (Romans 12:17-19)  Desire for vengeance may seem justified, but it is a heavy burden, and Jesus’ yoke, his teaching, seeks to lighten that burden.

 “If another member of the church sins against you,” Jesus taught, “go and point out the fault when the two of you are alone. If the member listens to you, you have regained that one. But if you are not listened to, take one or two others along with you, so that every word may be confirmed by the evidence of two or three witnesses. If the member refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if the offender refuses to listen even to the church, let such a one be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector.”

Ok, so if we’re being honest, going up to the person who has hurt you and going to them with your heart in your hand letting them know that they hurt you is not an easy task.  Doing so requires courage and vulnerability.  You might just get hurt again.  Going to someone and seeking reconciliation, however, is so much easier and lighter than carrying around the burden of hurt forever.  The weight of carrying that pain around is hard and heavy, carrying the accompanying fear and mistrust takes are hearts of flesh and turns them into hearts of stone, weighing us down even further.  We trust less and less and fear more and more, when we don’t seek reconciliation, and then we end up with our pre-Harvey burdens of fearing the other, ignoring the other, and holding enmity for the other.  Seeking reconciliation is a far easier and lighter burden than the burden of carrying fear, mistrust, and enmity.    

Even if you can’t be reconciled, Jesus taught that you still don’t carry the enmity around.  You drop it.  You let it go.  If you can’ t be reconciled, then let that person be to you as a gentile and a tax collector.  On the one hand, you’re considering that person to be outside of your life, apart from you.  On the other hand, what grudge would you hold against someone who is not a part of you?  Let the grudge go, let the person go, and wipe the slate clean.  It would be up to the other person at that point to rebuild the relationship.  At the same time, gentiles and tax collectors were a part of Jesus’ and the early church’s mission field, so there is a writing off and a starting over in Jesus’ teaching about when reconciliation doesn’t occur.  Death and resurrection.  Such is the way of Jesus.  Such is his easy yoke and his light burden.

Our shared humanity, seeking out the other without fear, forgiving and actively seeking reconciliation:  these are ways of Jesus that we absolutely need in our post-Harvey lives, and what we need in our post-Harvey life as Emmanuel.  We need each other.  We always did, but pre-Harvey, we felt secure enough in other things not to realize our need for each other quite so acutely.

Our pre-Harvey lives are dead and in the tomb.   Our post-Harvey lives and post-Harvey life as Emmanuel is emerging from the tomb.  Post-Harvey, we have been woken from sleep, and we realize just how much we need each other.  More than a building, more than programs, we need each other.  Emmanuel Episcopal Church & School is a new creation by water and the Word.

We need to stay joined together, and we need to discover new ways to join together as well.  In our post-Harvey, resurrected life, we need to keep reaching out into our community.  We are a church, a people, without a building right now, and this is a challenge for us, and it is also a wonderful opportunity to live into our common humanity.  Without our building to gather in and serve from, we get to gather and serve in other people’s buildings.  We get to gather and serve in other people’s homes.  We get to join with our neighbors as they gather and serve us. 

With prayer and reconciliation, we get to continue in this resurrected life, sharing in our common humanity as a new creation by water and the Word, following in the easy way and light burden of Jesus.

Sure, You're The Messiah, But...

Brad Sullivan

Proper 16, Year A

August 27, 2017

Emmanuel, Houston

Matthew 16:13-20

Sure, You’re The Messiah, But…

Some of y’all may not be aware of this, but children often don’t do what their parents say.  Sometimes they simply want to do their own thing, and sometimes it seems like they’re just pretty sure their parents have no idea what they’re talking about.  We’ve got this great picture of Noah when he’s a few days old in which his expression clearly states, “I get that you love me and all, but I’m not sure I trust this situation all that well; you seem to have no idea what you’re doing.”  To be fair, at the time, he was kinda right.  Since then, of course, there has never been any doubt in our children’s minds that we’ve got it all together. 

This idea of children not really trusting that their parents know what they are talking about pretty well illustrates Peter’s and the disciples rather regular response to Jesus.  “Who do you say that I am?” Jesus asked, and Peter answered, “You’re the messiah, the Son of God, but…”  Ok, Peter didn’t actually say “but” anything.  Immediately after his declaration that Jesus is the messiah, however, Peter told Jesus he obviously didn’t know what he’s doing.  As we’ll hear next week, Peter didn’t like what Jesus had to say in predicting his own arrest and crucifixion, and we hear in Peter’s response to Jesus an unspoken, “Well sure, you’re the messiah, Jesus, but you obviously don’t know what you’re talking about.  You may be the Son of God, and all, but right now you need to listen to me. ”

           

“Sure you’re the messiah, but…” has turned out to be a common refrain in the church.  Like children who aren’t really sure their parents have any idea what they’re talking about, disciples of Jesus often seem to think that Jesus had it about as together as the first time parents of a newborn.   I’m talking about ways we behave and even lessons we teach which seem to counter the claim that Jesus is the messiah, the Son of God.

Here are some things we’ve done or said, or at least heard of Christians doing and saying:

-          Jesus may be the messiah, but praying for our enemies doesn’t seem to keep us as safe as we’d like, so we think we should fight them first and only pray for them afterwards…

-          Jesus may be the messiah, but my eyes are just fine, log or no, and I can spot other people’s sins quite well, thank you very much…

-          Jesus may be the messiah, but we should only let certain people be a part of the church.  Jesus may have wanted all who travail and are heavy laden to come to him, but we say only those whose lifestyles aren’t too objectionable (or who at least are quiet about it) because we think his grace should only be poured out for those whom we deem appropriate…

-          Jesus may be the messiah, but contra his teaching in the parable of the workers in the vineyard, having enough to eat is only appropriate for those who have worked enough to deserve having enough to eat.  Those with more than enough shouldn’t share with those reprobates, they should get a job…

-          Jesus may be the messiah, but we don’t want to wait for God to sort out who the evil ones are at the end of the age, and we certainly don’t want all of us to grow together.  We think God is taking too long, and we want to kill off the ones we deem to be evil right now, or at least keep them far, far away from us…

-          Jesus may be the messiah, but taking up a cross, and risking death for the sake of love and peace in the world just isn’t working for me.  I’d rather live with the assurance of eternal life and not worry about too much sacrifice in this world…

-          Jesus may be the messiah, but reconciliation is too hard.  I’d rather say I’ve forgiven them, really hold a grudge, and let God work out the details…

-          Jesus may be the messiah, but his rebuke of the Pharisees was really way out of bounds; purity tests required for being Jesus’ disciples is a good thing, that way we can keep out those whom we feel are icky…

We probably wouldn’t claim that Jesus actually taught any of what I just said, but those are ways that are often lived out in the church.  There are many ways teachings which seem like wisdom but which rather counter to Jesus’ teachings.  We’re like kids who aren’t doing what our parents say.  We’re usually not trying to be openly defiant or rebellious.  We just keep thinking that the supposed wisdom right in front of us is going to work out better or be an easier path than the way of Jesus…if we even think about it much at all.  That’s kinda been our M.O. since the Garden of Eden. 

I’m pretty sure Jesus is expecting that we’ll mess up in fact he’s certain of it, otherwise we wouldn’t need a messiah.  At the same time, accepting that Jesus is the messiah, the Son of God, is meant to be a game changer for us.  Like Peter, we’re going to mess up, a lot, and we’re also meant to constantly learn from  Jesus, learn from our mistakes, and assume Jesus really did know what he was talking about. 

We’re not going to be perfect.  We’re going to mess up, a lot, and that’s why grace is so fantastic.  Grace to say, I love you and you are forgiven.  Again, our need for grace is why need a messiah in the first place.  Our challenge is to take seriously our need for a messiah and to take seriously the way and teachings of that messiah, and when we don’t follow his ways, we should claim that as our failing, not twist his teachings to suit our ways. 

Killing another, for example, should not be considered the way of Jesus, but rather a failing on our part to follow in Jesus’ way.  We may be justified in killing someone to protect the lives of others.  I still don’t believe killing another is the way of Jesus.  That’s when we repent, lay our sins at his feet, and ask forgiveness, rather than twist Jesus’ teachings to say we were following him well.

There’s been a lot of debate over the last decade about who is acceptable in the church and who is acceptable in the leadership of the church.  Folks on all sides of these questions have been looking to the teachings of Jesus to guide their beliefs and have come to different conclusions.  That’s part of our life together as we muddle through as best we can.  That’s part of the way of Jesus, that we strive together.  Unfortunately, some have decided to push out those who they feel are wrong.  Some have decided to push out those whose beliefs of lifestyles they deem to be wrong.  Such forcing out of the other is not the way of Jesus, and if we’re truly going to believe that Jesus is the messiah, we need to repent of these actions, lay our sins at his feet, and ask forgiveness, rather than twist Jesus’ teachings to say we were following him well.

Everyone needs grace.  Everyone needs forgiveness.  Everyone needs to be able to come to Jesus, learn from him, and be in communion with him.  Everyone needs the messiah, the Son of God.  Peter’s declaration that Jesus is the messiah, the Son of God tells us that we are also God’s children.  Jesus was human, brother to us all, and we were all made in God’s image, made as his children.  Like children who are sometimes not all that great at listening to our parents, we are all brothers and sisters together, and we are all at times not that great at listening to Jesus.  We often say, “Sure, you’re the messiah, but…”

“Sure, you’re the messiah, Jesus, but”… that’s why we need a messiah.  “Sure, you’re the messiah, Jesus, but”…that’s why God gave us a messiah .  Despite our many protestations to the contrary, God loves us like any good parent loves their children.  Despite our many instances of assuming God has no idea what he’s doing, God looks at us and says, “my beloved.”  Despite the many times that we refuse to love and forgive each other, God looks as us in our weakness and gives us grace, gives us forgiveness, gives us a messiah, his Son, Jesus.