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.

What’s All the Fuss About Oxen?

1 Corinthians 9:1-15

What clarity Paul provides for the understanding of scripture. “For it is written in the law of Moses, ‘You shall not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain.’ Is it for oxen that God is concerned?” (1 Corinthians 9:9; quoting Deuteronomy 25:4). And with that one question—Is God really concerned that much about oxen?—Paul helps us to focus on what is really important in the faith.

No, God’s concern is not strictly for the wellbeing of farm animals. The issue is much broader and much more pressing. If oxen should be allowed to benefit from their work, so should people. Paul of course is staking a claim for himself and those who serve the gospel as apostles, but the point goes much further. One with a generous heart does not begrudge the wellbeing of others, nor does he or she deprive others of what is fair and just. Oh, and by the way, God is the one who decides what it fair and what is just. For example, Jesus used the example of an ox stuck in a well on the Sabbath (Luke 14:5-6). Who would be so callous as to leave the animal there until the next day? Surely then, Jesus healing the sick on a Sabbath was acceptable for it addressed the wellbeing of people.

So Paul isn’t really talking about oxen; he’s talking about what is fair and what is just according to God. How we approach public policy, how we deal with economics, what we do with our income all should be measured by this standard.

Prayer: Lord, help us to care for one another as you would have us to do, so that your justice may guide our lives. In Jesus’ name. Amen.