God's Scandalously Bad Economics

God’s going to go out of business if He keeps this up!

I mean, look at this ridiculous behavior:

1"For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire men to work in his vineyard. 2 He agreed to pay them a day’s wage for the day and sent them into his vineyard. 3 About 9am he went out and saw others standing in the marketplace doing nothing. 4 He told them, 'You also go and work in my vineyard, and I will pay you whatever is right.' 5 So they went. "He went out again about noon and 3pm and did the same thing. 6 About 5pm he went out and found still others standing around. He asked them, 'Why have you been standing here all day long doing nothing?' 7 'Because no one has hired us,' they answered. "He said to them, 'You also go and work in my vineyard.'

8"When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, 'Call the workers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last ones hired and going on to the first.' 9 The workers who were hired about 5 came and each received a full day’s wage. 10 So when those came who were hired first, they expected to receive more. But each one of them also received a day’s wage. 11 When they received it, they began to grumble against the landowner. 12 'These men who were hired last worked only one hour,' they said, 'and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the work and the heat of the day.'

13 "But he answered one of them, 'Friend, I am not being unfair to you. Didn't you agree to work for a day’s wage? 14 Take your pay and go. I want to give the man who was hired last the same as I gave you. 15 Don't I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?' 16 So the last will be first, and the first will be last." – Matthew 20:1-16

This is no way to run a business! You can’t just throw your money to the wind that way, and you certainly don’t want to alienate your most faithful workers.

And make no mistake. The landowner is intended to be God. How you take this parable probably depends on whether you feel like a worker who’s been bearing the burden of the work and the heat of the day, or whether you identify more with the 5pm crowd (in Greek “the eleventh hour”). It's not a huge revelation to think of God as merciful, but Jesus here puts it into such concrete terms that it makes us scratch our heads, and start thinking of exceptions to a pretty exceptional picture of God.

Let me add a little more fuel to this fire. Why were the 5pm people unable to get hired to work before?

Two possibilities spring to mind (and there are likely more – the beauty of a parable):
1. There was something wrong with them. Potential employers came and went and passed this group by, mentally moving their resumes to the bottom of the pile. Whether physical infirmity or just an unsavory look about them, nobody was hiring – at least not them. If this is the case, then God in this parable is the one who accepts the otherwise unacceptable – and treats them as equals with the fittest and the finest. The last shall be first.

But there’s another possibility.

2. The 5pm crowd is lying. When asked, they tell the landowner they were ‘standing around all day’ because no one hired them. What if that’s because they weren’t trying very hard to get hired? Are they trustworthy narrators? What if they slept till noon, had a leisurely lunch, watched ‘Days of Our Lives,’ ‘Jeopardy,’ and ‘Oprah’ and THEN decided to try to find some work? And they get hired and paid a full day’s wage! If this is the case, then God is …what? Beyond merciful? Ridiculously redemptive? Rewarding bad behavior? In a more famous, but similar parable, that was the older son’s take on the situation when his wasteful, wanton brother got a celebration feast for dragging his butt back to the home he never should have left. It’s scandalous!

Is it unfair to the early morning crowd? I asked the youth “If the early morning crowd sued the landowner for unfair labor practices, and you were the judge, how would you decide the case?” They all said for the landowner. One astutely said “There was a verbal contract!” Yet there is something about this that makes us shift in our seats.

And verse 15 is the crux of the matter. That last sentence, “Are you envious because I am generous?” says in literal Greek “Is your eye evil because I am good?”

Brothers and sisters, I am afraid we have not yet realized the depth of the mercy of God. We create systems and schemes and detailed criteria to determine who’s in and who’s out. If we were running the vineyard we’d have flow charts and sliding pay scales, and we probably would decide it wasn’t worth the effort to hire anyone at the eleventh hour!

But God doesn’t think like we do. Apparently God wakes up in the morning, stretches His Almighty arm and His Righteous right hand, and asks Himself “What undeserving wretch can I shower my blessings on today?”

God, may our preaching and teaching and lives and ministry do justice to Your scandalous grace. Help our eyes not to become evil because You are good

The Alphabet of Suffering

“It organizes grief, patiently going over the ground, step by step, insisting on the significance of each detail of suffering. The pain is labeled – defined and objectified.” So says Eugene Peterson, describing the effect of the structure of one of the often neglected Biblical books – Lamentations. The structure is acrostic poetry. Each of the chapters of Lamentations has 22 verses, each beginning with a letter of the Hebrew alphabet. The 3rd chapter has three verses for each letter. It takes suffering from, so to speak, A to Z.

Peterson, in his book “Five Smooth Stones for Pastoral Work,” suggests that this repetition of the form has a specific meaning – the one mentioned above which “guarantees that the grief and despair are expressed completely. One of the commonest ways to deal with another’s suffering is to make light of it, to gloss it over, to attempt shortcuts through it. Lamentations provides a structure to guarantee against that happening.”

What would that look like in English? This is not an acrostic poem as much as an alphabetical list, but I think it might be something like this:

A is for awful, agony, apathy, ashes to ashes, AIDS, addicted, abandoned, aborted, abused,
accused, Alzheimer’s, anger, adultery, amputated

B is for back-stabbed, bankrupt, bereaved, beat-up, blasted, bruised, broken, betrayed,
burned, broken, broke up, blind

C is for crushed, cancer, caught, cheated, coma, convicted, coffin

D is for destroyed, debased, dead, dust to dust, delayed, depressed, distressed, down-
sized, disabled, deaf, disordered, diseased, divorced, damned

E is for entropy, embarrassed, exploited, estranged

F is for failed, fear, forgotten, false, funeral

G is for grieved, given up, gone, genocide, guilty, graveside

H is for helpless, hopeless, harassed, holocaust, HIV, homeless, hungry, humiliated, hurt

I is for ignored, incurable, inoperable, imperfect, infertile, illegitimate, irreversible, ICU

J is for justice (looking for), jealousy

K is for killed

L is for loser, lonely, last, lost, least, loveless, listless

M is for maligned, malignant, mute, miscarried, mistake, murdered

N is for never, “no,” nursing home

O is for oppressed, overlooked, obese, ostracized

P is for passed over, prejudiced, paraplegic, poor, PTSD, pain, pornography, paralyzed

Q is for quiet (too quiet), quadriplegic, quit

R is for racism, raped, run down

S is for sin, stillborn, stalled, slandered, stolen, sexually harassed, schizophrenia, stroke

T is for terrified, troubled, trembling, terminal, tortured, tumor

U is for unloved, unattractive, untouchable, unfaithful, ugly

V is for vegetative state, vicious, violence

W is for wasted, war, wrath, wounded

X is for ex-wife, ex-husband

Y is for yearning, yelling

Z is for zero percent chance

This is not an exhaustive list. I don’t know if you have the same reaction I do to a list like this, but I find that there are many of these that sort of wash over me, and some that catch and stick in my soul. At first, it seems like a list of context-less words. But all of these have a context – either in your life or in the life of someone you love. All of these words have a picture – and wouldn’t that be the worst children’s book ever?

Another function of Lamentations, Peterson declares, is to ground suffering in history. In its particular case, the situation was the destruction of Jerusalem and Babylonian exile in 587 B.C. But in a general sense, the idea is “to locate suffering. Names, places, buildings, dates are ways of tethering suffering, holding it within the framework of history.”

Suffering, for the vast majority of us, has less to do with vague existential angst, and more to do with things that happened or are happening in our lives.

A final meaning for the acrostic of suffering is that it also “puts limits upon the repetitions. If there is a beginning of evil, there is also an end to it. Sorrow and suffering are not infinite. Ministry to the sufferer must establish the significance of what is suffered; it must not concede its ultimacy.”

At the end of suffering, or in anticipation of its end, can we find an alternative vocabulary? It might look like this:

A is for adopted
B is for born again
C is for compassion
D is for deliverance
E is for eternal life
F is for forgiveness, freedom, found
G is for grace
H is for hope, help, healing
I is for invited
J is for justice
K is for kindness
L is for life
M is for mercy
N is for new creation
O is for overcome
P is for purified
Q is for quieted
R is for redeemed, reconciliation, resurrection
S is for salvation, sanctified
T is for triumphant
U is for united
V is for victory
W is for washed clean
X is for exodus
Y is for “yes”
Z is for Zion

Are these more context-less words? We can clearly picture the suffering in our lives – it is linked to our history. How will this alternative vocabulary come to us? How do you picture hope? Salvation? Victory? What does that look like?

We may have to wait and see. But I have good news. Whatever particular form redemption takes in your life, it has already begun in history. Victory has a date, a name, and a place. Hope has a picture. We know what it looks like.

It looks like an empty tomb.

The Singular Case of the Second-Guessing Prophet

John the Baptist was the second most important person of his generation. The angel Gabriel announced his miraculous birth. He lived a life that distinguished him from his contemporaries. Sinners came to him to repent. Pharisees came to argue with him. Roman soldiers came to hear what he had to say. He attracted a committed group of disciples who stayed faithful to him and to his teachings for years after his death. The Gospel writers have a tendency to look to Old Testament prophecy to explain his life. Everyone in Israel knew who he was, and had some opinion of him. People wondered if he was the reappearance of the prophet Elijah, or even the Messiah.

He wasn’t the Messiah. He was the Forerunner. He was the man who bridged the eras. He was the B.C. man who prepared everyone for the A.D. He was the MC of Israel, whipping the crowd into a frenzy of excited expectation before the main act. He was the last Old Testament prophet – he just happens to be in the New Testament.

And like all prophets, he ended up persecuted. In this case, imprisoned by Herod Antipas, son of Herod “the Great.”

In prison, he has time to reflect. His life’s purpose was to prepare the way – to announce the main act – to call the people to repentance in anticipation of The One Who Is to Come.

Matthew 11:1-6
After Jesus had finished instructing his twelve disciples, he went on from there to teach and preach in the towns of Galilee. When John heard in prison what Christ was doing, he sent his disciples to ask him, "Are you the one who was to come, or should we expect someone else?"

Jesus replied, "Go back and report to John what you hear and see: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor. Blessed is the man who does not stumble on account of me."

The imprisoned prophet can preach no more. No more baptizing. His only audience is curious king, who at a moment’s notice might take his life. He must depend on his disciples for any contact with the outside world. His life’s work is essentially over.

And he had fulfilled his role. Or had he? Matthew, Mark, and Luke are curiously quiet about John’s reaction to Jesus’ baptism. There is his statement that it is Jesus, his cousin, who needs to baptize him. But they don’t really go into detail.

So the prophet needs to know, straight-up, no messing around, from Jesus – is Jesus the The One Who is to Come? Is he the one we have set our hopes on since the times of Abraham, and David, and the never-quite realized glorious return from exile? Is he The One who will change everything and set things right? John is nearly at the end of the line. He needs to know if he has backed the winning candidate. He needs assurance that what he had done mattered. He needs to know that his work has not been in vain.

And Jesus answers his question as only Jesus can do. “Watch me. Look closely at what I have done, and what I do.”

Apparently Jesus invited John’s disciples to travel along with him for a few days and report back what they saw. Jesus helpfully summarizes by quoting the book of Isaiah (he knew John would like that). It’s Isaiah 35 – the eyes of the blind will be opened, the deaf will hear, and Isaiah 61 – the poor have the gospel preached to them.

The case of the second-guessing prophet is not as singular as we might like to think. Anyone who has been called to be a prophet and proclaim the word of the Lord, and cry out in the wilderness in some sense or another will come to the point John came to. The place where you can’t do what you did before. Where you have to depend on the people you taught to carry on in the way you taught them.

And I don’t think it’s too much of a stretch to say that every Christian will come to this point sooner or later. We want to know if the One we have put our hopes in is really who we hoped he was. We still want to know if He is the One Who is to Come. We need to know if was have baked the winning candidate, that what we have done has mattered. We need to know that our work has not been in vain.

And Jesus says, “Watch me. Look closely at what I have done and what I do.”

The last word today goes to the Chinese pastor, writer, and martyr Watchman Nee – “God will answer all of our questions in one way and one way only, namely, by showing us more of His Son.”

On Glenn Beck, Communism, and Social Justice

On a recent radio broadcast, (http://www.politicsdaily.com/2010/03/08/glenn-beck-urges-listeners-to-leave-churches-that-preach-social/) Fox News personality Glenn Beck urged Christians to look for the words “social justice” or “economic justice” on their church website, discuss what the leader of the church (“your priest”) understood the meaning of those words to be, and then encouraged members to leave those congregations (“run as fast as you can”), and report the church leader to higher church authorities (“alert your bishop”). The reasoning behind this encouragement was vague, but hinged on the idea that the words “social justice” are “code words.” Later in the broadcast, Beck pointed to communism and Nazism as movements that espoused “social justice.” Presumably, he meant that “social justice” is a “code word” for communism.

He told a concerned caller whose daughter is attending Catholic confirmation class that “social justice is a perversion of the Gospel,” in the sense that we are to look to the government to provide for the needy. http://mediamatters.org/mmtv/201003110017

In a later broadcast, (http://mediamatters.org/mmtv/201003120015,) he asserted that if by “social justice” the church means “when you empower yourself to go out and help the poor, then that’s exactly what Jesus or Allah or Buddha, or whoever it is, would like you to do.” But if it means “supporting big government” and “big government programs” then “you don’t have a church, what you have is an organ of the government.”

The later broadcast seems to have been in response to church leaders’ protests of his earlier statements, in particular that of evangelical pastor Jim Wallis.

I am of two minds on this subject. One is that it is probably counterproductive to argue about what Beck means, since he is speaking in vague generalizations. He uses a lot of loaded words. He makes a point, but seems to make it in the same way a political cartoon does, and with the same kind of reaction. People either immediately agree or disagree. They think the interpretation is true or they don’t. His purpose appears to be to agitate, not spark reasoned discussion and problem solving.

The other perspective is that Beck is a shaper of public opinion, and the only way to counteract bad shaping of public opinion is to engage in public discourse. I stay out of most of the political stuff, because I am a minister of the gospel. But now we are talking about the gospel. So let’s dance.

So, my plan is to dodge the gut reaction route, unpack some of the loaded words for those who have ears to hear, and instead ask a better question:

Q: Is “social justice”, as most churches and Christians understand it, a code word for communism and big government?

A: No. It is not.

“Social justice” at its broadest meaning, means a just society . It means a society founded on justice and a fair shake for all people, not only the advantaged. It means that no one is forgotten, no one is abandoned, and no one is excluded.

Beck is correct in that various groups and movements have had as their purpose, in reality or in word only, a just society. Do all groups that seek a just society propose to go about getting there in the same way? Let’s see.

When most churches or individual Christians speak of social justice they mean Biblical social justice. It is, as you would guess, based on the Bible. The Bible speaks of social justice powerfully from the Torah (orphans, widows, and immigrants get special mention, and then there’s the year of Jubilee) to the OT prophets (condemning the corrupt, advocating for the poor) to Jesus to Acts and the New Testament and even Paul (sharing a common meal and raising money to help victims of famine). I can give you verse references if you want, but that would get overwhelming real quick, so I’ll just give you one that I think sums it up nicely “Whoever has the worlds’ goods, and sees his brother in need and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him?” – 1 John 3:17

The only way you can avoid the clear teaching of the Bible about social justice is to ignore large sections of the Bible, or interpret those sections to mean the opposite of what they clearly say, which amounts to the same thing.

Social justice is not the only thing the Bible teaches. A false distinction has often been made between the spiritual needs of people and the physical needs of people. The Bible does not make that distinction, and presumes that the people of God will care about BOTH the spiritual need of the world to be reconciled to God and for the physical needs of the those who lack to be taken care of.

A just society is a goal that is perhaps unreachable by human effort alone. But it is still the Biblical goal for all human relationships, based on the model provided by a good, gracious, and merciful God who desires none to perish, and sends rain on the just and the unjust, and on the belief that all people are created in the image of God, and are equally beloved of God. It is to be reached for, according to the Bible, by sacrificial giving and meeting needs in the name of Christ.

Is this the same thing as communism?

Well, there’s at least two definitions of communism. Theoretical communism proposes a classless, stateless society, in which all property is commonly controlled. But it is not based on the example of or authority of God. It is based on the concept of the pure equality of humanity, and that all people can be equal in the eyes of one another.

So, that kind of communism doesn’t exist. It is similar in theory to the kind of society envisioned by Biblical social justice, but is not at all based on the same foundation.

Which leads us to historical communism , the kind the USSR had and China has, in which the government owns the means of production and has a centrally planned economy. It excludes a belief in God entirely from its system, and though it preaches the equality of all people in theory, it is far, far, from executing that in practice. THAT is clearly not Biblical social justice.

Historical communism is a form of socialism , which is a broad term that in theory means that the public owns the means of production that there is equal access to resources, but in history usually ends up with government owning the means of production and giving access to resources however it feels like. That was the socialism of National Socialism, otherwise known as Nazism. That Nazism has nothing to do with Biblical social justice is so obvious that it needs no comment.

It is important to note that the vision of a just society of both theoretical communism and socialism would require the end of capitalism. Biblical social justice envisions a just society that could theoretically exist within any economic system. It stands over and above any economic system, because it sees humans as more than cogs in a system, even an equal system. It sees them as children of God.

I think, as far as I can tell from his statements, that Beck is equating socialism and communism with government-run assistance programs. Those, by the way, would fall under the category social democracy , which aims to democratically reform, or lessen the effects of, unjust practices of a capitalist state through state-sponsored regulation and programs. Medicare and Medicaid are examples of social democratic programs. So is TANF (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, commonly known as welfare), Social democracy and socialism are not the same thing.

And here’s where the real issue is. Buried and obscured underneath loaded terminology, is the question, does Biblical social justice encourage Christians to support government attempts to provide justice and basic well-being for all of its citizens? I actually think there’s room for debate here, but here’s my two cents.

Three things:
1. Ideally, any community, city, state, or nation with enough Christians in it wouldn’t need government sponsored welfare programs, because we would already be all over it. The love of God would prompt us to meet the needs of those around us - all of them.

But apparently we don’t love God that much, so we have left the care of the needy to others.

2. That’s the cynical view. The more positive view is that the government’s influence by definition is more far-reaching than any Christian community. Christians are members of this marvelous democracy of ours, and we get a say in how our government seeks to establish justice and provide for its citizens’ general welfare. It makes sense to me to advocate for practices and policies that will get us closer to the vision of society provided by Biblical social justice.

3. Among the various purposes of our government, as stated in the Preamble to the Constitution, is to “establish Justice” and “promote the general Welfare.” So the United States was founded on the attempt to attain a just society. The Constitution is a document of social justice. As the government does its version of justice, we may find that we agree with the purposes and ends of programs that do things like care for the elderly, the poor, and especially the children of poverty. Just because Christians and the government are seeking justice and general welfare in the same direction does not mean that one has become the tool of the other. Either CAN become the tool of the other, but that’s the beauty of Biblical social justice – at its heart its allegiance is to God, and to seeing His will done on earth as it is in heaven. It is led by the living Holy Spirit, who corrects it when it loses its way.

I welcome your thoughts and comments on the issue of Biblical social justice, and the way it relates and doesn’t relate to current or proposed government attempts to establish justice. I would like to avoid comments along the lines of “Glenn Beck is genius/Glenn Beck is crazy person.” That’s not what I want to talk about. I much prefer talking about the Bible and how it instructs us to live, and even better than that is actually doing what it says.

Apostle's Court! (A Play in One Act)

Scene: A courtroom. On one side sit seven men dressed in suits, with various bandages, slings, stitches, and bruises. On the other side sits a lone man in a rumpled suit with large coke-bottle glasses, furiously scribbling on a yellow legal pad. A bailiff, dressed as a Roman soldier, and a narrator are also present. There is a gavel and a glass of water on the judges bench.

Narrator: "What you are witnessing is real. The participants are not actors. They are actual litigants with a case pending in an Ephesian municipal court. Both parties have agreed to dismiss their court cases and have their disputes settled here, in our forum: Ephesian Court!"

These are the plaintiffs: The Seven Sons of Sceva Exorcism and Practical Magic, Inc. They say their recent injuries, and their damaged reputation as exorcists are the fault of the defendant, and they are suing him for medical costs and damages.

This the defendant: Paul of Tarsus. A tent-maker. He claims that he had nothing to do with the Seven Sons of Sceva’s recent troubles.

In a moment, the case of the The Seven Angry Men. Judge Wapnerius will appear shortly to hear testimony from the two parties.

(Judge Wapnerius enters)

Bailiff: All rise!

Judge: Please be seated. I’ve read your statements. Now, who is addressing the court on behalf of the plaintiff?

(One of the sons of Sceva stands)

Son of Sceva: I am, your honor. Eliazar bar-Sceva, eldest of the sons of Sceva.

Judge: And what is the nature of your business?

Son of Sceva: We are traveling exorcists, your honor.

Judge: The name on your business card says “exorcism and practical magic.” Why did you not say you were a magician as well?

Son of Sceva: Your honor, that is an accommodation to the marvelous Greek culture here in the city of Ephesus and elsewhere in the province of Asia. The term “magic” has a negative connotation for our people, the Jews.

Judge: I see. Yet you do perform magic?

Son of Sceva: What you would call magic, yes, your honor. Fortunes, forecasts, lucky charms, blessing, maledictions, and the like. We are followers of a great tradition of our people which dates back to the great king Solomon. We have extensively trained in recipes, potions, angelology and demonology, and have a vast collection of powerful amulets and magical papyri. We take our business very seriously, your honor.

Judge: Very well. And you are suing this man, a fellow Jew, on what grounds?

Son of Sceva: Your honor, the defendant’s preaching of the man Jesus has caused my brothers and I physical harm, emotional distress, and caused our business to suffer…

Paul: (Interrupting) I am on trial for the hope and resurrection of the dead!!

Judge: (Angrily) Mr. Paul! You will not speak unless addressed by the court! Is that clear?

Paul: I will render to all what is due them – custom to whom custom, fear to whom fear, honor to whom honor.

Judge: Ahem. Well. From now on, when you address the court, you will address us as “Your honor.” Mr. bar-Sceva, please explain how you and your brothers received your injuries.

Son of Sceva: Yes, your honor. Last month, my brothers and I had gone to perform an exorcism on a gentleman in the city, and…

Judge: (Interrupting) Excuse me, I need some clarification. You were all together?

Son of Sceva: Yes, your honor.

Judge: Why is it necessary for the seven of you to cast out one demon?

Son of Sceva: Your honor, it is widely acknowledged that the number seven is a holy and sacred number, and my brothers and I find our power most effective when we work in concert. Our business slogan is: “For the blessing of heaven, go with lucky seven!”

Judge: Very well, please continue.

Son of Sceva: Thank you, your honor. As I was saying, we had gone to perform an exorcism. As is widely known, the most effective way to deal with possessions is to name over the offending spirit a more powerful name, and command the spirit by the authority of the name, whether it be an angel or some other such supernatural force.

Judge: Yes, I see. That practice is common.

Son of Sceva: Recently, in Ephesus, since the arrival of this man (he hooks a thumb at Paul), the name of one Jesus has been used frequently for the performing of miraculous healings and exorcisms. We came into the house in question, and said over the possessed man “I command you by Jesus whom Paul preaches.” (He stops, finding it difficult to continue)

Judge: Yes, and then what?

Son of Sceva: (Choked with rage) The evil spirit said, “I recognize Jesus, and I have heard of Paul – but who are you?” Then the possessed man flew into a rage such as I have never seen, and brutally attacked my brothers and me. We were forced to flee the house in a state of undress. The next day, the incident was well-known all around the region. Our business has suffered greatly. We are a laughing-stock!

Judge: Mr. bar-Sceva, I am sorry for you and your brothers’ troubles, but I fail to understand the defendant’s connection to your unfortunate circumstances.

Son of Sceva: Your honor, I have never seen an evil spirit more agitated than at the mention of this Jesus and Paul. I believe something sinister is going on here. I believe that this man, Paul, is himself a magician and has used some previously unknown magic to disrupt the natural order.

Judge: Explain yourself, Mr. bar-Sceva.

Son of Sceva: What you call magic is formulaic, your honor. It is a verifiable and repeatable process by which mortals may attain control over the forces of the natural and supernatural worlds.

Judge: Yes, I am familiar with how it works. This is Ephesus, after all.

Son of Sceva: I believe this man, Paul, has introduced the name of this Jesus in such a way that it is disrupting all previously effective magic, either canceling it out or rendering it explosively unpredictable. In fact, I believe Paul has conspired with the devils to assure that they cooperate with none but himself, that he intends to replace both the Greek and Jewish religion with his own so-called Way, and through the name of this Jesus, that he proposes to monopolize magical practice in the city of Ephesus, and the entire Roman Empire!

Judge: Great Artemis! These are incredible claims, Mr. bar-Sceva!

Son of Sceva: I am aware of that, your honor, but I believe a look at the reputation of this man, especially recent events in Ephesus, bear this out. In my investigations into his activities, I have found that nearly everywhere that he goes, riots and angry mobs appear, and that he is continually in trouble with the law. In particular, in the great city of Philippi, he was arrested for ruining the business of legal fortune-tellers. In Ephesus, shortly after his arrival, he was kicked out of the synagogue, the local assembly of Jews, a situation which has occurred with frightening regularity wherever he goes.

(Judge Wapnerius begins to drink from his glass of water)

Since his time here - and I have exact figures for this, your honor – he has induced many formerly loyal customers of ours and other magicians of the city to abandon our services – both Jews and Greeks - and even burn magical papyri worth 50,000 pieces of silver!

Judge: (Spits out water in shock) Hephestus’ Fiery Forge! That’s 137 years wages!!

Son of Sceva: And we wish to make clear, your honor, that this lawsuit has not been brought merely because this man has bested in us in business competition. In further researching this Jesus whom Paul preaches, we found the master is worse than the disciple! It is said among our people that this Jesus was a magician as well, in league with the devil, that he was a notorious flouter of our people’s laws, an associate of anti-Roman zealots, and was in fact crucified as a blasphemer and an insurgent!

Judge: Zeus’ Thunderbolts! How horrible!! (Puts his hand over his face to compose himself) Mr. Paul. The accusations leveled against you are most severe, but this
is Rome – we are nothing if not thorough – the court will hear you out. What can you tell us about your association with this condemned criminal Jesus?

Paul: (Stand up, takes glasses off and wipes them, puts them back on, flips through
yellow legal pad) Your honor, I am a Jew, born in Tarsus in Cilicia, and I
formerly persecuted this Way to the death, and I received letters from the leaders of our people and started off from Jerusalem to Damascus in order to…

Judge: (Interrupting) Mr. Paul, I did not ask for your life story. Tell me if you or this Jesus person have anything to do with the injuries to the health and reputation of the Sons of Sceva.

Paul: Jesus the Messiah has disarmed the rulers and authorities of this world, and made a public display of them, having triumphed over them through the cross.

Judge: I beg your pardon? I am an authority of this world, may I remind you. And what sort of bizarre triumph is a cross of execution?

Paul: We preach the Messiah crucified, to Jews a stumbling block and to Gentiles foolishness, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, the Messiah the power of God and the wisdom of God.

Judge: Mr. Paul, do not presume to lecture the court about wisdom. I am asking you to clarify your association with a crucified criminal.

Paul: I am a bond-servant of the Messiah Jesus, called as an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, concerning His Son who was declared the Son of God with power by the resurrection from the dead – Jesus the Messiah, our Lord.

Judge: (Icily) Mr. Paul, tread carefully. Rome is renowned for its allowance of native religions such as yours, but our very coinage declares our great Caesar son of god and lord. Back to the matter at hand - you assert that this Jesus is still alive?

Paul: I deliver to you what I also received, that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures.

Judge: (Sarcastically) Mr. Paul, if this Jesus is alive as you say, would you contact him and ask him to appear in this court, since he seems to be the primary cause of the damage in this case?

Paul: Do you not know that the saints will judge the world? Do you not know that we shall judge angels?

Judge: (Pinching between eyes in frustration) I swear, Mr. Paul, that I often do not have the slightest idea what you are talking about.

There will be a brief recess while I decide the case!

(Judge Wapnerius exits. The sons of Sceva glare at Paul, while he writes some
more on his legal pad and quietly sings ‘Amazing Grace’)

Bailiff: All rise!

Judge: This is a most singular case. Several facts have led me to my ruling. It is
indisputable that the presence of Mr. Paul has caused a great disturbance in the city and that this is a pattern of behavior with him. From our brief conversation I have my suspicions that his chariot may not be running on both wheels. However, this specific case hinges on the damages caused by an evil spirit, and the case that Mr. Paul is directly responsible for its behavior. First of all, it is beneath this court to take an evil spirit at its word, and so the demon’s mention of Mr. Paul is suspect. Secondly, whatever else Mr. Paul may be, he is not a magician in the traditional sense of the word. Thirdly, and most pointedly, if I may say to you and your brothers Mr. bar-Sceva, it seems based on your testimony that you attempted to use the power of a name that you had no direct experience with, and as your testimony states, it was only later that you discovered the disreputable nature of this Jesus and Mr. Paul. The dishonor and damage done to you and your business is your own doing for engaging in poor research and shoddy magician-ship. Therefore, in spite of my personal dislike for Mr. Paul, I find in favor of the defendant.

(The sons of Sceva groan and mutter)

Judge: (Banging gavel) Order! Order I say!

Paul: I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

Judge: That does it Mr. Paul! Though I find in your favor today, let me give you some advice. You need to leave the city of Ephesus as quickly as possible, or I foresee worse conflict between you and the citizens of this fair city. And I predict also that your bizarre and disturbing religious beliefs, not to mention your abrasive attitude and lack of inter-personal skills, will continue to get you into trouble with the law. Unless you change your ways, your head will end up separated from your shoulders.

Paul: To me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.

Judge: Well, you may get your wish sooner rather than later. Case closed! (Bangs gavel)

Narrator: If someone files a lawsuit against you and you're convinced you've done nothing wrong, don't be intimidated. The best policy is to go to court and stand up for your rights.

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Based on Acts 19:13-20

Paul’s quotes: Acts 23:6, Romans 13:7, Acts 22:3-5, Colossians 2:15, 1 Corinthians 2:23-24, Romans 1:1-, 1 Corinthians 15:3-4, 1 Corinthian 6:2,4, Philippians 4:13, 1:21

Thanks to Everett Ferguson’s great section on “Magic and Maledictions” (what a great word) in Backgrounds of Early Christianity

Thanks to Judge Wapner, first and greatest of TV judges

Beatitude Week - Day 7: Praying the Beatitudes

For the close of Beatitude week, and for this day of worship, a prayer guide:

“Blessed are the poor in the spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

Help me Lord, come to you humbly, without pride, arrogance, or a sense of entitlement. Help me to receive gratefully every good gift from your hand, and so live as a faithful follower and good citizen of your kingdom. Help me to live in a way that your will is done in every place I go.

“Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.”

Help me Lord, not to rest on my laurels, or sit in despair because of all the things that are wrong. Help me to expect your Spirit to come and enliven, energize, and redeem me, and enliven, energize, and redeem the people of your church, and the world.

“Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.”

Lord, help me to wield your Spirit-given power with self-control, and to trust you to care for what is yours. I trust my reputation to you – and pray that your estimation of me would be the only one that guides and comforts me. Lord, help me receive graciously all that you allow me to have.

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.”

Help me Lord, humbly, empathically, meekly, seek to do right and give you praise when I do, for you are the source of all righteousness.

“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.”

Lord, help me to be merciful, as you have been merciful to me. Help me to forgive the faults against me, and to love even my enemies.

“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.”

Be my one thing Lord. And as I gaze upon you, bring the lives and needs of others into focus – help me see your image in myself, in those around me, and in the world.

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.”

Let the vision of you animate me to work for your purposes. Help me to bring healing to the broken, hope to the hopeless, love to the loveless, and reconciliation to the warring.

“Blessed are those who have persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
“Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great.”

Lord, help me to proclaim your gospel and to seek first your kingdom, fearless of what any power on earth may do to me, trusting that the power of the Spirit that raised Christ Jesus from the dead is also working in me.

Beatitude Week - Day 6: The Peacemakers and the Persecuted

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.”
“Blessed are those who have persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
“Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”

Today, a quiz, with visual aids!

This is a peacemaker:



A Colt Peacemaker, specifically.

And this is a peacemaker:



Can you guess which one is closer to what Jesus had in mind with the saying about peacemakers?

The difference is worth exploring. First of all, note that Jesus says “peacemaker” and not “peacekeeper.” The role he has in mind is not one merely of maintaining a peaceful situation already in existence, or merely preventing fighting, but of a proactive making of peace in situations where there is not peace.

One method of doing this is exemplified by peacemaker number 1, up there. Make peace by having a bigger gun that the other person. The first century Roman historian Tacitus had this to say about the Roman Empire, the original setting of Jesus’ saying: “To ravage, to slaughter, to usurp under false titles, they call empire; and where they make a desert, they call it peace.”

There is also the approach taken by the second peacemaker above, a making peace that turns away from violent or coercive methods of achieving its goals. This approach also has a broader, more positive definition of peace: “Peace is not merely the absence of war, it is the presence of justice,” said Martin Luther King, Jr.

The peacemakers will be called sons and daughters of God. Take up the profession of your Father and bring peace where there is war, justice where there is injustice, reconciliation where there is brokenness.

But don’t be deceived. People aren’t as fond of peacemakers as you would think. People are much more fond of peacemakers after they are dead than when they were alive. And peacemakers have this habit of being killed in most un-peaceful ways.

We hate it when people are oppressed, unless of course we directly benefit from the oppression. We love helping people, unless of course it requires us to give up our “rights.”

And when you start talking about that kind of peacemaking, and following that kind of Messiah, people are bound to get upset. They didn’t crucify Jesus because He was so nice. It was because they were terrified of the consequences of people really following him.

The great modern theologian Jurgen Moltmann said:
“Jesus’ sufferings and humiliation came from his actions, from his preaching of the imminence of the kingdom as a kingdom of unconditional grace, from his freedom towards the law, and from his table-fellowship with ‘sinners and tax-collectors.’ Jesus did not suffer passively from the world in which he lived, but incited it against himself by his message and the life he lived.”

So, who wants to be a Christian?

Well, I’ve got good news, and bad news. The good news is that, as Jesus said, when you are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, you are standing in line with a great tradition! Those persecuted for the sake of this kind of righteous peace-making stand shoulder to shoulder with Isaiah, Jeremiah, Daniel, Ezekiel, Amos, Hosea, Micah, and more. And did you catch the subtle thing there, where Jesus seems to be saying that the prophets of old were following him, instead of him following them? So that's the good news.

The bad news is that, according to Jewish tradition at least, all the prophets died as martyrs.

But there’s more Good News. It ain’t permanent. “Theirs is the kingdom of heaven” – the ones who have lived and died as ambassadors for the kingdom of God will feel right at home when the kingdom of this world becomes the kingdom of our Lord and his Christ. (Rev. 12:15)