apparently, it's an old problem that continues to this day...
in regina leader post, a story ran just tuesday morning about an inheritance dispute that 'exploded into violence.' the fact that one of the scriptural passages we looked at on sunday includes a person in the crowd audaciously interrupting Christ's lesson in order to get some help resolving a similar issue just serves to remind us that Jesus' words in response still pertain to our lives today.
Jesus, as any great teacher does, recognizes that there is a teachable moment here. he recognizes, as any great teacher does, that this guy (and probably others affected by the same situation or one just like it) won't really hear anything he is trying to say (especially a lesson about the intrinsic value of people and God's provision for them) until the burning question is addressed. he recognizes, as any great teacher does, that if he's paying attention to his pupils then they will ultimately pay attention to him and gain from the interaction.
in this case, the burning question is simply:
'when am i gonna get mine?'
in this case? we still have trouble hearing God's words to us about our value and his provision when our entitlement buttons are being pushed by circumstance... even more when they're being pushed by people's decisions.
now, inheritance is a rather hot topic for a 1st century jew to interrupt the rabbi with. the nation has been waiting for an inheritance for awhile- waiting for the promised messiah and the 'day of the Lord' that will accompany his arrival. the fact that someone has to die in order for someone else to inherit anything seems to have escaped many- both before and since.
in any event, Jesus responds by telling a story with an unexpected twist. in it, the main character does everything right and knows it. he has attended to everything that is controllable and has set himself up with a solid business plan and some stable investment portfolio options for his retirement. he fails to spot one rather wild piece of quantum data: the number of his days. that's one fairly intense probability factor that remains undisclosed for us all. Jesus wraps up the anecdote with a reminder that our focus should really be outward, rather than inward- that we should be directing our attention and energy towards building God's kingdom, not our own.
but we forget this sometimes. especially when we are trying to deal with life left vacant by one deeply loved. amidst the shock, the stages of the grieving process and whatnot, people start looking for compensation. the entitlements that rise to the surface are pretty typical. quite regularly we try to fill a something-shaped hole with a something-else.
however, when Jesus resumes his talk on the inherent value of his listeners and the importance of not worrying because of this value in the eyes of God, his words are informed by the interruption and its response. he realizes that everyone has been listening and is now considering the number of his or her own days, and challenges his audience to seek first the kingdom of God, that everything would fall into place within it.
Q: when am i gonna get mine?
A: when i realize what 'mine' is...
that it isn't something that i can possess, but someplace that i am called to occupy, engaging with the world around me and shining the light of God's good news into the faces of those within proximity- illuminating them and affording them greater opportunity to know and to be known by myself and others as a result. it's where i fit in the larger scheme of things.
dare i say, it's where we all do?
