June 12 I Kings 21, Lk. 7:36-8:3
Money-and with the power of land as symbol-when I get to work with a couple getting married-I like to spend some time with money-we approach it differently-it can be a symbol of love- Families can divide into warring factions over inheritance.We are willing to go to war, figuratively and physically, to cheat, our way into gaining possession, to closing the fist around being able to say mine, not yours.-“Comparison is the thief of joy.” ― Theodore Roosevelt Naboth being cheated out of his rightful legacy and inheritance-being powerless-Even ahab repents-Ahab is depressed-outgrowth of coveting-envy shrinks the heart-power can shrink the heart-the sense of possession and rightful owning can make us tightfisted-The human heart seems infinitely acquisitive-very difficult to say that enough is enough; no we possess a hunger for more.when is enough for us to feel secure. We are expert in telling other people that they should be satisfied, but being sated seems to be elusive when it come to our possessions.
Forgiveness appears in this vignette.What motivates the woman? We share the discomfort felt by the Pharisee. In some circles of church growth marketing, it was popular to speak of affinity groups in churches. In other words, people should be like us in terms of say class and education. Note well that a Pharisee asked Jesus to supper.He has opened his home to Jesus.Perhaps closer to the Magdalene trope we have created than the Magdalene cured of demonic possession. I tis an interesting sexist assumption that the woman in the story gets connected to Magdalene the great disciple of Jesus. Of course, baby boomers know Jesus Christ Superstar and think that Magdalene was in love with Jesus. On the other hand, just because her extravagant action has some notes of the erotic, we leap to the conclusion that her sins were sexual.to what degree is forgiveness shown here that it should be as extraqvagant, as even wasteful as the woman’s hospitality and geneorosity-measured out lif in coffee spoons-If one sense one has been forgiven little, why bother loving much? It seems being in the right shrinks the heart.Jesus does not deny the number of her sins-in a movie, jesus says which were many-Why are sinners easier to get along with than the prim and proper?How does Simon know what kind of woman this is? He may have opened his home to Jesus but he has not opened himself to others who receive jesus.does he envy the attention Jesus gets? Does he envy her capacity to be so gushingly giving? Don;t take the prayer of confession as seriously as we could.In part, we see our sins as very serious, so it mus t be eays for god to forgive us.
assumptions-Jesus sees clearly but Simon like all of us operates from a set of assumptions-that usually means how would I act in his place-Like it or not, it seems that we are wired to judge from appearances. Perhaps it goes all the way back to human evolution to distinguish between friend or foe, to flee or to fight.
We can forgive as the life of christ lives in us.What does that mean that christ now lives in us? Does Christ then die again and again ain in us? Gal 2-no longer I who live but Christ who lives in me. What did it look like for the unnamed woman in Luke? What would it have looked like for the Pharisee? What happens to envy when the light of christ enters. Does it dispel it, because that grasping hole in our heart and souls gets filled? prayer may well bring us to the feet of Jesus and subsequently make it easier for us to look at ourselves in the mirror.
What is your alabaster jar of ointment? 2. What is Naboth's vineyard now?
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