Day Laborers

Matthew 20:1 - For the kin-dom of heaven is like a vineyard manager who went out early in the morning to hire workers in his vineyard.

Clearly Jesus is about to tell a parable. This parable is an extension of his talk about the first being last and the last being first. It will illustrate what he is talking about. Since we only have the first line, it is difficult to say very much about it as a parable, yet we can locate ourselves in the parable and God as well.

Firstly, we can imagine that the vineyard owner symbolizes God, the one in charge of heaven. God being thought of as a king (kingdom) or ruler has interesting implications for theology in America, where we have no kings and our rulers are elected. Theoretically, anyway. What we have is an oligarchy in which the powerful work to keep their power and to keep others powerless. We have spent a lot of energy these last eight months into resisting the more egregious abuses of the current administration. In a similar way, many people put a lot of energy into resisting God. Not God's abuses but rather God's existence. We are accustomed to thinking of ourselves as in charge.

So, many people will see themselves as the vineyard manager. We have an obsession with individuality and self-determination. Not to mention a delusion of ourselves and our country as exceptional. "No one's gonna tell me what to do" seems to be our general attitude. Even some of us who identify as Christian have this attitude. Yet, even so, we are the laborers lining up to be hired, at least in this parable. Which brings up an interesting point about God? Paul says we are slaves to sin or to God. Yet Jesus here clearly refers to workers. The workers will get paid. The workers can choose whether or not to work. Slaves cannot. I think this tension is interesting, but maybe not yet.

So, God as vineyard manager also has implications from the prophets of Israel. A common image of Israel is as a vineyard that God owns and tends. God is our caretaker as well as our employer. (I have never thought about God as an employer outside of AA meetings.) God is intimately concerned about his vineyard (US? Israel?) and hires people himself to take care of it, whether we are the laborers or the vineyard or both.

Quick summary: In the kingdom of heaven God employs laborers (US) to work on his vineyard (US) much the same way we do here today. The Jewish members of Jesus's audience would have picked up on the ramifications of this immediately.
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Last First, First Last

Matthew 19:30 - But the last will be first, and the first shall be last.

This radical overturning of values, identities, and norms seems as confusing to us as it probably did to the disciples. ... Again, everything they and we have been taught. Jesus is claiming that everything they and we have been taught is incorrect, the wrong way of thinking and being, humanity's way rather than God's way.

He's speaking here about the kin-dom of heaven and its reversal of life situations. Those who think themselves important now will find themselves unimportant in heaven. Those who are marginalized now will find themselves sitting on the thrones judging their oppressors. It's an intoxicating image for one who is on the bottom rung of society's ladder.

But, what if the kin-dom of heaven - a spiritual kin-dom - reaches us on earth? What if this passage is not only descriptive, but prescriptive as well? In other words, what if Jesus is speaking to all of us? What if Jesus is calling us, Christians in the 21st century to go, sell all we have, give the proceeds to the poor and follow him? What if Jesus wants us to work with God in creating heaven on earth? Or at least to strive for it? What if we are being asked to do what this last sentence suggests and make the last of this world our first priority? ... How would our lives change? Would they?

Does it scare us to think about this possibility? Why? What exactly is terrifying about it? If it weren't terrifying we would put less energy into why it doesn't apply to us and just do it. Are we worried about what others will think of us? Which others? Or about what we may have to give up? Many of us live comfy lifestyles.  Or how would we survive? Are we afraid of being homeless, unemployed or just plain poor ourselves? Are we afraid of physical suffering? What about emotional suffering? I think the answers to these questions could tell us a lot about ourselves.

I write this as a white woman so I wonder how these words sound to those who are further down the ladder. Like manna from heaven? Like a glass of cool water on a hot day? Like affirmation? Do these words give hope? Or do they sound hollow? It's safe to say that if this notion of putting the last first on our priority list scares us or makes us the least bit uncomfortable, perhaps Jesus is calling us to become curious about why that is. In learning about ourselves, we learn about others as well.

What can we do today to follow Jesus in this way?
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Give up Your Identity

Matthew 19:29 – And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or a father or a mother or fields for my name’s sake will receive a hundredfold as many and will inherit eternal life.

I had a whole thing written up on this until I noticed that these were identity markers in Israel and the Ancient Near East. Many texts when mentioning people relate them to their father or brother or work. It is still done in the region today. Osama bin Laden. bin, son of. This is one of the sayings that leads to “dying to ourselves – our identities – we live for God. Jesus says here that those of us willing to give up those things that give us status in society, whether it be our family, our line of work, our wealth, will gain much more than we can imagine – a hundredfold of these things.

And what would the disciples make of this? It is one more radical upturning of their world. This idea must have seemed as ethereal, as unreal and unreachable as the idea of them judging the twelve tribes of Israel. Yet, Moltmann recognized that God’s promises were always that way. Ethereal, unreal, and unreachable. God promised the deliverance of slaves when human beings could not see any way for that to happen. God promised Abraham and Sarah that they would have a son when both were past childbearing age. Both laughed at the promises – as we must sometimes in our cynical, least hopeful moments. They seem too grand to hope for.

God called me to be a minister and I could no see a way for that to happen either and yet here we are. The promise is always a future reality that cannot be related to the present reality. Otherwise it wouldn’t be much of a promise. If I can see away from here to there – well it’s a matter of following steps. It’s more a certainty than a promise.

I think it’s good to remember here that this latest promise comes on the heals of the others. In the space of about five to ten minutes Jesus has told them that rich people aren’t rich because God blessed them; that rich people will have a difficult time getting into heaven without God; that, in fact, it would be easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle; that people cannot get to heaven on our own; that with God nothing is impossible; that the twelve will sit with Jesus in his glory to judge Israel; that if they give up themselves – their identities, the things that matter to them the most – they’ll be rewarded a hundredfold and will have eternal life.

I stress the radicalness of this because I tend to think nothing of this, having heard these stories all my life. I forget to stop and think how these events and sayings would seem on first encounter. That’s the only way for me to realize how radical Jesus was. In the tradition of the Torah, it’s the youngest son gaining power and prestige over the elder sons: Joseph, Jacob, David, and many others. The last shall be first. God has always had a preferential option for the foor and the down-trodden. Therefore they will judge those who have been trodding them down.

And Jesus tells us that we’re thinking about our society all wrong. We’re no different than the oppressors of the Old Testament. Jesus’s words apply to us every bit as much as they apply to the disciples. If we are willing to give up our identities – our jobs, our wealth, our good names – we, too, will receive a hundredfold in return. What are we willing to give up to follow Jesus?

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Thrones of Judgement

Matthew 19:28 - Jesus said to them, "Truly I say to you that in the regeneration when the Son of Man shall be seated on the throne of his glory, you who have followed me will be seated on twelve thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel."

I have been reading Moltmann's Theology of Hope in which he talks in the beginning about the tension between the promise and the fulfillment. The promise is always in the future, creating tension between the reality of today and the promise of the future. Today's reality may not directly lead to the promised future, creating the tension. This is the situation the disciples are in here. Their promise, too, is in the future for the disciples. The tension they have been feeling up to now has just ratcheted up a notch.

 I have several questions that I want to think through about this passage:

How did the disciples understand this promise? Did they see Jesus as a military king on his throne or as a day of God's judgment? What did Jesus mean by regeneration? Regeneration of what?

And two things to note: The talk of thrones is a drastic change in tone from go sell all you have and follow me. The promise is not made to an individual, as God's promises never are; it is a promise to the community. I think this gets overlooked in some branches of Christianity today. There is very much a focus on individual salvation; especially in America. Here, though, it is a promise to the twelve apostles. This might stem from Jesus change in tone from servant leadership - sharing hardships with your people - and judging others. I'm unsure whether this is reconcilable or not. I do think that we focus on the latter because it is the tantalizing promise. However, the promise is only for those who followed Jesus - those who "sold all they had" or "left everything" to be with Jesus. It is not to those who are rich; in fact, they are explicitly excluded.

It also seems to point to God's day of judgment rather than a military overthrow of the Roman oppressors. Were the disciples disappointed at this? Did they envision regeneration to mean a regeneration of the kingdom of David rather than a day of judgment scenario? If so, I feel sorry for them. First they're told that rich people, rather than being easy entries, will have a hard time getting into heaven. Then they're told no person can do it (which seems to contradict his advice to the rich, young man) only God. And while they're trying to process what this means for them, they get hit with, "Yeah, we'll have thrones and be judging the twelve tribes of Israel." That is a lot of tension between what one believed and what they were being told.

And I think this feeling of tension is natural and necessary. If there is no tension, there's no need for any promise to be fulfilled. Even once the promise is fulfilled, according to Moltmann, there will be another piece of the promise or another promise entirely to take its place. There will always be tension between the 'not-yet' and the fulfillment. We are called to follow Jesus on the hope of the fulfillment of the promise - whether its in our lifetime or not; whether we can see how to get there from here  or not; whether it makes sense or not. Radical amazement is called for here along with becoming comfortable with the tension.
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We Have Left Everything

Matthew 19:27 - Then Peter said to him, "Look, we have left everything and followed you? What then shall we be/will we have?"

I relate to Peter here. All the ideas and denials and WTFs crashing around in his head and he's trying to produce a response. All he can manage is, "What about us?" They've made a huge investment in Jesus. They are no longer fishing or doing whatever work they had been doing. They have been living on faith in Jesus and his words all this time. They've witnessed miracles, healings and mind-blowing sermons. There minds have been opened to ways of being they'd never considered. Their dreams are bigger now, their future promised looks brighter now. They include the God of Israel in a new way. And now it seems Jesus is telling them none of that matters. (He's not but it might have seemed so.) The future is different than they thought and they can't go back. Going back to their old life cannot be appealing at all. How could they go back and hold their heads up?

So, yes, hearing that God decides and for us it's impossible must have been a crushing blow to them. I admit, I would have been thinking the same thing. I, too, would have panicked at the thought that their gamble wouldn't pay. Yet, while Peter's utterance is selfish, it's still very courageous. He recognizes that his thinking has not aligned with Jesus and wants clarification, even if he only manages to make the issue about himself and his fellow disciples. He states what all of them were thinking. They're all trying madly to make sense of Jesus' words in light of what they've experienced thus far. They're trying to understand.

And to be fair Christians have been trying to understand, to come to terms with this passage, too. It has been explained away in many different ways through the millenia. One thing I know, Jesus' time is running out. Jesus needs his disciples to understand what he's been teaching them before that happens. He's serious here. Nothing is to come between us and God. Nothing.
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Giving credit where it's due, that took guts; then and now.

All Things Are Possible

Matthew 19:26 - Jesus, looking at them said, "For people it is not possible, for God all things are possible."

I imagine this was more astonishing to the disciples. Not only is their understanding that rich people are blessed by God and thus will get into heaven easily been declared wrong, but now Jesus is telling them that no one can earn their way into heaven. Remember how you felt when you learned Santa wasn't real or that the world is not in fact a just place. Everything they've been taught by those in authority has been smashed to bits IF what Jesus says is true.

I imagine a mad scramble in their minds as they try to form a coherent response to this; ideas and denials clogging their brains and rendering them speechless - at least at first. My own experience learning that my parents lied to me about how the world works and who I was is similar. Now, to be clear, I'm not getting down on either my parents or the authorities; chances are they were also lied to. But the result is the same - extreme disorientation. To believe something about yourself all your life - to have a core belief about yourself, only to learn that no one sees you that way at all is very terrifying and liberating at the same time.Terrifying because now who one is becomes a questions rather than a statement. Liberating for the same reason - we can be who we truly are, whoever we want to be.

All of us experience this sort of revelation at some point in our lives. Our parents and/or authority figures taught us incorrect information - again not on purpose - or we come into our own and that does not always mirror our parents. It might even be necessary as a way of differentiating ourselves and growing into adulthood. However, the point is not having the experience, but rather how we respond to learning that Santa isn't real, to the discovery that our parents were not perfect, to the realization that 'hell' seems kinda harsh. How do we respond?

Do we, like many, stick our fingers in our ears and shout, "la, la, la. I can't hear you." or do we let the pain in, let reality in so that we might be made clean, whole, cured; so that we might have life and have it more abundantly. This is the crucial point. How do we respond to information or opinions or teaching we don't like or don't approve of or even might require something of us? Do we really trust God to have our backs or do we hide in fear? Do we want to live life by rules that are not our own - and may harm us - or do we want to step out in freedom to discover just how good God is, just how beautiful people can be?

Our fear, our recognition that when we open ourselves up to all that is good and beautiful and true we'll open ourselves to all that can harm or cause pain - these keep us tied to rules. It's a package deal. To love we must be willing to feel the pain of loss.

But I digress a bit - The disciples are hearing Jesus tell them to forget what they've "known" all their lives - that by following the Torah, they'll be 'saved,' get into the kingdom of heaven. Jesus is upending that and stating that it's entirely up to God. Which is where our response of fear must be challenged. Do we trust a loving God?

Many, many Christians throughout history have missed this; starting with Peter in the very next verse. Will we?
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Exceedingly Astonished

Matthew 19:25 - Upon hearing this the disciples were exceedingly astonished, "Who then can be saved?"

The disciples are completely taken by surprise. According to everything they had been taught, being rich was a sign of God's blessing. This theology favors the rich to the extreme detriment of the not-rich. It is an attitude that still persists today in the US, where the rich are happy to exploit it for political and economic advantage. The implication was that the world was just. i.e. if one works hard, one will be rewarded. If one has not been rewarded, one has not been working hard.

This is the exact thinking that describes many people today - especially the white, working class people everyone seems so worried about. Many Trump voters have this fallacy, this deep story, that the rich must have worked hard and if they work hard, they, too can be rich. Their sympathy is for the rich rather than the poor, who are judged to be lazy and moochers. Because the speaker themselves are not rich only means that they have been cheated. It's a great cover story for the systemic racism, classism, sexism, heteronormativity, and ableism that pervade American society.

Our investment in this view of reality is so great that it is difficult to recognize the concept of systemic oppression and generational poverty. When we hear this we often think that means, we are the bad guys. Somehow. No one wants to be the bad guy so we reject it. Trouble is, that is not the point at all. It only makes us gullible and easily swayed by those who would take advantage.

This is the response that Jesus is trying to root out of his followers. It's NOT rich people who will have an easy time getting into heaven; it's the oppressed, the marginalized, the prostitutes, the poor people, the orphans, and widows who will walk right through the gate. Jesus is turning the world upside down. Instead of rising up a rigged ladder on which we'll get nowhere, Jesus calls us to climb down from the ladder, look around to see where we can help others. How can we participate in Jesus' mission of liberation?

Another thought I have about this verse that I'll work through is what does Matthew mean by 'saved'? Saved from what? Was this Matthew's expression or was it a common theology of the time? Was it Jesus' expression? What were they trying to avoid? Hell? Clearly it means to enter heaven somehow but how did they conceive of that? This is one of those words that we skip over because we've heard it so many times, we think we already know.  We forget to think about what it might have meant to the speaker or the author.
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