Saturday of the Second Week of Lent -- March 26, 2011
Luke 15:1 – 3, 11 – 31
Now the tax collectors and sinners were all gathering around to hear Jesus. But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.”
Jesus continued: “There was a man who had two sons. The younger one said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate.’ So he divided his property between them.
“Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything.
“When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants.’ So he got up and went to his father.
“But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.
“The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’
“But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate.
“Meanwhile, the older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing. So he called one of the servants and asked him what was going on. ‘Your brother has come,’ he replied, ‘and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.’
“The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. But he answered his father, ‘Look! All these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!’
“‘My son,’ the father said, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’”
This parable is among several Jesus-stories that subvert the notion that life is fair. In fact, fairness is taken away as a category for life. Instead, mercy is shown to be the foundation for life with God and with one another.
I’ve often heard people lament what they perceive to be a lack of fairness. I’ve heard persons cry out for things to be fair when they felt overwhelmed by life.
Sometimes, but much more rarely, I have heard someone cry out for mercy.
Jesus – and therefore, God – doesn’t seem to be nearly as concerned with fairness as with mercy, forgiveness, compassion and restoration.
We as humans tend to think we need fairness, that somehow fairness should be woven into the fabric of things. It’s part of a system we’ve imagined, but can never exist in reality.
What we need – much more fundamentally – is mercy. It often happens that the one who receives mercy and embraces it, becomes an agent of that mercy in the world. Such agents of mercy act as healing, Jesus-like presences in our world. They provide balm for the wounds of the world in quiet, sometimes unseen, but energetic ways.
Now the tax collectors and sinners were all gathering around to hear Jesus. But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.”
Jesus continued: “There was a man who had two sons. The younger one said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate.’ So he divided his property between them.
“Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything.
“When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants.’ So he got up and went to his father.
“But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.
“The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’
“But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate.
“Meanwhile, the older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing. So he called one of the servants and asked him what was going on. ‘Your brother has come,’ he replied, ‘and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.’
“The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. But he answered his father, ‘Look! All these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!’
“‘My son,’ the father said, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’”
This parable is among several Jesus-stories that subvert the notion that life is fair. In fact, fairness is taken away as a category for life. Instead, mercy is shown to be the foundation for life with God and with one another.
I’ve often heard people lament what they perceive to be a lack of fairness. I’ve heard persons cry out for things to be fair when they felt overwhelmed by life.
Sometimes, but much more rarely, I have heard someone cry out for mercy.
Jesus – and therefore, God – doesn’t seem to be nearly as concerned with fairness as with mercy, forgiveness, compassion and restoration.
We as humans tend to think we need fairness, that somehow fairness should be woven into the fabric of things. It’s part of a system we’ve imagined, but can never exist in reality.
What we need – much more fundamentally – is mercy. It often happens that the one who receives mercy and embraces it, becomes an agent of that mercy in the world. Such agents of mercy act as healing, Jesus-like presences in our world. They provide balm for the wounds of the world in quiet, sometimes unseen, but energetic ways.
Wow. Good stuff!
ReplyDeletefairness. heard something funny recently that relates.
ReplyDeletebeing really good, following the rules, doing your best and thus expecting life to treat you fairly is like expecting the bull not to charge you because you are a vegetarian.
fair can't even begin to touch my soul as mercy does. not even remotely in the same arena.