The Uncultured Saints

Ever wondered what it would be like to be banished from the things of God just because of who you are?  The Ethiopian Eunuch knew this all too well.  Returning from his failed trip to Jerusalem, where he had hoped to worship the one true God, this man is faced with a God who is truly there for Him.  His eunuch-ness had kept him, had prevented him, from the things of the Temple, but Philip has a new Word for Him.  That Word is the Gospel.  That Word is Jesus.  That Word is baptism and forgiveness and life eternal.  But the eunuch is still scared.  He is terrified that something still prevents him from all of these wonderful things, because something always has.  But he will soon receive an answer sweeter than he has ever heard before in his life.

Naaman was a great man, even if he was a heathen.  Everything that he had ever put his mind to he had accomplished.  But he had done it all through the sweat of his own brow and the works of his own hands.  Unfortunately, for the first time in his life, he is faced with something that he is powerless to defeat.  But he receives a Word from a slave girl about a God who is for him.  He goes to find out about this God, still with a bit of hubris, still with an air of doubt and confusion.  “Nothing is free,” he thinks.  There is always a price to be paid.  There is always a sacrifice to be made.  This is true, of course, but in the waters of the Jordan he is about to find out that this time that price is to be paid not by him, but for him.

We find another scoundrel in the Old Testament.  This is no surprise, of course, the Old Testament is littered with scoundrels, as is the New.  Jacob had found it difficult to stand in the promises of God.  He isn’t unique in this sin, for we all innately doubt the gracious promises of our Lord.  We can’t for the life of us belief that these promises are free.  We always think that God needs a helping hand, but our “helping hand” always seems to screw everything up.  Jacob is running scared, running for his life.  And so God finds him in the exact place where he is at.  A wrestling match occurs, but this, of course is no ordinary wresting match.  Will Jacob finally realize that God is for him?  And will he finally recognize that when God is for him, then there is nothing that he needs to do for himself?

Back by unpopular demand, the Uncultured Saints brings you Season Deux: Parables. You might have heard it said that parables are “earthly stories with a heavenly meaning.” Maybe this is true, but perhaps a better way to look at them is as “mysteries of the kingdom of heaven.” And if they are mysteries then they can’t be about ethics or morals….though this is how we treat them most of the time. Instead, mysteries are about the Gospel, and the Gospel is about Jesus, so parables are about Christ. Christ is the Subject, the Actor, the One doing the work. We can find ourselves in the parables…but only as the ones receiving Jesus.

A man goes out to sow. He doesn’t seem like he is very good at his job, just throwing caution and seed to the wind. The seed falls everywhere: on the path to be eaten, on the rocks and amongst thorns to quickly die, and yes, some falls on the good ground, too. You would think that the sower would be more careful with His seed. You would think that He would scatter it where He was sure that it would produce fruit. But this doesn’t seem to be His way and this doesn’t seem to be the way of our Lord. His cross is for everyone. His salvation is for all. The Gospel is to be proclaimed to all the world… We need not worry about the different types of ground. The sower doesn’t seem to give it much thought as he scatters seed around, perhaps neither should we. Maybe it is just better to receive the seed he sows and give thanks that he sows it so indiscriminately.

More sowing, just like the last time. Except here there is just a field; a field with good seed sown by a good man. But then his enemy comes and sows tares amongst the wheat; right overtop, intertwined. What’s to be done? That is the question the servants want to know. They see the problem and they want it fixed. But the man says, “No.” The time is not right for the tares to be uprooted, and besides, the servants aren’t given to this task anyway. The reapers will come, leave the reaping to them…And that is the hard part: staying silent when we know that we know better than God…But as Jesus explains later, not one of the blades of wheat will be thrown into the fire. We don’t have to worry about that. And we don’t have to worry about the tares getting a free ride either. He has that taken care of as well. The harvesting and the separating, that’s not given to the servants nor is it given to the wheat. Jesus seems to have it all under control. He usually does…

A man and his pearl. I suppose the only way that you can tell how much value something has is to see how much someone is willing to pay for it. For the man in our text this pearl that he finds is worth more than anything, literally. He goes and sells all that he has and then buys it. The previous man did the same with a field where buried treasure was known to be found…So obviously Jesus is trying to say something to us: “There is a treasure to be found, a pearl to be purchased. There is something of more value than anything else in all of creation.” And it must be had, that much is clear. Now all we have to do is figure out where Jesus is in this parable. Certainly He is worth more than anything, but I sure do hope that He isn’t the pearl. Because that would make me the merchant, and I know I’m not good enough to be that merchant…Seems to put us in a bit of a bind…If only there was another way to look at this parable…

A billion quadrillion dollars, that is how much the first guy owed the king. More than could ever be paid, but he thinks that he is good for it. He is sure that he could pay it back. So when his debt is released he doesn’t see it as grace, but as something he deserved; or perhaps he believed that he pulled one over on the king. And that is why he goes out in search for his own retribution. Debts must be paid, just not his. But this isn’t how forgiveness works. In fact, this isn’t forgiveness at all. This parable is about the Gospel and the debt Jesus paid on the cross. But it is also a warning lest we think that we deserved any of it.

Don’t read this parable without reading the set up, otherwise you will get it wrong. And we often time get it wrong. “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” we ask. Well, if that is our question then the answer will be one that is too great to follow. “Be the Good Samaritan, to everyone that you meet, all the time, 24/7, with no exceptions. Do that, and you will inherit eternal life.”…But after hearing these words, this parable isn’t quite so uplifting anymore. It kind of beats us up and leaves us for dead on the side of the road with no way to get ourselves to Jericho…If only there was a Good Samaritan that would come along and save us…

Another parable of warning; of warning, but of great comfort too. A wedding feast is prepared. Good food and good drink for all to come and enjoy. You would think that the invitation would be enough, that we wouldn’t have to be reminded. But the self-righteous sinner doesn’t care all that much for a wedding feast in which things are given out for free. The self-righteous sinner always has something better to fill his time. So the master sends out his servant to the highways and byways. “Go and invite everyone you see. Go and get the poor and the crippled, the blind and the lame. Go and invite everyone who should be here, everyone who doesn’t deserve such a feast. For my house must be filled to the brim.”