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.
No comments:
Post a Comment