Sermon11.13.07
Wisdom 2:23-3:9/Psalm 34:15-22/Luke 17:7-10
“So you, also, when you have done all that you were ordered to do, say ‘We are worthless slaves, we have done only what we ought to have done.’”
Some of you may have your own version of the Jefferson Bible. Thomas Jefferson, you’ll remember, made up his own edition of the Bible that literally cut out the parts he didn’t like. Reaching for the scissors—at least metaphorically--may be tempting at times. But we have other options.
There’s a provocative little story in Genesis 32 about a wrestling match. Jacob is alone by the Jabbok Creek and is visited by a man. Or an angel? God? The text is ambiguous. Whoever it is, they wrestle—all night. Jacob hangs on and refuses to let go until he blesses him. Finally, at dawn, the divine messenger does bless him and the match is over.
“So you, also, when you have done all that you were ordered to do, say ‘We are worthless slaves, we have done only what we ought to have done.’”
We could reach for the scissors. Or, we could wrestle this text to the ground and demand a blessing. I don’t think we’ll need until dawn. About ten minutes should do it.
To begin with, a parable like this is a good reminder that the Bible is a product of another time, another place, other social realities. Jesus is using an everyday reality of his time and place to make a point. By the way, we see this social reality beginning to shift even in the Bible. In Revelation 18 trafficking in slaves is the commerce of the Whore of Babylon, who is doomed to destruction.
Our Scriptural texts are grounded in social realities which themselves are fluid and shifting. So, we cannot avoid the responsibility of using our God-given intelligence to appropriate these texts in a life-giving, life-enhancing way. The Word of God in Scripture is to be a Word of blessing—and we, with Jacob, are right to demand it.
The Word of God, of course, offers a wide range of images to us to help us understand our identity before God. A delicious example, those extraordinary words from Wisdom we heard earlier: “…God made us in the image of his own eternity.” Made in the image of God’s own eternity. Wow. Words of blessing, indeed! Nothing made in the image of God’s own eternity can rightly be a slave and nothing made in the image of God’s own eternity can be worthless.
The gist of the parable seems to be that our service to God and to others puts no claim on God. Service to God and others is simply our duty. God commands it, and it is our duty. God commands; we obey. This is a little more palatable, but, where is the blessing in this?
I have to speak out of my own experience—and this may or may not be yours. But, I do not experience God as one who commands. Maybe my ears are plugged, but I don’t experience God as one who commands. I do experience God as one who invites. I read in Scripture about a God who commands, but the God I experience is a God who invites. More the God of the Song of Songs, less the God of Mount Sinai. More the God of mutual delight and desire; less the God who thunders from the mountain top. The God of my experience is one who invites me to share his own life, invites me to share his own love, to share his own creative work in the world.
If there is a slave in the Christian’s relationship with God, the slave is God, according to the Bible. “…he emptied himself, taking the form of a slave” (Phil. 2:7). And, elsewhere, “…the Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve…” (Mat. 20:28). And we see him on his knees doing slave’s work at the Last Supper, washing the feet of the disciples.
“So you, also, when you have done all that you were ordered to do, say ‘We are worthless slaves, we have done only what we ought to have done.’”
Where is the blessing? Jacob demanded a blessing. Perhaps we can hear the text saying that we should not seek recognition or applause or even gratitude for our service to others. We render service to God and others not for external reward, but because it is our rightful duty. This begins to be more palatable. But I’m still wrestling. Where is the blessing?
I think it is in this. The reason we should not seek external reward for service to God and to others is that we could easily be distracted from the true reward. The true reward for service to others is not applause or approval or recognition. The greater satisfaction, the greater gratification, the greater reward is God himself. He promised to be with us always; he said he would abide in us as we abide in him. Our service to others, our generosity and graciousness are nothing less than the embodiment of the Divine Life active within us. We incarnate, we put flesh and blood on the impulse of the Spirit of Christ active within us. We are temples of his Spirit and agents of his generosity and service in the world.
Knowing Christ to be present and active within us is the true reward. Our service to others, our generosity, are the manifestation of the life of God, the love of God, the generosity of God active within us. What could be a better reward than God within us?
If we have life within us, we have the Source of Life, because he is Life. If we have love within us, we have the Source of Love, because he is Love. If we have generosity within us, we have the Source of Generosity, because he is Generosity. If we have the image of eternity within us, we have Eternity, because he is eternity.
Eternity of Life, eternity of Love, eternity of Generosity. Christ invites us into these eternities and invites us to manifest them in our lives. Christ invites us to know him personally, that is, present in our person and manifest in our lives. Lives enriched by acts of service and generosity to others.
We should never cease expressing our gratitude to others for their generosity to us. And it is only natural to be encouraged by the gratitude of others—and disappointing when gratitude is withheld. But what I am speaking of is our primary motivation as God’s people in the world. God’s very presence in our hearts, inspiring us to generosity and service to others, is the true reward.
If we know this, we have been blessed. And we can let go and call it a match.
© 2007
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