Luke 19:29-44Zechariah 9:9“Jesus not only believed the kingdom was connected to him and to his mission and teachings, but he believed the kingdom of God was now breaking into history in himself.”- Scot McKnightZechariah 9:10“When the crowd shouted for joy and acclaimed [Jesus] as King on Palm Sunday, Jesus wept because he knew the violent way of the crowd would lead to their eventual destruction. ..We should never forget that Jesus was executed in the name of ‘freedom and justice’ - whether it was the Roman version or the Jewish version. But the cross shames the ancient deception that freedom and justice can be attained by killing. The crowd believes this pernicious lie, but Christ never does. The Passover crowd shouted, ‘Hosanna!’ Until it realized that Jesus wouldn’t save them by killing their enemies; then it shouted, 'Crucify him!'" - Brian Zahnd, A Farewell to Mars“Donkeys have a reputation for stubbornness but this is due to their highly developed sense of self preservation. It is difficult to force or frighten a donkey into doing something it sees as contrary to its own best interest or safety. Donkeys are more independent in their thinking than horses and will reason, then make decisions based on their safety. Training a donkey relies upon showing him or her, by words and action, that they can trust you to protect them from harm. They learn what it is we want them to do if we take time to show them.”

Luke 19:29-44Zechariah 9:9“Jesus not only believed the kingdom was connected to him and to his mission and teachings, but he believed the kingdom of God was now breaking into history in himself.”- Scot McKnightZechariah 9:10“When the crowd shouted for joy and acclaimed [Jesus] as King on Palm Sunday, Jesus wept because he knew the violent way of the crowd would lead to their eventual destruction. ..We should never forget that Jesus was executed in the name of ‘freedom and justice’ - whether it was the Roman version or the Jewish version. But the cross shames the ancient deception that freedom and justice can be attained by killing. The crowd believes this pernicious lie, but Christ never does. The Passover crowd shouted, ‘Hosanna!’ Until it realized that Jesus wouldn’t save them by killing their enemies; then it shouted, 'Crucify him!'" - Brian Zahnd, A Farewell to Mars“Donkeys have a reputation for stubbornness but this is due to their highly developed sense of self preservation. It is difficult to force or frighten a donkey into doing something it sees as contrary to its own best interest or safety. Donkeys are more independent in their thinking than horses and will reason, then make decisions based on their safety. Training a donkey relies upon showing him or her, by words and action, that they can trust you to protect them from harm. They learn what it is we want them to do if we take time to show them.”

Luke 19:29-44Zechariah 9:9“Jesus not only believed the kingdom was connected to him and to his mission and teachings, but he believed the kingdom of God was now breaking into history in himself.”- Scot McKnightZechariah 9:10“When the crowd shouted for joy and acclaimed [Jesus] as King on Palm Sunday, Jesus wept because he knew the violent way of the crowd would lead to their eventual destruction. ..We should never forget that Jesus was executed in the name of ‘freedom and justice’ - whether it was the Roman version or the Jewish version. But the cross shames the ancient deception that freedom and justice can be attained by killing. The crowd believes this pernicious lie, but Christ never does. The Passover crowd shouted, ‘Hosanna!’ Until it realized that Jesus wouldn’t save them by killing their enemies; then it shouted, 'Crucify him!'" - Brian Zahnd, A Farewell to Mars“Donkeys have a reputation for stubbornness but this is due to their highly developed sense of self preservation. It is difficult to force or frighten a donkey into doing something it sees as contrary to its own best interest or safety. Donkeys are more independent in their thinking than horses and will reason, then make decisions based on their safety. Training a donkey relies upon showing him or her, by words and action, that they can trust you to protect them from harm. They learn what it is we want them to do if we take time to show them.”

Luke 19:29-44Zechariah 9:9“Jesus not only believed the kingdom was connected to him and to his mission and teachings, but he believed the kingdom of God was now breaking into history in himself.”- Scot McKnightZechariah 9:10“When the crowd shouted for joy and acclaimed [Jesus] as King on Palm Sunday, Jesus wept because he knew the violent way of the crowd would lead to their eventual destruction. ..We should never forget that Jesus was executed in the name of ‘freedom and justice’ - whether it was the Roman version or the Jewish version. But the cross shames the ancient deception that freedom and justice can be attained by killing. The crowd believes this pernicious lie, but Christ never does. The Passover crowd shouted, ‘Hosanna!’ Until it realized that Jesus wouldn’t save them by killing their enemies; then it shouted, 'Crucify him!'" - Brian Zahnd, A Farewell to Mars“Donkeys have a reputation for stubbornness but this is due to their highly developed sense of self preservation. It is difficult to force or frighten a donkey into doing something it sees as contrary to its own best interest or safety. Donkeys are more independent in their thinking than horses and will reason, then make decisions based on their safety. Training a donkey relies upon showing him or her, by words and action, that they can trust you to protect them from harm. They learn what it is we want them to do if we take time to show them.”

Luke 19:11-27Problems1.Location, Location, Location -Jesus & Little children (turning expectations upside down) -Rich & the Kingdom of God (Luke 18:24-27) -Blind Beggar receives sight (Luke 18:35-42) who can see? - Zaccheaus the Tax Collector (Luke 19:9-10)2.What about that Kingdom of God business in 19:11?3.Seems to promote ruthless business practices4.Promotes usury? (interest)5.What about 19:26? Seems to promote a cynical view that the rich will get richer and the poor will become destitute. 6.And what about how God is portrayed here? An absentee lord who cares only for profit maximization? Hard hearted and ruthless? 7.And wait, am I going to get punished and/or killed if I don’t produce profit with the gift God has given me? Does that make me an enemy of God? That’s a lot of pressure…“Jesus, who lived in an oral culture, used story-telling. The parable, then, was not primarily a vehicle to communicate theology or ethics but a coded story designed to stimulate social analysis and to expose the contradictions between the actual situation of its hearers and the Torah (desire) of God’s justice. Even the illiterate could learn to “read” their culture and life dilemmas. Of course, any increased awareness of their political and economic situation, including the humanly designed systems that created it and perpetuated it, could incite peasants and villagers to social unrest. Thus parabling was a risky business.” – Parables of Subversive Speech, William HerzogParables do two things:1.Unmask the way the world is (there was a certain rich man, a certain beggar…) – this is a type of deconstruction2.Offer a vision of the way the world cold be (the Kingdom of God is like…) – this is a type of reconstructionThis parable is a deconstruction…but of what? Let’s see.“When the socio-cultural context of the parable is ignored or suppressed, we inevitably reinterpret the story in terms of our own unconscious political assumptions. Stories meant to challenge our preconceptions are thus used to legitimate them. So do we disarm the gospel’s most powerful rhetorical weapons, whose purpose is to rescue believers from our domestication by that same status quo. Might it be that we have imposed upon the parable our capitalistic presumptions about the glories of a system that rewards “venture capital,” and thus read the story exactly backwards…to read in this story a divine endorsement of mercenary economics and the inevitable polarization of wealth is to miss the point completely – and to perpetuate both dysfunctional theology and complicit economics in our churches.” -Ched Myers, The Biblical Vision of Sabbath EconomicsLeviticus 25:35-36Deuteronomy 23:20-21“The hero of the parable is the third servant. When the hero speaks, he utters in the full light of day what he has learned in the dark; he reveals what has been covered beneath the public rhetoric of praise and promise, makes known what has been hidden beneath the justifications of the elites, proclaims clearly what has only been whispered among the rulers. He describes the master for what he is and acknowledges his fear of his power. The whistle blower is no fool. He realizes that he will pay a price, but he has decided to accept the cost rather than continue to pursue his exploitative path. He said what the hearers had always wanted to say and right to the master’s face! By hiding the talent, he also revealed that the retainers (servants) were necessary to the process of exploitation carried on by the aristocracy. What would happen if retainers identified with the peasants rather than the aristocracy? What would it mean for them to realize that their interests really do not lie with the aristocracy that exploits them and despises them even as it uses them? What would happen if retainers refused to carry out their assigned tasks?” –HerzogAnd then, the punch line, “The rich will get richer and the poor will get poorer” – this comes out of the mouth of the ruthless ruler. This not out of the mouth of God. -This is the slogan of this oppressive system and everyone hearing it would have known it. -Jesus was giving voice, in this parable, to the systems of exploitation – and the slogans that kept the power in power and the poor poor. -This is how the world works. -And to expose it meant death.

Luke 19:11-27Problems1.Location, Location, Location -Jesus & Little children (turning expectations upside down) -Rich & the Kingdom of God (Luke 18:24-27) -Blind Beggar receives sight (Luke 18:35-42) who can see? - Zaccheaus the Tax Collector (Luke 19:9-10)2.What about that Kingdom of God business in 19:11?3.Seems to promote ruthless business practices4.Promotes usury? (interest)5.What about 19:26? Seems to promote a cynical view that the rich will get richer and the poor will become destitute. 6.And what about how God is portrayed here? An absentee lord who cares only for profit maximization? Hard hearted and ruthless? 7.And wait, am I going to get punished and/or killed if I don’t produce profit with the gift God has given me? Does that make me an enemy of God? That’s a lot of pressure…“Jesus, who lived in an oral culture, used story-telling. The parable, then, was not primarily a vehicle to communicate theology or ethics but a coded story designed to stimulate social analysis and to expose the contradictions between the actual situation of its hearers and the Torah (desire) of God’s justice. Even the illiterate could learn to “read” their culture and life dilemmas. Of course, any increased awareness of their political and economic situation, including the humanly designed systems that created it and perpetuated it, could incite peasants and villagers to social unrest. Thus parabling was a risky business.” – Parables of Subversive Speech, William HerzogParables do two things:1.Unmask the way the world is (there was a certain rich man, a certain beggar…) – this is a type of deconstruction2.Offer a vision of the way the world cold be (the Kingdom of God is like…) – this is a type of reconstructionThis parable is a deconstruction…but of what? Let’s see.“When the socio-cultural context of the parable is ignored or suppressed, we inevitably reinterpret the story in terms of our own unconscious political assumptions. Stories meant to challenge our preconceptions are thus used to legitimate them. So do we disarm the gospel’s most powerful rhetorical weapons, whose purpose is to rescue believers from our domestication by that same status quo. Might it be that we have imposed upon the parable our capitalistic presumptions about the glories of a system that rewards “venture capital,” and thus read the story exactly backwards…to read in this story a divine endorsement of mercenary economics and the inevitable polarization of wealth is to miss the point completely – and to perpetuate both dysfunctional theology and complicit economics in our churches.” -Ched Myers, The Biblical Vision of Sabbath EconomicsLeviticus 25:35-36Deuteronomy 23:20-21“The hero of the parable is the third servant. When the hero speaks, he utters in the full light of day what he has learned in the dark; he reveals what has been covered beneath the public rhetoric of praise and promise, makes known what has been hidden beneath the justifications of the elites, proclaims clearly what has only been whispered among the rulers. He describes the master for what he is and acknowledges his fear of his power. The whistle blower is no fool. He realizes that he will pay a price, but he has decided to accept the cost rather than continue to pursue his exploitative path. He said what the hearers had always wanted to say and right to the master’s face! By hiding the talent, he also revealed that the retainers (servants) were necessary to the process of exploitation carried on by the aristocracy. What would happen if retainers identified with the peasants rather than the aristocracy? What would it mean for them to realize that their interests really do not lie with the aristocracy that exploits them and despises them even as it uses them? What would happen if retainers refused to carry out their assigned tasks?” –HerzogAnd then, the punch line, “The rich will get richer and the poor will get poorer” – this comes out of the mouth of the ruthless ruler. This not out of the mouth of God. -This is the slogan of this oppressive system and everyone hearing it would have known it. -Jesus was giving voice, in this parable, to the systems of exploitation – and the slogans that kept the power in power and the poor poor. -This is how the world works. -And to expose it meant death.

Luke 19:11-27Problems1.Location, Location, Location -Jesus & Little children (turning expectations upside down) -Rich & the Kingdom of God (Luke 18:24-27) -Blind Beggar receives sight (Luke 18:35-42) who can see? - Zaccheaus the Tax Collector (Luke 19:9-10)2.What about that Kingdom of God business in 19:11?3.Seems to promote ruthless business practices4.Promotes usury? (interest)5.What about 19:26? Seems to promote a cynical view that the rich will get richer and the poor will become destitute. 6.And what about how God is portrayed here? An absentee lord who cares only for profit maximization? Hard hearted and ruthless? 7.And wait, am I going to get punished and/or killed if I don’t produce profit with the gift God has given me? Does that make me an enemy of God? That’s a lot of pressure…“Jesus, who lived in an oral culture, used story-telling. The parable, then, was not primarily a vehicle to communicate theology or ethics but a coded story designed to stimulate social analysis and to expose the contradictions between the actual situation of its hearers and the Torah (desire) of God’s justice. Even the illiterate could learn to “read” their culture and life dilemmas. Of course, any increased awareness of their political and economic situation, including the humanly designed systems that created it and perpetuated it, could incite peasants and villagers to social unrest. Thus parabling was a risky business.” – Parables of Subversive Speech, William HerzogParables do two things:1.Unmask the way the world is (there was a certain rich man, a certain beggar…) – this is a type of deconstruction2.Offer a vision of the way the world cold be (the Kingdom of God is like…) – this is a type of reconstructionThis parable is a deconstruction…but of what? Let’s see.“When the socio-cultural context of the parable is ignored or suppressed, we inevitably reinterpret the story in terms of our own unconscious political assumptions. Stories meant to challenge our preconceptions are thus used to legitimate them. So do we disarm the gospel’s most powerful rhetorical weapons, whose purpose is to rescue believers from our domestication by that same status quo. Might it be that we have imposed upon the parable our capitalistic presumptions about the glories of a system that rewards “venture capital,” and thus read the story exactly backwards…to read in this story a divine endorsement of mercenary economics and the inevitable polarization of wealth is to miss the point completely – and to perpetuate both dysfunctional theology and complicit economics in our churches.” -Ched Myers, The Biblical Vision of Sabbath EconomicsLeviticus 25:35-36Deuteronomy 23:20-21“The hero of the parable is the third servant. When the hero speaks, he utters in the full light of day what he has learned in the dark; he reveals what has been covered beneath the public rhetoric of praise and promise, makes known what has been hidden beneath the justifications of the elites, proclaims clearly what has only been whispered among the rulers. He describes the master for what he is and acknowledges his fear of his power. The whistle blower is no fool. He realizes that he will pay a price, but he has decided to accept the cost rather than continue to pursue his exploitative path. He said what the hearers had always wanted to say and right to the master’s face! By hiding the talent, he also revealed that the retainers (servants) were necessary to the process of exploitation carried on by the aristocracy. What would happen if retainers identified with the peasants rather than the aristocracy? What would it mean for them to realize that their interests really do not lie with the aristocracy that exploits them and despises them even as it uses them? What would happen if retainers refused to carry out their assigned tasks?” –HerzogAnd then, the punch line, “The rich will get richer and the poor will get poorer” – this comes out of the mouth of the ruthless ruler. This not out of the mouth of God. -This is the slogan of this oppressive system and everyone hearing it would have known it. -Jesus was giving voice, in this parable, to the systems of exploitation – and the slogans that kept the power in power and the poor poor. -This is how the world works. -And to expose it meant death.

Luke 19:11-27Problems1.Location, Location, Location -Jesus & Little children (turning expectations upside down) -Rich & the Kingdom of God (Luke 18:24-27) -Blind Beggar receives sight (Luke 18:35-42) who can see? - Zaccheaus the Tax Collector (Luke 19:9-10)2.What about that Kingdom of God business in 19:11?3.Seems to promote ruthless business practices4.Promotes usury? (interest)5.What about 19:26? Seems to promote a cynical view that the rich will get richer and the poor will become destitute. 6.And what about how God is portrayed here? An absentee lord who cares only for profit maximization? Hard hearted and ruthless? 7.And wait, am I going to get punished and/or killed if I don’t produce profit with the gift God has given me? Does that make me an enemy of God? That’s a lot of pressure…“Jesus, who lived in an oral culture, used story-telling. The parable, then, was not primarily a vehicle to communicate theology or ethics but a coded story designed to stimulate social analysis and to expose the contradictions between the actual situation of its hearers and the Torah (desire) of God’s justice. Even the illiterate could learn to “read” their culture and life dilemmas. Of course, any increased awareness of their political and economic situation, including the humanly designed systems that created it and perpetuated it, could incite peasants and villagers to social unrest. Thus parabling was a risky business.” – Parables of Subversive Speech, William HerzogParables do two things:1.Unmask the way the world is (there was a certain rich man, a certain beggar…) – this is a type of deconstruction2.Offer a vision of the way the world cold be (the Kingdom of God is like…) – this is a type of reconstructionThis parable is a deconstruction…but of what? Let’s see.“When the socio-cultural context of the parable is ignored or suppressed, we inevitably reinterpret the story in terms of our own unconscious political assumptions. Stories meant to challenge our preconceptions are thus used to legitimate them. So do we disarm the gospel’s most powerful rhetorical weapons, whose purpose is to rescue believers from our domestication by that same status quo. Might it be that we have imposed upon the parable our capitalistic presumptions about the glories of a system that rewards “venture capital,” and thus read the story exactly backwards…to read in this story a divine endorsement of mercenary economics and the inevitable polarization of wealth is to miss the point completely – and to perpetuate both dysfunctional theology and complicit economics in our churches.” -Ched Myers, The Biblical Vision of Sabbath EconomicsLeviticus 25:35-36Deuteronomy 23:20-21“The hero of the parable is the third servant. When the hero speaks, he utters in the full light of day what he has learned in the dark; he reveals what has been covered beneath the public rhetoric of praise and promise, makes known what has been hidden beneath the justifications of the elites, proclaims clearly what has only been whispered among the rulers. He describes the master for what he is and acknowledges his fear of his power. The whistle blower is no fool. He realizes that he will pay a price, but he has decided to accept the cost rather than continue to pursue his exploitative path. He said what the hearers had always wanted to say and right to the master’s face! By hiding the talent, he also revealed that the retainers (servants) were necessary to the process of exploitation carried on by the aristocracy. What would happen if retainers identified with the peasants rather than the aristocracy? What would it mean for them to realize that their interests really do not lie with the aristocracy that exploits them and despises them even as it uses them? What would happen if retainers refused to carry out their assigned tasks?” –HerzogAnd then, the punch line, “The rich will get richer and the poor will get poorer” – this comes out of the mouth of the ruthless ruler. This not out of the mouth of God. -This is the slogan of this oppressive system and everyone hearing it would have known it. -Jesus was giving voice, in this parable, to the systems of exploitation – and the slogans that kept the power in power and the poor poor. -This is how the world works. -And to expose it meant death.

• The freedom we need for true happiness requires us first to deny ourselves; being rooted in what we are now leads only to a dead end . . . If we struggle against God’s grace, against God's providence, if we struggle to remain as we are now, we will eventually find ourselves getting what we struggle for: ourselves, entirely closed to anything but ourselves . . . If we want self-fulfillment, we must deny ourselves. We must open ourselves to God and God's infinite freedom, so that we can then find our place in the world. Once we know it, then we can act upon it . . .• Genesis 3:22-24• “Humans, having already exceeded the limits of creaturehood, have radically altered the perspective of human existence. They live henceforth in the consciousness of their mortality. They may therefore be tempted to change their condition by artificial means, rather than by restoring the ruptured harmony between divine will and human will, the harmony that is ultimately the definition of paradise” –JPS Commentary on Genesis• Luke 14:25-35• “Again, then, 'hating' one’s self should not be taken as a reference to an affective self-abhorrence, but as a call to set aside the relationships, the extended family of origin and inner circle of friends, by which one has previously made up one’s identity. Here Jesus is calling for the reconstruction of one’s identity, not along ancestral lines or on the basis of one’s social status, but within the new community oriented toward God’s purpose and characterized by faithfulness to the message of Jesus. Bearing the cross is used as a metaphor of discipleship – indeed, as a requirement for one’s identity as a disciple. Such persons would live as through they were condemned to death by crucifixion, oblivious to the pursuit of noble status, finding no interest in securing one’s future via securing obligations from others or by stockpiling possessions, free to identify with Jesus in his dishonorable suffering. Importantly, both statements concerning the conditions of discipleship are addressed to 'whosoever' a reminder that the invitation is an open one.” –Joel Green.• “The opposite of faith is not doubt, it is control” – Richard Rohr• Control is a result of being attached to a specific outcome—an outcome we’re sure is best for us, as if we always know what’s best.• Practical Guide to Self-Denial:o Seek God’s benefit and the Kingdom of God’s benefit above your own.o Seek the good of your neighbor above your own.o It is not something we can “do” – it is a result of something we do.[Prayer of Saint Ephraim]Lord and Master of my life,Grant not unto me a spirit of idleness,of discouragement, of lust for power, and of vain speaking.But bestow upon me, Thy servant,the spirit of chastity,of meekness, of patience, and of love.Yes, O Lord and King,grant that I may perceive my own transgressions,and judge not my brother or sister,for blessed art Thou unto ages of ages.Amen.

• The freedom we need for true happiness requires us first to deny ourselves; being rooted in what we are now leads only to a dead end . . . If we struggle against God’s grace, against God's providence, if we struggle to remain as we are now, we will eventually find ourselves getting what we struggle for: ourselves, entirely closed to anything but ourselves . . . If we want self-fulfillment, we must deny ourselves. We must open ourselves to God and God's infinite freedom, so that we can then find our place in the world. Once we know it, then we can act upon it . . .• Genesis 3:22-24• “Humans, having already exceeded the limits of creaturehood, have radically altered the perspective of human existence. They live henceforth in the consciousness of their mortality. They may therefore be tempted to change their condition by artificial means, rather than by restoring the ruptured harmony between divine will and human will, the harmony that is ultimately the definition of paradise” –JPS Commentary on Genesis• Luke 14:25-35• “Again, then, 'hating' one’s self should not be taken as a reference to an affective self-abhorrence, but as a call to set aside the relationships, the extended family of origin and inner circle of friends, by which one has previously made up one’s identity. Here Jesus is calling for the reconstruction of one’s identity, not along ancestral lines or on the basis of one’s social status, but within the new community oriented toward God’s purpose and characterized by faithfulness to the message of Jesus. Bearing the cross is used as a metaphor of discipleship – indeed, as a requirement for one’s identity as a disciple. Such persons would live as through they were condemned to death by crucifixion, oblivious to the pursuit of noble status, finding no interest in securing one’s future via securing obligations from others or by stockpiling possessions, free to identify with Jesus in his dishonorable suffering. Importantly, both statements concerning the conditions of discipleship are addressed to 'whosoever' a reminder that the invitation is an open one.” –Joel Green.• “The opposite of faith is not doubt, it is control” – Richard Rohr• Control is a result of being attached to a specific outcome—an outcome we’re sure is best for us, as if we always know what’s best.• Practical Guide to Self-Denial:o Seek God’s benefit and the Kingdom of God’s benefit above your own.o Seek the good of your neighbor above your own.o It is not something we can “do” – it is a result of something we do.[Prayer of Saint Ephraim]Lord and Master of my life,Grant not unto me a spirit of idleness,of discouragement, of lust for power, and of vain speaking.But bestow upon me, Thy servant,the spirit of chastity,of meekness, of patience, and of love.Yes, O Lord and King,grant that I may perceive my own transgressions,and judge not my brother or sister,for blessed art Thou unto ages of ages.Amen.