A Topsy-Turvy Kingdom Ethic

Reflecting on the Fifth Sunday after Pentecost: One Day after Sunday (Year C)

Scripture (semicontinuous)

Psalter: Psalm 7

Old Testament: Amos 3:9—4:5

Epistle: James 2:1-7

Scripture (complementary)

Psalter: Psalm 25:11-20

Old Testament: Job 24:1-8

Epistle: James 2:1-7

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Prayer

God of justice, your word is light and truth. Let your face shine on us to restore us, that we may walk in your way, seeking justice and doing good. Amen.

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Reflection

My brothers and sisters, do not claim the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ of glory while showing partiality. For if a person with gold rings and in fine clothes comes into your assembly, and if a poor person in dirty clothes also comes in, and if you take notice of the one wearing the fine clothes and say, “Have a seat here in a good place, please,” while to the one who is poor you say, “Stand there,” or, “Sit by my footstool,” have you not made distinctions among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts? Listen, my beloved brothers and sisters. Has not God chosen the poor in the world to be rich in faith and to be heirs of the kingdom that he has promised to those who love him? But you have dishonored the poor person. Is it not the rich who oppress you? Is it not they who drag you into the courts? Is it not they who blaspheme the excellent name that was invoked over you? (James 2:1-7).

“The Christian ideal has not been tried and found wanting. It has been found difficult; and left untried.” ― G.K. Chesterton

“When Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die.”― Dietrich Bonhoeffer

The writers of the New Testament remind us that following Jesus is a difficult way of life. They challenge us to live in the here and now as if God’s kingdom has already arrived in its fullness. That fullness includes a complete reorientation of the our way of life. The values of the kingdom are upside down in a world that has ordered itself by status, power, and wealth. Is it little wonder that Christian interpreters of the New Testament have either ignored difficult passages or reinterpreted the hard Scriptures in a way to make them more palatable to our worldly sensibilities? When Jesus tells us to turn the other cheek, isn’t he speaking metaphorically? When St. Paul tells the Corinthians that Christians shouldn’t take their disputes with other Christians before the pagan/secular courts, isn’t that just for his time and not ours? When Jesus tells us to lend and not to expect to receive back what we give, well that’s just unrealistic.

It’s not only Jesus and Paul who promote a topsy-turvy way of life, James does as well, and he really pokes at us over our obsession with status particularly as it involves wealth.

“My brothers and sisters, do not claim the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ of glory while showing partiality. For if a person with gold rings and in fine clothes comes into your assembly, and if a poor person in dirty clothes also comes in, and if you take notice of the one wearing the fine clothes and say, “Have a seat here in a good place, please,” while to the one who is poor you say, “Stand there,” or, “Sit by my footstool,” have you not made distinctions among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?

Years ago, there was a popular show entitled, “Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous.” Each week it featured the lavish lifestyles of celebrities and other well known persons. I am sure no one would have watched a sequel to the show, “Lifestyles of the Poor and Destitute.” Not only would that be too painful to watch, it would also remind us that those of us who have a comfortable lifestyle bear some obligation to assist those in need. We don’t like bad news nor do we like having to think of our obligations to respond to bad news. It is much easier to dwell on the Scriptures that comfort us (“Come to me you who labor and are weighted down with burdens, and I will give you rest.”—Matthew 11:28) than those that challenge us to live in a way that necessitates sacrifice (One thing you lack: go and sell all you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.”—Mark 10:21)

And yet, we Christians who live in the world of Christendom have built the significance of wealth and status into our societies in ways that it is difficult to know how to extrapolate ourselves from them. It’s virtually impossible for someone without wealth to be elected President or to the Senate—often called the biggest millionaires club in America. Our justice system favors those with financial means who can afford the best lawyers in existence, and pastors of mega churches often live in the kind of luxury that many of their parishioners can only dream of. Nevertheless, the truth of the matter is that the New Testament calls us to a way of life that embodies, simplicity, humility, and servanthood.

We live in a world that has ordered itself in a way that the kingdom ethic of the gospel is truly upside down. I do not pretend to have the answers in detail as to how to live in a world that is so often contrary to the way of Jesus, but we the followers of Jesus need to do our best to embody the way of the cross in our daily routines.

The good news is that we have the Holy Spirit to assist us in accomplishing what we think impossible.

PRAYER: Divine Judge, you framed the earth with love and mercy and declared it good; yet we, desiring to justify ourselves, judge others harshly, without knowledge or understanding. Keep us faithful in prayer that we may be filled with the knowledge of your will, and not ignore or pass by another's need, but plumb the depths of love in showing mercy. Amen.

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