Equality

Matthew 20:11-12 - When they received it, they grumbled at the landowner (God?) saying, "These last worked one hour, you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the day and the burning heat."

I admit I would be a grumbler for sure. Even though I know better, I would still feel miffed. It really doesn't seem fair to those who worked all day. And the salient word here is 'seem.' As I talked about yesterday, in a just world this attitude would be fine. We do not live in a just world. It is important that we keep this fact always before us, if we are to lift up the poor and oppressed.

Again, this is all being told as an illustration of why rich people will have a hell of a time getting into heaven and why Jesus is serious about rich people selling all they have. The grumblers are not rich, but they nonetheless demonstrate the prevalent attitude in America - it's mine. I can hear them saying, "They got more than I did." It's a convenient attitude for rich, white men, who pit the lowest on the ladder against those just above them in order to prevent them from coming together against the rich.

This is the heart of our problem in America. The rich, white folks pit poor white people against ex-slaves in order to keep them from coming together against the rich. Republicans have been systematically doing this for decades. After slavery it was Jim Crow laws and voter suppression. Then it became extreme bias in sentencing people to prison and disenfranchising them after they get out. That continues and now we have voter suppression again on top of that. Gerrymandering too looks like it might be here to stay, so Republicans can safely ignore their constituents without being voted out of office.

Yet, the landowner as God reminds us that our thinking is turned upside down from God's thinking. As the grumblers' said, "You made us equal.' They clearly did not see it that way. God is shown as a loving vineyard owner who chooses to be generous to all Her children, all of us. Even that person you can't stand, even the thief who stole, even Republicans.

It truly is impossible to serve both God and money. For in serving money, we stand against our fellow human beings. So our question to ask ourselves is where do we come down on this issue and why? Are we following God's way or our society's way?
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