The Rev. Virginia W. Nagel
Episcopal Diocese of Central NY (Retired)
Today's first reading is from the Book of Proverbs. Most of us are familiar
with at least some of the proverbs, because they are much quoted by parents,
teachers, editorial writers and, of course, clergy. The first half of the book
of Proverbs is made up of several lengthy poems which teach lessons about
wisdom. The second half, from which today's reading is taken, is mostly short,
pithy sayings...the kind you'd see embroidered on a sampler or copied onto a
poster, or perhaps hear from your grandmother or teacher. But, you know, just
because we've all heard them umpteen times before, doesn't mean that they are
meaningless! In fact, probably the reason we feel that they are so boring is
simply because we have heard them...and ignored them, and gotten into trouble
because we ignored them, so of course the folks around us feel that we need to
hear them again!
It is quite true that it's better to have a good reputation than to be rich.
And it is also true that many people become rich by less than proper methods,
which of course gives riches a bad reputation. But somehow, that doesn't seem to
stop people from yearning for those riches anyway, and this is where the road to
much evil and injustice begins. Think about it. Would you rather be known as a
rich person or as an honest, upright, trustworthy person? It is, of course,
possible to be both...but it's hard to manage that, you know. You will find
adequate proof in the daily papers and newscasts.
It is also true that anyone who makes a habit of acting unjustly starts
plenty of trouble, for others usually, but sometimes also for themselves. One
example we have seen over and over again the past few years is that a man in
some public office has to stand up and confess that he has committed injustices
of various kinds: monetary, sexual, political, or otherwise. And you usually see
his poor wife having to stand up alongside him, accepting the trouble he has
brought upon their family and marriage, as well as the problems he will
encounter in his work of public office as a result...not to mention all the
people who will suffer because they trusted him, or voted for him. It is almost
never that a sinner suffers alone...those who love that person or who trusted
that person suffer along with him or her.
It's a big temptation to blame the poor for being poor, and to put added
burdens on the poor, in the shape of extra taxes or extra regulations that limit
their freedom or ability to make a good life for themselves. We all know how
that works, and there is no need for me to give examples. But, you know, most of
the poor cannot help being poor. They may not have been able to attend college,
because they've had to get a job right out of school to help support the family.
Or they may not have had adequate elementary education to enable them to cope
with higher educational challenges. That does not give us the right to assume
that they are stupid or evil or lazy. What would we ourselves do if we had a
family that could not afford to send us to college or trade school, if we, too,
had to go to work straight out of school to support an ailing mother or younger
siblings? It's tough enough to have to make your way in life without being
looked down on or treated like scum simply because of being poor.
All of this leads directly to the epistle of James. He makes it clear that we
are to treat all people alike...we are all children of the same Father in
Heaven. We are not to show favoritism for the rich or powerful over the poor or
humble. In fact, we are not even to think of ourselves as being better than
others, James says. His point is the same point the apostle Paul makes over and
over again: There is nobody who does not sin, nobody at all.
Perhaps we have not committed murder, but we have committed other sins, so we,
like the murderer, are sinners. A sinner is a sinner, a person who has turned
away from God's law in one way or another. All sins are evil. So we cannot snub
some people and admire others on the basis of their actions. We need to be
aware...VERY aware...that we are all equal in the sight of God, and we are all
sinners who need God's redeeming love and forgiveness, no matter how fancy our
clothes or houses or cars.
Jesus shows us very vividly what this means in today's Gospel. Tyre was a
non-Jewish territory. Good Jews would not have anything to do with the people of
that region, since they did not keep the Covenant Law in the way that the Jews
felt was essential. But Jesus healed the daughter of the woman of Tyre.
Likewise, handicapped people were thought to be worthless at that time and in
that place. The only thing they could do was beg for a few coins to keep
themselves alive. But again and again, Jesus healed handicapped people, and tore
down the barriers between the handicapped, the foreigners, and the Jews, who
considered that they were the special people of God and therefore of more value
than these others.
We all need to pay attention to today's readings. Our society tries to
encourage us to think in terms of classes or levels...MY race or MY occupation
or MY family is better than yours. But the truth is that we are all equal in the
sight of God. It is our job to tear down these barriers between people; to teach
our children, by our example, that people of other races and religions are not
only acceptable, but just as good as we are; that people who are poor are
equally entitled to respect and opportunity as the wealthy; that one's
occupation, whether physician, mayor or janitor, makes no difference whatsoever
in a person's worth to God. This is a hard lesson for us to learn, and most of
us have to learn it over and over again until it sticks. But it is simply the
point of today's Bible readings. And I suspect that it is one of the reasons why
so many people would rather not red the Bible in the first place...because they
want to cling to whatever pedestal they, and not God, have put them on. Amen.
