To Turn Us Upside Down

Cycle: B Deuteronomy 18:15-20; Psalms 95:1-2,6-9; I Corinthians 7:32-35; Mark 1:21-28

Once upon a time a government surveyor brought his equipment to a farm, called on the farmer, and asked permission to go into one of the fields and take readings. The farmer objected, fearing that the survey was the first step toward construction of a highway through his land. "I will not give you permission to go into my fields," said the farmer. Whereupon, the surveyor produced an official government document which authorized him to do the survey. "I have the authority," he said, "to enter any field in the entire country to take necessary readings." Faced with such authority, the farmer opened the gate and allowed the surveyor to enter the field. The farmer then went to the far end of the field and opened another gate, through which one of his fiercest bulls came charging. Seeing the bull, the surveyor dropped his equipment and began to run for his life. And he could hear the farmer triumphantly shouting after him,"Show him the paper, show him your authority."

In the Greek, the word for "authority" is "exousia." The word for "power" is "dunamis." Authority and power have different meanings, as the unfortunate surveyor discovered at the sight of the raging bull. In today's Gospel Lesson, Jesus reminds us that, in terms of our salvation -- where we our going with our lives and what we ought to do about it -- He speaks to us with authority and He empowers us, both.

Mark tells us that Jesus was teaching in the synagogue on the Sabbath "as one who had authority," and that His listeners were "astonished at His teaching" (Mk. 1:22). Then, "A man with an unclean spirit cried out, 'What have You to do with us Jesus of Nazareth? Have You come to destroy us? I know who you are, the Holy One of God'" (Mk. 1:23,24).

This incident should not surprise us when we consider that Jesus was speaking with such authority and force that His words would hit home -- really jolt his listeners into realizing that they were being asked to turn their lives upside down.

"What have You to do with us? Have you come to destroy us?" We don't have to be under the influence of some alien spirit in order to respond in this way to Jesus' call to New Life. This is the experience, to some degree, of every one of us when we really listen to the Lord's Message. Hearing this Gospel story, we may be inclined to dismiss this man's cry as the lunatic ravings of an unbalanced fanatic. But the fact is that the man in the Gospel Story got the point. He was jolted by the Word of God. He realized his attitude and approach to life was being called into question. He realized that Jesus was indeed calling for the destruction of his old ways.

A small town newspaper's "Religion Column" included the story of a local minister who had been preaching Sunday after Sunday for two years to an empty Church. Before that, there were three members in the congregation. But two died and the third moved away. Nevertheless, each Sunday for two years, the minister went into the pulpit, looked out at the uninterrupted rows of empty pews and preached the Message of Jesus Christ as he understood it. At one point during this period he decided to turn off the sound system because some of the neighbors were complaining about the noise. When he was asked if he didn't feel a little foolish preaching to empty pews week after week, he replied, "No. I don't ever feel foolish. I'm just taking it one Sunday at a time, waiting for someone to come in and listen to the Word."

That is the problem which all serious preachers face week after week: "Is there anyone out there who realizes that the Word of God being preached is a call to turn his or her life upside down? Or am I preaching, in effect, to empty pews? Is there anyone out there who is so astonished by the Word of God spoken through Jesus that he or she feels compelled to cry out, 'I know You are the Holy One of God ... I know You are my Lord and Savior'?"

The question is, "Are we really listening, or is the Word being proclaimed, in effect, to empty pews?" The man in today's Gospel is tormented by an "unclean spirit." But Jesus possesses the authority and the power to impose silence on the unclean spirit and commands it to go out of the man.

The man in this Gospel story serves as a witness to Christ's Presence in the world. If the Kingdom of God is at hand, then the "unclean" diabolical forces are overthrown, and the world is ruled by a new Wisdom, a new Authority, a new Power.

There is the story of a man who asked the question, "What is the devil?" Before anyone could reply, the man supplied his own answer. "The devil," he said, "is not a huge monster with horns and a harpoon tail and a wicked glitter in his eye. No, the devil is inertia, doing nothing, following the lines of least resistance." The definition might not satisfy many theologians, but it makes the point: When Jesus asks us to turn our lives upside down by following His example of radical love, and we respond by following the lines of least resistance, we're in the devil's corner.

Through His life and through His death, Jesus teaches us that Love is all. Through His Resurrection, Jesus empowers us to live accordingly.

Love is all! Jesus taught this truth with such authority as to jolt us, to astonish us, to turn us upside down. But is anybody listening?

Parable of the Tenants. 27th sunday A

A woman of advanced age began to have hearing problems. Reluctantly she gave in to suggestions from family members that she consult an ear specialist. After the doctor had made a thorough examination of the woman's ears, he said to her, "You have a condition which can be corrected by minor surgery. I suggest we do it as soon as possible. This will give us our best chance to correct your hearing problem." To which she replied, "There will be no operation, thank you. I don't want to correct my hearing problem. I'm eighty-nine years old and I've heard enough!"

That "I've heard enough" feeling is no stranger to many of us. Many of us endure it daily at Six O'clock or Eleven O'clock News Time: reports of murder and other violent crimes -- we've heard enough; reports of political corruption in high places -- we've heard enough; reports of armed conflict between nations and peoples -- we've heard enough; reports of unfair and dishonest business practices -- we've heard enough! All of which clearly indicates that the New Testament Good News report of a loving God's plan for the reconciliation of all mankind in his Kingdom of Love is not being heard nearly enough.

Jesus employed many different ways of communicating the Good News of God's love to his disciples. He instructed them through prayer. He instructed them through miracles. He instructed them through the Scriptures. He instructed them through ordinary conversation. And, He instructed them through parables, as in today's Gospel. In this story, the owner of a vineyard leases it to some tenant farmers. For three successive years the tenants forcibly resist the owner's efforts to claim his rightful share of the harvest. They murder his agents who come to collect. And, after three harvests, they are in a strong position to acquire ownership of the land by means of what we would call "squatters rights." If they can successfully resist the owner's claims following the fourth harvest they will be in a legal position to assert ownership for themselves. The owner's Legal recourse is to lodge a formal complaint against the scheming tenants, before witnesses. To do this, the owner is required by law to appear in person on the land in question. In this case, the owner sends his son (a co-partner in the land) to represent him. "They will respect my son," he reasons. But the wicked tenants murder the son too. Finally the owner himself comes upon the land, gains the upper hand, ejects the murderous tenants and appoints others in their place.

Jesus' reason for speaking this Parable in the final weeks of His ministry is clear. Throughout His public life, Jesus, Son of God, had claimed the right to exercise His Father's authority over His people. Instead of respecting this claim, the scribes and Pharisees saw it as a threat to their own dominion over God's people. They adopted a "He's got to go!" attitude and Jesus knew they would soon make their move to dispose of Him. It was in this context then, that Jesus spoke the Parable of the Tenants. Through it, He is saying to the scribes and the Pharisees, "You may think that getting rid of Me will resolve the matter in your favor. But remember, that is precisely what those wicked tenants imagined. Killing Me will not result in My defeat but in your own ruin. You will never be able to successfully resist My Father's claim to absolute dominion over His people -- even if you should kill his Son! Even death has no dominion over God's people. He will never abandon them."

It is precisely when the bad news of the wicked tenants in our midst seems dominant that we desperately need to let the Good News break through: God is with us and will never abandon us. Hear His voice:

Do not limit your search for Me to the sanctuaries, or to the precise words of theologians, or to the calm of the countryside. Look for Me in the places where men are struggling to become more fully human. See Me in this house of worship, but see Me as well in the many faces of mankind. The presence of the wicked tenants to the contrary notwithstanding, I will never abandon you.

Three persons were talking about some of the recent translations of the Bible. One said, "I like the New English version of the Gospels. It's easier reading than all the older versions." Said the second person, "I prefer the new Jerusalem Bible. The translations have modernized the language without sacrificing reverence." To which the third person replied, "I know an even better translation. I like my mother's translation best. She translated the Bible into life, and it is the most convincing translation I have ever seen. She was a loving person who always took the needs of others seriously. That's what Jesus did, when He was on earth."

Matthew has clearly described Jesus' life ministry in terms of His care and concern for the lowly and the needy and the lonely. It is Jesus who touches lepers. It is Jesus who embraces and kisses the children, the orphans. It is Jesus who loves the "sinners" who are rejected by the self-righteous. It is Jesus who dies for the least among God's children, without exception. And it is Jesus who is saying to us now, His loyal followers, "This is where it all comes out. This is the fruit of the effort, the fruit of all the worship, the fruit of all the prayer, the fruit of all the Bible Study and theological probing. This is where it comes out."

"Fearfully And Wonderfully Made" is the title of a book in which prominent surgeon, Dr. Paul Brand, explores the complex creation called the human body. In a chapter on "Growth," Dr. Brand recalls an incident that took place during a visit to South America:

A certain bridge in South America consists of interlocking vines supporting a precariously swinging platform hundreds of feet above a river. I knew the bridge supported hundreds of people over many years, and as I stood on the edge of the chasm I could see people confidently crossing the bridge. The engineer in me wanted to weigh all the factors, measure the stress tolerance of the vines, test the wood for termites, survey all the bridges in the area for one that might be stronger. I could have spent a lifetime determining whether the bridge was fully trustworthy. But I knew that if I really wanted to

cross, I had to take a step. And when I put my weight on that bridge and walked across, even though my heart was pounding and my knees were shaking, I was declaring my position.

The good doctor then goes on to say that his Christian Faith is like that:

If I wait for everything to be settled, I'll never move. Often I have had to act on the basis of the bones of the Christian Faith before those bones were fully formed in me and before I understood the reason for their existence. Bone is hard, but it is alive. If the bones of Faith do not continue to grow, they will soon become dead skeletons.

"Take up your cross daily and follow Me," Jesus says to His loyal followers. Our hope is in the fulfillment of His promise to make us masters of the art of loving. But, to move in that direction, we must declare our position, we must take a step, day-in and day-out. Anything less and the bones of our Faith will not continue to grow, and will soon become dead skeletons.

Saying Yes to God

A young man went through college dreaming of the day he would be offered an executive position in his father's huge industrial plant. On graduation day, the father took him aside and said, "Son, now you're ready to come into the family business." Immediately, the young man had visions of a big, plush office, a large staff of assistants, and a hefty executive salary. "I'll start work tomorrow, dad," he said enthusiastically. Whereupon, the father said, "Of course, in order to Learn the business, you'll have to start at the bottom. To begin with, your job will be to water the hundreds of plants located in our buildings." The son protested. "I've changed my mind. I'm not coming to work tomorrow." Later, he thought better of his negative reply and decided to please his father. And so he went to work at the job he had been offered. The father hoped for the best, but was concerned that despite his son's good intentions, he wouldn't stay on the job for long. But he stopped worrying when the young man showed him his new business card, which read, "PLANT MANAGER."

In today's Gospel we have the simple little story of how two young men responded to their father's request that they go to work in the family business. Jesus doesn't put on this little quiz to see how smart His listeners are. He is making a crucial point with them about their relationship with God. It is not what you say, not what you promise, not what you teach that matters most. Far better to move from bad intentions to positive action than to remain locked into your good intentions and no action. This is a lesson in repentance. You stumble, you fall, you hedge, you shift, you fail, but God is always there, ready to pick you up -- if only you will repent.

Repentance takes you beyond good intentions. Repentance is the process of actually becoming the person God wants you to be. No need to blame yourself, over-and-over again, for your failures and your misdeeds. The forgiveness, the healing, the New Life is here and it will change everything for you if only you will open yourself up to receive the Grace of a loving God. We come here with good intentions. We resolve to be Christ's women and men as never before. Then we go back out and we hear the cries for help but we just move on, making excuses all the way.

We have come here today as a People who intend to lead a good life. We want to be Christ's women and men. We want to participate in the affairs of the Christian family. We honestly have good intentions about changing our ways. There is a rock-like quality in us down at the center. But, like Peter, we are rocks that move. We fall, we falter, we fail, we make mistakes, we hurt other people (often the people we love most). We talk about Christian love and we mean to love, but oh how we fail! Time after time after time, even in our own families, we fail in love. Maybe someone else's ego is getting in our way! Maybe we've become emotionally drained from the pressures of our day-to-day situation. Maybe we're just overly tired, physically. That's the way it is! In spite of our good intentions, the edges become a little sharp and they begin to rub up against each other, and we wilt!

"Life Is Just a Bowl Of Cherries" is the title of an old song. It brings to mind the story of an elderly widow who owned a small cherry tree orchard on the edge of town ... When the trees were loaded with cherries, a few children from town would begin throwing stones at the branches, causing some of the luscious fruit to fall to the ground. Then they would rush in, gather up the cherries and eat them.

One day, the widow spotted the children coming and she hid behind a tree. When the kids started throwing stones, she came out from behind the tree, grabbed one of them by the arm, marched him into her house, sat him down at the kitchen table, and left the room. Tears welled up in the boy's eyes as he contemplated his fate. He had visions of the widow returning to flog him with a branch of the very same tree he threw stones at.

When the widow returned, however, instead of a branch in her hand, she carried a plate of delicious- looking, bright-red, freshly-picked cherries which she set before the lad at the kitchen table. And never again did those children throw stones at the kindly widow's cherry trees.

In this sense, life is just a bowl of cherries. That simple little story conveys a profound sense of what "being busy in the Father's affairs" really means. It means empathizing, for example. (In the case of the widow, it meant remembering what it was like when she herself was up to some mischief as a child.) It means being an effective role model, for example. (In the case of the widow it meant acting in a manner in which kindness and understanding prevailed over vengeance.) And for all of us who participate in the Christian family business, it means remembering our Supreme Role Model's response to His tormentors as He neared death on the Cross: "Father, forgive them. They do not know what they are doing" (Lk. 23:34).

For all of us who have every good intention of becoming busy with our Heavenly Father's affairs, it means loving one another as He has loved us.

The self-centered or the other-centered -- which of the two does the Father's Will?

be satisfied 25th sunday A

A man had found a magic lantern and, for years, every time he rubbed it a "Genie" would appear to grant his wish. The man was a real worry-bird and, because of his constant anxious worries, he kept the "Genie" busy all the time. This went on for years -- one wish after another -- until, one day, when the man rubbed his magic lantern for the fifth time that week, the Genie appeared and said: "I am sick and tired of your anxious worry and your constant wishing. I have decided to settle this arrangement we have once and for all. I will grant your next three wishes only. Nothing more. After that, you're on your own."

The man made his first wish immediately. He asked that his wife would disappear so that he could marry a better woman. His wish came true at once. But when friends and relatives discovered she was gone, they began to recall all the wife's good qualities. This saddened the man and he realized he had been hasty. Where would he find a better woman than his wife? So he asked the Genie to bring her back, and immediately his wish was granted. Now he had but one wish left. He fretted and agonized and anxiously worried about that third wish. He was determined not to make another mistake, since he would be unable to correct it. He went everywhere for advice. Some people told him to wish for immortality. But if he got too sick to enjoy life, he reasoned, what good would immortality be? "Maybe," he told himself, "I should wish for good health." But then he asked himself: "What good is health if I don't have much money? And what good is money if I have no friends?" Many years passed and still he worried -- he couldn't decide on health or wealth or power or money or the dozens of other ideas that kept cropping up. Finally, in desperation, he cried out, "Someone tell me what to ask for!" And he heard a gentle voice from within answer: "Ask to be content, no matter what you get."

Be content! There is a sense in which that is the underlying message of the Gospels. Deep down at the center of all of us, there is the longing for wholeness of life: to be complete persons; to get it all together; to have peace of mind and soul; to be free of anxiety and frustration. "My peace," Jesus says, "is My gift to you." In and through Jesus Christ, God gives us peace. Yet this is no ordinary, worldly peace. "I do not give it as the world gives it," Jesus tells us.

Linda, a college freshman, was decidedly discontented with the young men who kept trying to date her. After listening to her complaints about each one of them, her roommate offered to arrange a blind date. "Would you prefer a Southern boy or a Northern boy?" she asked. "What's the difference?" Linda inquired. Her roommate explained, "Southern boys are more romantic. They will take you walking in the moonlight and whisper sweet nothings in your ear. Northern boys are more active. They like to go places and do exciting things." Linda pondered the contrast, then asked, "Could you please find me a Southern boy from as far North as possible?"

We often try to negotiate with life in like manner. We register discontent with our mere human glimpse of the Mystery of God and the Mystery of life that has been revealed to us in and through the Lord Jesus. As far as possible, we want to put our own "spin" on it, so to speak. And sooner or later we discover that we're going down a blind alley -- a way of life which magnifies our discontent in our search for wholeness of life.

For some of us, the search for wholeness of life is an endless cycle of having to go one better than our peers. For others of us, it becomes simply the business of being seen: our good looks, perhaps; or our clothes. We use all kinds of gimmicks to try to find fulfillment but, sooner or later, we are confronted with the truth: the gimmicks don't work!

Face this squarely, and you can begin to acknowledge deep down inside, that God is trying to get through to you with the only genuine source of wholeness of life: the love that is revealed to us in Jesus Christ. Until you come to terms with that reality, you are wasting time and effort. The sources of temporary satisfaction will let you down, ultimately. As it has been beautifully said,

I know that myself exists and I know that God exists, and the whole business of living is getting the two together.1

The story of the laborers in the vineyard in today's Gospel begins with Jesus' statement, "Now the Kingdom of Heaven is like ..." (Mt. 20:1). The owner of the vineyard hires some field workers and agrees to pay them a fair wage. After they have labored for several hours, he hires additional workers. And when the day's work is over, he pays the first workers the agreed upon wage and he pays those who came later the same wage. Whereupon, the first workers who labored longer than the others, register their discontent. "You have treated them the same as us," they grumble. To which the owner replies, "Why be envious because I am generous?" Jesus then concludes the parable, saying, "Thus the last will be first and the first last" (Mt. 20:16).

The Quakers tell the story of one of their number who put up a sign on a vacant piece of ground next to his house. The sign read,

I WILL GIVE THIS LOT TO ANYONE WHO IS REALLY SATISFIED!

A wealthy farmer rode by, read the sign, then went to the owner's house. He said to the Quaker, "I may as well have the land you are offering because I qualify: I am rich. I have everything I need. I am satisfied." "Are thee really satisfied?" the Quaker asked. "Yes, I have everything I need and I am well satisfied," said the rich man. "My friend," said the Quaker, "if thee is satisfied, why does thee want my land?"

In the Gospels, Jesus gives us a sign that reads,

I will give peace of mind and heart and soul, I will give contentment to all persons who acknowledge the Gospel Truth of a loving God who wants them to express their love for Him through their love for one another.

God is Love! The Mystery of God is the Mystery of Love! In God's Wisdom, we are given our best human glimpse into this awesome Mystery in and through our love for one another. And, in God's Wisdom, that is enough for now.

Be satisfied ... Be content! And live accordingly!