Homily
Genesis 50: 15-21
Psalm 103
Romans 14: 1-12
Matthew 18: 12-35
Revenge, recompense, retribution – these are all strong words. All are attached to some idea of justice and all are themes encountered in the readings. They are played out in the story of Joseph and his brothers and provide an important backdrop to Christ’s parable in Matthew 18. Emotions, or reactions, such as revenge are very immediate and very raw. We see the potential of it in Joseph’s life, ruined by family betrayal and we see the idea of “recompense” bubbling beneath the parable of the unpaid debt with the callous hypocrisy of the central character. Revenge, recompense and retribution are very human reactions to situations and can be very human demands. This is why we can say that these readings play out themes that we encounter in everyday life.
Yet, we find in these readings that the ideas of revenge and retribution never play out exactly as expected. In these readings, we don’t see situations giving way to the immediacy of the moment, but rather we see repose, patience and consideration. Revenge, recompense and retribution – all are acts of judgement but all are framed by the higher acts of God’s love and his divine justice.
What does it mean, then, when we frame these concepts within God’s will? What purpose do we have in laying claim to a higher idea of love and justice? For Paul, as the Romans reading makes clear, it is about refraining from judgement. It is a call to step back, to reserve and defer judgement to God. To me this is something both appealing and problematic. Appealing because so much harm is done when we are quick to judge – so many bad decisions are acted out and so many regrettable things said. We’d be better off reflecting the patience at work in God’s love. Yet, problematic because we lay ourselves open to the accusation that we are mere idealists. By deferring judgement to God are we not forsaking the real world for some ideal? It is one thing to say there is a higher judgement that rests in God, but it is another thing to see this connected to everyday life.
At risk of offending any fundamentalists here, I’ll declare outright that the Bible continually employs allegory and metaphor. And this provides a way out of this difficult question. Parables are in themselves metaphor, but before we turn to Christ’s parable we can also see that the behaviour and actions of certain figures in the readings are allegorical. I mean this in the sense that their actions naturally lead us t something beyond themselves, they reveal a fundamentally spiritual meaning.
For instance, take Joseph. After his father’s death, his brothers return to him, realising their game is up. Yet, even after deceitfully orchestrating his initial downfall, his brother’s attempt one final manipulations of Joseph. They say: “Your father gave us this instruction before he died. Say to Joseph ‘I beg you, forgive the crime of your brothers and the wrong they did in harming you’ ”. They are boldly manipulative to the last and Joseph, rather oddly, falls for it. Or at least he seems to as he grants his brothers’ wish. Yet, there is something deeper and greater at work here and this is where allegory kicks in. Despite Joseph saying, “Do not be afraid: Am I in the place of God?” it is hard not to see Joseph’s judgement as a direct reflection of God’s judgement. We can see from the Psalm that God’s judgement is characterised as being “slow to anger and abiding in steadfast love” and also that God “forgives your iniquity” and “redeems your life from the pit”. Joseph reflects God in his judgement. He is slow to anger, he offers provision and reassurance. He offers forgiveness.
We can remove the illusion that Joseph has been duped and manipulated. The real focus is not on any opportunity for revenge, but rather on fulfilling God’s will. Joseph has not been swayed by his brothers mendacious pleading, but rather he has been resolute in his forgiveness because God resolute.
Forgiveness is central to Christ’s parable of Matthew 18 – a reading that opens with Peter’s question on the subject: “How often should I forgive a member of the church who sins against me?” In the parable, the lord is revealed to be “slow to anger”. He is essentially oriented to forgiveness while the slave is revealed t be malicious and artificial through his hypocritical actions. The slave didn’t “forgive from the heart” as Christ says. Through this parable, this allegory, we come to realise that we are expected to – demanded to – be resolute in our forgiveness just as God is. We are to be slow to anger, just as God is. And this parable breaks down idealistic barriers as it shows God’s love and justice at work in a human context – as did the actions of Joseph. Yes, terms like “lord” and “slave” no longer resonate (we could easily exchange them for contemporary terms such as “bank manager” and “mortgage holder”) but the essential message still remains, that the decisive characteristics of God’s judgement – his being “slow to anger”, resolute in forgiveness and rejecting revenge for reassurance are also within human potential. We can participate in and act out these characteristics. We can put them into practice.
As Christians, we are capable of reflecting these characteristics and it is therefore our task to, as much as possible, reflect these Godly aspects in our everyday life.
Psalm 103
Romans 14: 1-12
Matthew 18: 12-35
Revenge, recompense, retribution – these are all strong words. All are attached to some idea of justice and all are themes encountered in the readings. They are played out in the story of Joseph and his brothers and provide an important backdrop to Christ’s parable in Matthew 18. Emotions, or reactions, such as revenge are very immediate and very raw. We see the potential of it in Joseph’s life, ruined by family betrayal and we see the idea of “recompense” bubbling beneath the parable of the unpaid debt with the callous hypocrisy of the central character. Revenge, recompense and retribution are very human reactions to situations and can be very human demands. This is why we can say that these readings play out themes that we encounter in everyday life.
Yet, we find in these readings that the ideas of revenge and retribution never play out exactly as expected. In these readings, we don’t see situations giving way to the immediacy of the moment, but rather we see repose, patience and consideration. Revenge, recompense and retribution – all are acts of judgement but all are framed by the higher acts of God’s love and his divine justice.
What does it mean, then, when we frame these concepts within God’s will? What purpose do we have in laying claim to a higher idea of love and justice? For Paul, as the Romans reading makes clear, it is about refraining from judgement. It is a call to step back, to reserve and defer judgement to God. To me this is something both appealing and problematic. Appealing because so much harm is done when we are quick to judge – so many bad decisions are acted out and so many regrettable things said. We’d be better off reflecting the patience at work in God’s love. Yet, problematic because we lay ourselves open to the accusation that we are mere idealists. By deferring judgement to God are we not forsaking the real world for some ideal? It is one thing to say there is a higher judgement that rests in God, but it is another thing to see this connected to everyday life.
At risk of offending any fundamentalists here, I’ll declare outright that the Bible continually employs allegory and metaphor. And this provides a way out of this difficult question. Parables are in themselves metaphor, but before we turn to Christ’s parable we can also see that the behaviour and actions of certain figures in the readings are allegorical. I mean this in the sense that their actions naturally lead us t something beyond themselves, they reveal a fundamentally spiritual meaning.
For instance, take Joseph. After his father’s death, his brothers return to him, realising their game is up. Yet, even after deceitfully orchestrating his initial downfall, his brother’s attempt one final manipulations of Joseph. They say: “Your father gave us this instruction before he died. Say to Joseph ‘I beg you, forgive the crime of your brothers and the wrong they did in harming you’ ”. They are boldly manipulative to the last and Joseph, rather oddly, falls for it. Or at least he seems to as he grants his brothers’ wish. Yet, there is something deeper and greater at work here and this is where allegory kicks in. Despite Joseph saying, “Do not be afraid: Am I in the place of God?” it is hard not to see Joseph’s judgement as a direct reflection of God’s judgement. We can see from the Psalm that God’s judgement is characterised as being “slow to anger and abiding in steadfast love” and also that God “forgives your iniquity” and “redeems your life from the pit”. Joseph reflects God in his judgement. He is slow to anger, he offers provision and reassurance. He offers forgiveness.
We can remove the illusion that Joseph has been duped and manipulated. The real focus is not on any opportunity for revenge, but rather on fulfilling God’s will. Joseph has not been swayed by his brothers mendacious pleading, but rather he has been resolute in his forgiveness because God resolute.
Forgiveness is central to Christ’s parable of Matthew 18 – a reading that opens with Peter’s question on the subject: “How often should I forgive a member of the church who sins against me?” In the parable, the lord is revealed to be “slow to anger”. He is essentially oriented to forgiveness while the slave is revealed t be malicious and artificial through his hypocritical actions. The slave didn’t “forgive from the heart” as Christ says. Through this parable, this allegory, we come to realise that we are expected to – demanded to – be resolute in our forgiveness just as God is. We are to be slow to anger, just as God is. And this parable breaks down idealistic barriers as it shows God’s love and justice at work in a human context – as did the actions of Joseph. Yes, terms like “lord” and “slave” no longer resonate (we could easily exchange them for contemporary terms such as “bank manager” and “mortgage holder”) but the essential message still remains, that the decisive characteristics of God’s judgement – his being “slow to anger”, resolute in forgiveness and rejecting revenge for reassurance are also within human potential. We can participate in and act out these characteristics. We can put them into practice.
As Christians, we are capable of reflecting these characteristics and it is therefore our task to, as much as possible, reflect these Godly aspects in our everyday life.
posted by Rainey at 1:44 PM
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