It Is As If

Matthew 25:14 – “For it is as if a man, going on a journey, called his servants and entrusted his property to them.”

“It is as if …” A literal translation is “For just as a man,” which seems to indicate present tense. Coming, as it does, between two different parables that are in the future tense, this should probably be translated in the future tense as well, but there is no verb to confirm that. This is the NRSV translation, and it implies that this parable will be describing the Roman economic world as it was as a metaphor for God’s kin-dom. Yet, the parable also describes the US economy and its inter-relationships with other economies as they exist today. As such, it can be read as a critique of our iteration of capitalism.

Why not a critique of the Roman economy? Well, perhaps that too, however, the average Roman did not have any say in how Rome was governed. At all. Here in the US, while we are fight against its demise, we still have democracy. We do have a say. We are permitted to organize and fight for our rights, described as inalienable, in the Constitution. We can change how our economy works. Sadly, Republicans are doing everything they can right now to cheat us out of our rights and our democracy. Exhibit A, the kangaroo court of the Senate Trial that isn’t a trial. 

Say what you want about Democrats, but the fact remains that the average person fares much better under Democratic presidents than Republican presidents. Clinton ended his term in office with a surplus rather than a debt. Bush II wiped that out with two unnecessary wars that we’re still paying for and a tax cut for the wealthy. When President Obama took office, the economy was in a deep recession, and he was able to turn that around in his eight years in office. The “Tax Cut” of 2017 transferred over 90 Billion dollars from everyone else to those who own 1% of wealth in the US. Robbing the poor to pay the rich. It wiped out the gains of the Obama years and we are worse off now that when Bush ended his term.

Why isn’t the economy sinking? Because the federal employees responsible for keeping it afloat are working very hard to not have a repeat of 2008. At least until they can blame it on a Democrat. It’s possible I’m a little cynical on this point.

It is as if … Keep that in mind as we go through the parable. It provides a window into a new way to look at Jesus’ words.

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