Meddling On The Margins

Leviticus 19:1-18

1 Thessalonians 5:12-28

Matthew 6:19-24

A theme that runs through each of our passages today is the economics of God. In Leviticus God charges the Hebrew people to consider the needs of the poor. “When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap to the very edges of your field, or gather the gleanings of your harvest. You shall not strip your vineyard bare, or gather the fallen grapes of your vineyard; you shall leave them for the poor and the alien: I am the Lord your God” (Leviticus 19:9-10). Despite profit margins being what they are God says that we are not entitled to everything our own fields produce. Is this really fair?

Paul says, “And we urge you, beloved, to admonish the idlers, encourage the faint hearted, help the weak, be patient with all of them. See that none of you repays evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to all” (1 Thessalonians 5:14-15). As we seek to invigorate the lazy we are also to show them patience and love, and respond to their actions with goodness and not evil. Is this really fair?

In the gospel Jesus says, "No one can serve two masters; for a slave will either hate the one and love the other, or be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth” (Matthew 6:24). In other words, if we devote our lives to financial security we will not be as attentive to God’s will. We must be willing to forego the wealth in order to follow God. Is this really fair?

Our culture assumes that we will harvest right up to the very edges (and then some, if we can get away with it). Our culture expects those who are lazy to go without. Our culture says that wealth is a mark of blessing and may be pursued with all diligence, even at the expense of our spiritual health. But God’s will is about justice and truth, about compassion and mutual regard. It is about letting others go first and stepping back so that more may pass. It is about leaving 99 healthy sheep to search out the one that is lost, about raining manna on an ungrateful people, about creating a world of blessing and turning it over to us as its stewards.

God meddles in human affairs. How will we respond?

Prayer: Lord, help us to care for one another and to share more freely from what we have been given. In Jesus’ name. Amen.