Ninth Sunday after Pentecost; 7 August 2022; Proper 14C (RCL); Isaiah 1:1, 10-20; Psalm 50:1-8, 23-24; Hebrews 11:1-3, 8-16; Luke 12:32-40.
The reading from Luke’s Gospel for this Sunday seems to contain three unrelated sayings joined together by the Gospel writer. The first one concerns God’s intention to give the hearers the kingdom, which should motivate them to rely on God’s faithfulness. Part of this saying (concerning indestructible purses and treasure stored where thief cannot steal) is found also in Matthew in a different context.
That saying is followed by another about the master of the house returning late at night. It bears some similarity to the parable of the wise and foolish bridesmaids in Matthew’s Gospel (keep your lamps burning). It also seems to stand on its head another little parable Jesus used in Luke 17 (7-10), in which a slave comes in from working in the field and his master expects him to serve the master supper as well. That is certainly the more likely scenario. The idea of a master serving his servants a dinner upon arriving in the in the middle of the night would be absolutely shocking.
The third saying concerns the unexpectedness of the arrival of the Son of Man, compared to a thief in the night. The thinnest thread holds these saying together, and it is easy to imagine each of them in a different context. The twinned themes of treasure (thieves steal treasure) and unexpected arrival (thieves arrive unexpectedly) seems to have suggested themselves to Luke in grouping these sayings.
Last Sunday’s reading ended with the idea of being rich toward God, and then follows (which we skip) the sayings about God feeding the birds of the air, and clothing the lilies of the field. All these sayings point our attention toward living in the kingdom, as something both present and future. If God feeds the birds of the air and clothes the flowers of the field, then we should be able to trust God to do the same for us, and sell our possessions and give alms. This is clearly an instruction for the present. God will give us the kingdom now, as we live in that faith.
But, clearly, the world around us is not yet the kingdom. For that, we have to trust the future, when the returning master will serve us. Being rich toward God, and having purses that do not grow old, and treasure in heaven may all be ways of saying the same thing. Like the rich young man who asked what he must do to inherit eternal life, we are instructed to give alms. And like the dishonest steward, perhaps the giving of alms builds up treasure of a different sort (unlike the hoarded treasure of the man who built bigger barns).
If we work to build up the store of treasure in the community (giving alms, hiring laborers at the end of the day, etc.), we build up a fund of respect and integrity in the community. That cannot be taken away. I think that is what is meant by the concept of righteousness — it is that status in community that comes from sharing rather than hoarding prosperity.
Righteousness is what Isaiah is demanding from the community. Following religious obligation is no substitute for righteousness, care of the widow and orphan and protection of the weak. The passage from Hebrews makes it clear that no one has yet lived in the kingdom, but all look forward to a city built on such foundations.