What
connections do you see between the first (and very short) first reading and the
gospel? Upward mobility might be one
answer. Avoiding embarrassment might be
another. Knowing your place could be a
third. But we need to be careful because
although we might clearly see the connection, we also might miss their
implications for us living in God’s kingdom.
Today’s
reading (sentence) from Proverbs comes from a section copied by Judah for King
Hezekiah, and seems to offer advice to members of the king’s court. It’s a guide on how to stay out of trouble,
avoid personal disaster and climb the corporate ladder. But this should be about more than surviving
office politics, exhibiting false humility and scheming for new and creative
ways to look good; especially when paired with a gospel lesson revolving around
humility and hospitality.
When
we connect this reading to the gospel we can see kingdom behavior. We move from “how to get ahead in this world”
to humble service of others and caring for the less-than by following the
example of Jesus. And when we do that,
we both honor and are honored by God.
In
today’s gospel we are given the same advice about an over-inflated ego. Jesus attends a Sabbath meal and watches how
the guests choose where they will sit.
It may seem a bit silly to us who don’t live in such a stratified
society, but there are still times when people jockey for the best seat in the
house based on status. And there is a
well-documented record in our own history of making sure people sit in their proper
places.
After
noting their behavior, Jesus tells a parable.
This is important. When Jesus
tells a parable he is making a reference to the kingdom of God. What Jesus says today is not simply social
commentary. It is not a new way to get
ahead. And Lord help us if we use this
parable as a reason to start jockeying for the lowest seat in the house in an
attempt to get recognized and elevated.
This
parable is about kingdom behavior. Last
week we heard a little about what kingdom behavior looked like – loose the
bonds of injustice, free the oppressed, feed the hungry, clothe the naked,
shelter the homeless. Part of kingdom
behavior is serving those on the bottom and at the edges of society. When we do that, we are in effect taking the
low places at the banquet, allowing those whom society dishonors to be honored.
Jesus’
parable of kingdom behavior moves into the real world when he presents
guidelines to the host. In the society
Jesus lived in, honor, shame and reciprocity were big deals. A party was thrown. Honor dictated a reciprocal act or a person
would suffer the consequence of shame.
You throw a party and invite me.
I am required to invite you to a party of mine in return. In short, I become indebted to you until in
reciprocate.
We
see this in our society today. A gift is
given. The giver says, “You don’t need to
return the favor.” But in reality uses a
non-returned favor to hold sway over that person. And at times we go to the extremes of trying
to figure out the value of the gifts so that it all comes out equal.
There’s
an episode in one of my favorite TV shows, “The Big Bang Theory,” revolving
around this very thing. Penny, the
blonde bombshell who lives next door to the science geeks, tells Sheldon, the
head science geek, that she has a Christmas present for him. Sheldon objects to any gift-giving because of
the social pressure to reciprocate.
Nevertheless, he makes a trip to the local Bed, Bath & Beyond and
buys up one of every kind of gift basket, ranging from small to very
large. His plan is to receive her gift,
feign digestive distress, retreat to his room, do an online price comparison,
and then bring out the appropriately equal-value gift in exchange. He will then return the unused baskets for a
full refund. It’s all very logical.
Penny
is an uneducated but street-smart waitress looking to break into acting and not
making much money. But she has found a
gift for her friend. It turns out that
her gift is a used napkin from her restaurant and is signed: “To Sheldon, Live
long and prosper – Leonard Nimoy” (Mr. Spock for those who don’t know). Now Penny couldn’t care less about Star Trek,
the Green Lantern, Dr. Who or science in general. But she did this for her friend because he
does. The only way Sheldon knows how to
cope is to give her every single basket he purchased . . . and a hug – a huge
gesture for the obsessive compulsive germaphobe who can’t stand physical
contact.
Sheldon
was playing by the rules of reciprocity.
Penny was playing by the rules of the kingdom in that she didn’t expect
anything in return. She did it to give
joy to the other person. This is kingdom
behavior.
It
takes on a deeper meaning, though, when we realize the church is to be a
servant to all. We are to offer a
banquet to all. We are to welcome people
like us and people not like us. We are
to offer hospitality to all of God’s children – especially to the less-than,
the hungry, the homeless, the oppressed, the outcast, the Other. And we are to do this, like Penny, with no
expectation of reciprocity.
Kingdom
behavior means that we look to serve those who have no ability to repay
us. But it also means that we are to
host those who are in no position to host us in return. We are to invite Those People into our home and share a meal at our table. By doing this we begin to see Those People
not as Them, but as Us. Getting to know
someone this way helps to break down those barriers.
Whom
do you serve, and why? Pay attention to
your motives. If you keep track of every
gift given, or use your generosity to look good, you’re doing it wrong. Just like gifts from God are given freely to
us with no expectation of repayment, we should offer our gifts freely to others
without expectation of repayment.
Because true hospitality, where the goal is to be gracious and
supporting of the other, is what kingdom behavior looks like.
Amen.
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