HOMILY SUNDAY 33 – A
Just Discipleship
(Proverbs 3110-13, 16-18, 20, 26, 28-32; Psalm 128;
1 Thessalonians 5:1-6; Matthew 24:36; 25:14-30)
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Oblate Brother Tom Novak was part of Just Theatre, a theatre group in Winnipeg that created plays exposing injustices toward especially the poor and immigrants, and sought to build a more just society. Seen from a similar perspective, today’s gospel could be termed Just Discipleship.
Jesus shares today’s parable with his disciples (and not to the scribes and Pharisees as usual) to teach them more about what it means to be a disciple. Taken together with the other readings, we can learn much about the qualities of a good disciple, a follower of Jesus, that today highlights working for justice.
First and foremost, being a disciple is a full time vocation demanding the complete offering of one’s time, treasure and talent to the building up of the kingdom of God. There is a saying that if we don’t use it, whatever “it” is, we lose it. That could be turned around to say that if we do use it, we “grow” it. “Growing” something seems to be an “in phrase” these days, but it does express a truth here.
The book of Proverbs can be broadened to be speaking about not just “good wives” but also about disciples. A disciple of Jesus should have a solid work ethic; should be generous to the poor, and should be positive and affirming.
Well-known spiritual speaker and writer Richard Rohr has a unique interpretation of this parable. He takes into consideration that the opponents of Jesus were the religious leaders who had bought into the corrupt system of both governance and religious life forged in collusion with King Herod who was a puppet of Rome.
King Herod at the time of Jesus was a puppet king, imposed on the Jews by the Roman occupiers. He was in the process of refurbishing the Temple to his own glory, building up his own empire. He had put into place a system of taxation that was oppressing the poor, but was also enriching anyone who colluded with him, including the religious leaders of that time.
Jesus was a prophet from the Mosaic tradition, not a Temple prophet, so he was outside of that system, and able to critique it. That is why early on he was asked by the chief priests and Pharisees what his stand on taxes was. They were really trying to find out if he would join them in collusion with the Romans, to keep the status quo which had given them all a certain degree of security, wealth and power they were afraid to lose.
Of course, Jesus refused to comply and that is why they started to find ways to get rid of him. That also explains why Jesus at one point went into the Temple with a whip and cleared out all the moneychangers and merchants who were gouging the poor. The people not only had to buy sacrifices from the merchants at exorbitant prices for the sacrifices to be considered pure, but also had to pay a high commission to change their money into Jewish coinage. That injustice angered Jesus and stirred him to action, as similar injustices in our day should stir us to action.
Given this context, Rohr suggests those who are given ten and five talents in this parable are the religious leaders who have bought into this corrupt system and are profiting from it. As such, they are reaping their reward for their collusion with the Romans and their lackeys.
The person who is given one talent, and goes and hides it, would be a person whose principals of justice and honesty prevent him from buying into this unjust and corrupt system, and is punished it for it, as Jesus would be, and as his disciples would eventually be as well, most dying a martyr’s death for the sake of the gospel of peace and justice.
The challenge put to us by this Gospel, seen in this light, is to have the faith and courage to take a stand for social justice, to do what we can to expose the unjust and corrupt institutions of our day, and to accept any negative consequences our actions might incur. While this interpretation of this gospel may seem far-fetched to many, the last line of the gospel hints to its credibility – “After Jesus had said this, he went on ahead, up to Jerusalem.” In Luke’s gospel, Jesus makes one trip only, and that is to Jerusalem where he will be rejected by the religious leaders, because he did not buy into the corrupt religions system of the day, and that led directly to his crucifixion. So, it makes sense to conclude Jesus was telling this parable, not so much about using our talents, as being just, fair and compassionate in their usage.
Mahatma Gandhi serves as an example for us. One day he took a walk with eight of his closest disciples that parallels that of Jesus. In defiance of government order, they set out on a 200-mile walk to the sea. Gandhi was well known as a staunch opponent of India’s stratified society, the caste system. He was also known as an advocate for the “untouchables,” those who were members of no caste at all, not even the lowest.
One evening, Gandhi and his followers arrived at a prosperous village and were given a great welcome. Passing through, much to the chagrin of the village leaders, he found his way outside the village to the hovels of the untouchables. He ate with them, played with their children and called them “children of God.” He commented that he would have liked to be an “untouchable,” so that he could liberate them, and himself, from within. In the end, like Jesus, he paid for his stance with his life.
One modern day example of this theory would be the famous explorer John Rae who a century ago came up with the conclusion that the members of the Franklin expedition had resorted to cannibalism. This statement so shocked his British countrymen that they actively resorted to a campaign to discredit him, including even Robert Louis Stevenson.
Only recently have scientific studies and the finding of a lost ship of the Franklin expedition led to the recognition of the truth of his findings, and his being honored in England where he is buried. Rae is one who by proclaiming the truth as he saw it, was punished for it, and in that sense, could be said to be like the one man in the gospel who was punished for burying his one talent.
He is not the only one. A few years ago, Time magazine featured on their cover three women who were whistle blowers in their respective companies or government agencies, and were punished for it. This interpretation of this parable teaches those who would be a disciple of Jesus to not only work for peace and justice, but to also be prepared to suffer some persecution for their integrity and honesty.
The Eucharist is a meal celebrated by those who are disciples of Jesus. We listen to his Word, share in his Body and Blood, and are thus transformed more and more into his likeness.
We are then missioned and sent into the world as Jesus sent out his disciples, to live out this parable by giving away our time, treasure and talent in works of service, but also to work for peace and justice in our world, even at the cost of being persecuted for doing just that.
