19 Pentecost C proper 24 October 20, 2019
Genesis 32:22-31 Psalm 121
2 Timothy 3:14-4:5 Luke 18:1-8
Lectionary Link
As I read the parable of Jesus, I thought about the song of Rolling Stones.
A young boy asked an old priest, "Does God always answer your prayers?" The old priest said, "Yes, God always answers my prayer, but God mostly says, "No! Not yet."
You and I might think, "what's the use of praying, if apparently God mostly says, "No!" And even about all of the good things that we ask for as well, like world peace and freedom from suffering for the innocent.
The parables of Jesus are like riddles which need some serious pondering to come to the insights which are "hidden" therein.
The parable which we have read today is an insightful parable because it poignantly illustrates what we often feel about not always getting what we want from God. And when we feel like we are not getting enough of what we want from God, we are tempted to quit asking and quit praying.
This parable illustrates that to have a right relationship with God, we have to understand a chief attribute of God. We have to understand that Freedom is a chief attribute of God, and if Freedom is a chief attribute of God and creation is made in the divine image, all of creation shares a portion, a limited portion of freedom in the big field of Freedom which is God.
God honors genuine freedom within created order. This is why the conditions of probability govern our lives in what might happen to us. We often encounter situations, not of our own choosing which affect us in harmful ways. We cry out to the total conditions of freedom in our lives for justice. And we don't get the response that we want. What happens often if we don't get the gratification that we want and when we want it? Sometimes we just give up. We let our prayer muscles atrophy. What's the use, if I cannot get what I want when I want it?
Can we see how the unjust judge in the parable, does not represent God; he represents the conditions of freedom which permits an entire variety of events which can happen to us? And some of the events which can happen to us are not favorable to us, they can be horrible or even unjust.
Jesus was trying to give his disciple a realistic orientation to the life of what freedom means. It does not mean we have God on retainer as one who intervenes on our behalf whenever we want. Why doesn't God intervene and just force everyone to be good? That would violate the genuine attribute of God who is pure creative freedom, but who shares a degree of freedom with every other being. God will not violate the conditions of freedom; to do so would be to make God like a big pre-programmed machine guaranteeing outcomes. What worth is a choice if it was already pre-determined?
What does Jesus recommend for living faithful lives?
First Jesus says to be realistic about honoring the conditions of freedom in our world. The conditions of freedom can sometimes seem to be like the unjust judge of the parable. What do we do if we don't get what we want when we want it? Even if it is something unselfish that we are asking for? The human temptation is to give up. By giving up, it shows that we are in denial about the genuine conditions of freedom in our world. By giving up, we compromise and sell short the genuine freedom that we have to make a difference. We can let our faith and prayer muscles atrophy by giving up.
Jesus told his disciples to always pray and never to lose heart? "Why should I continue to pray, Jesus if I don't get what I want?"
Jesus was trying to teach us that God respect the free conditions of the world and God enters the free conditions of the world through Jesus as the example of what to do with our freedom. What did Jesus do? He used his freedom to pray and to heal and to teach and help the poor. Jesus showed us how to use our freedom. He taught us not to let our freedom to pray and act with justice and mercy atrophy.
In the total field of freedom, we have to practice the democracy of stuffing the ballot box of freedom. If we fill the field of freedom with prayer and goodness, then we will wear out the unjust judge, who represents the equal probability of bad things happening over good things. Our prayers and our deeds can cumulatively lead to vetoing the unjust judge of the probability of bad things happening.
Jesus reminds us not to discount the power of our votes of prayers and goodness. We can with persistence attain a majority to influence outcomes, so do not give up. Do not lose heart. The forces pride and greed have counter-motivation; let us rise to the occasion to be motivated by a persistent faith anchored on the witness of freedom given to us by Jesus Christ.
Generally, the habit of "nagging" is not an admirable quality. But Jesus invites us to do "holy nagging" of faith in the field of freedom, so that we can influence the judge of probable outcomes. The quantity of prayer and deeds of faith can have good outcomes because they become influential majorities in the field of freedom.
I went to High School in Minneapolis with a boy named Jim Janos. Jim went on to become a Navy Seal and went to Viet Nam and he returned and became California-ized on the muscle beaches and with the help steroids morphed himself into the professional wrestler with a new name, Jesse, "the Body," Ventura. He took that name as a wrestler.
The famous biblical wrestler was Jacob. Jacob had fled his home after he stole the birthright from his twin brother. He got married, but at some point he had to return home to enter the promise of God to his grandfather Abraham and his father Isaac. But he was worried that his twin brother Esau would want revenge for stealing his birthright. On one night of journey back, Jacob did not see in his dream a ladder from heaven; rather he found himself in a wrestling match with a man who was an appearance of God to him. It was not so much a wrestling match as Jacob holding on. He stubbornly held on and said, "I will not let go until you bless me." As a wrestler, the blessing he received included a new name; he received the new name "Israel," meaning the one who strives with God and prevails.
Jacob had the promise of a blessing but he still had to have the persistence of faith to hold on to possess the blessing.
Jesus invites us to hold on in stubborn, persistent, nagging faith until we get the blessing of the outcomes of love and justice.
Today, let us remember to be totally realistic about the conditions of freedom which constitute our life experience. Let us not be naïve about what can probably happen in our world. Let us not be so frightened by the probability of bad outcomes, that we quit in our persistent faith and prayers. Let us not surrender the field of freedom to the forces of evil. Let us persist, one act at a time till we build majorities which are able to influence outcomes for goodness, love and faith.
What is the Risen Christ saying to us today? Do not lose heart. Do not quit praying. Amen.
Genesis 32:22-31 Psalm 121
2 Timothy 3:14-4:5 Luke 18:1-8
Lectionary Link
As I read the parable of Jesus, I thought about the song of Rolling Stones.
You can't always get what you want
You can't always get what you want
You can't always get what you want
But if you try sometimes, well, you might find
You get what you need
A young boy asked an old priest, "Does God always answer your prayers?" The old priest said, "Yes, God always answers my prayer, but God mostly says, "No! Not yet."
You and I might think, "what's the use of praying, if apparently God mostly says, "No!" And even about all of the good things that we ask for as well, like world peace and freedom from suffering for the innocent.
The parables of Jesus are like riddles which need some serious pondering to come to the insights which are "hidden" therein.
The parable which we have read today is an insightful parable because it poignantly illustrates what we often feel about not always getting what we want from God. And when we feel like we are not getting enough of what we want from God, we are tempted to quit asking and quit praying.
This parable illustrates that to have a right relationship with God, we have to understand a chief attribute of God. We have to understand that Freedom is a chief attribute of God, and if Freedom is a chief attribute of God and creation is made in the divine image, all of creation shares a portion, a limited portion of freedom in the big field of Freedom which is God.
God honors genuine freedom within created order. This is why the conditions of probability govern our lives in what might happen to us. We often encounter situations, not of our own choosing which affect us in harmful ways. We cry out to the total conditions of freedom in our lives for justice. And we don't get the response that we want. What happens often if we don't get the gratification that we want and when we want it? Sometimes we just give up. We let our prayer muscles atrophy. What's the use, if I cannot get what I want when I want it?
Can we see how the unjust judge in the parable, does not represent God; he represents the conditions of freedom which permits an entire variety of events which can happen to us? And some of the events which can happen to us are not favorable to us, they can be horrible or even unjust.
Jesus was trying to give his disciple a realistic orientation to the life of what freedom means. It does not mean we have God on retainer as one who intervenes on our behalf whenever we want. Why doesn't God intervene and just force everyone to be good? That would violate the genuine attribute of God who is pure creative freedom, but who shares a degree of freedom with every other being. God will not violate the conditions of freedom; to do so would be to make God like a big pre-programmed machine guaranteeing outcomes. What worth is a choice if it was already pre-determined?
What does Jesus recommend for living faithful lives?
First Jesus says to be realistic about honoring the conditions of freedom in our world. The conditions of freedom can sometimes seem to be like the unjust judge of the parable. What do we do if we don't get what we want when we want it? Even if it is something unselfish that we are asking for? The human temptation is to give up. By giving up, it shows that we are in denial about the genuine conditions of freedom in our world. By giving up, we compromise and sell short the genuine freedom that we have to make a difference. We can let our faith and prayer muscles atrophy by giving up.
Jesus told his disciples to always pray and never to lose heart? "Why should I continue to pray, Jesus if I don't get what I want?"
Jesus was trying to teach us that God respect the free conditions of the world and God enters the free conditions of the world through Jesus as the example of what to do with our freedom. What did Jesus do? He used his freedom to pray and to heal and to teach and help the poor. Jesus showed us how to use our freedom. He taught us not to let our freedom to pray and act with justice and mercy atrophy.
In the total field of freedom, we have to practice the democracy of stuffing the ballot box of freedom. If we fill the field of freedom with prayer and goodness, then we will wear out the unjust judge, who represents the equal probability of bad things happening over good things. Our prayers and our deeds can cumulatively lead to vetoing the unjust judge of the probability of bad things happening.
Jesus reminds us not to discount the power of our votes of prayers and goodness. We can with persistence attain a majority to influence outcomes, so do not give up. Do not lose heart. The forces pride and greed have counter-motivation; let us rise to the occasion to be motivated by a persistent faith anchored on the witness of freedom given to us by Jesus Christ.
Generally, the habit of "nagging" is not an admirable quality. But Jesus invites us to do "holy nagging" of faith in the field of freedom, so that we can influence the judge of probable outcomes. The quantity of prayer and deeds of faith can have good outcomes because they become influential majorities in the field of freedom.
I went to High School in Minneapolis with a boy named Jim Janos. Jim went on to become a Navy Seal and went to Viet Nam and he returned and became California-ized on the muscle beaches and with the help steroids morphed himself into the professional wrestler with a new name, Jesse, "the Body," Ventura. He took that name as a wrestler.
The famous biblical wrestler was Jacob. Jacob had fled his home after he stole the birthright from his twin brother. He got married, but at some point he had to return home to enter the promise of God to his grandfather Abraham and his father Isaac. But he was worried that his twin brother Esau would want revenge for stealing his birthright. On one night of journey back, Jacob did not see in his dream a ladder from heaven; rather he found himself in a wrestling match with a man who was an appearance of God to him. It was not so much a wrestling match as Jacob holding on. He stubbornly held on and said, "I will not let go until you bless me." As a wrestler, the blessing he received included a new name; he received the new name "Israel," meaning the one who strives with God and prevails.
Jacob had the promise of a blessing but he still had to have the persistence of faith to hold on to possess the blessing.
Jesus invites us to hold on in stubborn, persistent, nagging faith until we get the blessing of the outcomes of love and justice.
Today, let us remember to be totally realistic about the conditions of freedom which constitute our life experience. Let us not be naïve about what can probably happen in our world. Let us not be so frightened by the probability of bad outcomes, that we quit in our persistent faith and prayers. Let us not surrender the field of freedom to the forces of evil. Let us persist, one act at a time till we build majorities which are able to influence outcomes for goodness, love and faith.
What is the Risen Christ saying to us today? Do not lose heart. Do not quit praying. Amen.
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