Serving or exploiting?

If I asked each of you for a Bible verse that sums up your thinking about God or Jesus, you might choose:

John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” [NIV]

Or maybe Romans 3: 23 - 24 “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,  and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.”

 8: 1-2 “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death.”

Or Matthew 28: 19-20 “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” [NIV]

For me, I think John 10:10 sums it up:

“The thief comes only in order to steal, kill, and destroy. I have come in order that you might have life—life in all its fullness.” [GNB]

This morning I want us to think about life, abundant life, fullness of life, eternal life.

When we know that we are loved by God,

when we recognise the love inherent in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus,

when we are transformed and freed by the spirit,

our life takes on a new quality or characteristic.

In the past 7 weeks we have looked at Mark’s gospel, all this time Jesus is walking towards Jerusalem. Walking to the cross. Along the way we have heard about

 - the least being the greatest,
 - various questions, some set to trick, some genuine
 - Jesus blessing the children
 - the healing of Bartimeaus
 - the disciples not understanding
 - the man looking for eternal life not being prepared to give up his wealth
 - the greatest commandments – loving God, loving self and loving others.

Mark includes this story in the week between the entry to Jerusalem and the crucifixion. Jesus has already cleansed the Temple, driving out the money changers and traders.

“He then taught the people: “It is written in the Scriptures that God said, ‘My Temple will be called a house of prayer for the people of all nations.’ But you have turned it into a hideout for thieves!”” [Mark 11:17 GNB]

The Temple was an important place in the community. It was the centre of the sacrificial system. In Judaism at this time, there were sacrifices for a variety of reasons, celebration, penitence and festivals.

All religions have rituals, ways to help us relate to God. The problem occurs when the rituals become hollow. For example, each week we pray together the Lord’s Prayer – do we really mean what we say, or do we recite it because that is what we are expected to do?  Something that was meant to bring us closer to God, an example of how to pray, becomes empty when the Lord’s Prayer becomes a set of words rather than a prayer, a hollow ritual.

In the first part of the Gospel reading, Jesus is teaching in the Temple. He warns the crowd about the Scribes, or at least some of the Scribes. Those who make a show of being pious, who expect special treatment.

A bit about widows – in the culture at that time women needed a father or husband or son to own property on their behalf. A woman could not own property. It isn’t that long ago it was very difficult for a women to get a bank loan to buy a house without a male guarantor.  Therefore a widow without a son needed someone to conduct business on her behalf.
The Scribes would do this.
For a fee.  

Widows were generally poor, and a house may be all they have, but the scribes would “take advantage of widows and rob them of their homes”.

The scribes have an important role, they are the ones who copy the Scriptures. The scribes are part of the educated class. The work they do is important. BUT for many it moved into a way of gaining favours, getting preferential treatment, and ‘helping’ the widows out of their property.

Still in the temple and Jesus is watching what is happening. Rich people put in large amounts of money, a widow a very small amount.  This passage has often been interpreted as an example of giving all we have to God, and trusting in God to look after us.

However given the paragraph just before; about the Scribes robbing widows of their homes, and the next paragraph where Jesus foretells the destruction of the Temple, I wonder if this is another example of the way in the Temple system was being abused. The Temple had become abusive and exploited the poor.

The system that was to help people to connect with God, has become a structure of exploitation.  

In the Royal Commission over the past year or more, we have heard stories of people’s lives being destroyed by people in positions of power, in both churches and community groups. I have seen people in the church bullying other church members. What does such behaviour say about us as people of faith?

I admit it is hard to see the good news in a passage like this week’s gospel reading.

We see all too clearly the self-interest and arrogance of those who are benefiting from the system.  But we also see the faithfulness of the widow, the one who is being exploited. Even though the Temple system is taking food out of her mouth, she gives all she has, trusting that those in need will be fed.

Being religious, going to church, being on church committees, talking on a leadership role, saying long prayers and leading worship, do not a Christian make.

What in our lives marks us out as people of faith?

Our long prayers?
Our welcome?
Our generosity?

In what ways do we contribute to structural inequality?

What in our lives marks us out as people of faith?