Mercy and the
Kingdom
Grace to you and peace from God our
Father, and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.
It is easy to
believe that heaven is due payment for having to live through the misery of
earth. We walk in danger all the way. It often feels like we are careening from
one heartache to another, that we’re only one misstep away from disaster and
ruin. So the more we suffer, the harder our life, the better we are at controlling
ourselves, the more we help others, the oftener we go to church, the more we do
right—then the more we are sure we deserve the payment and reward of heaven.
Certainly, the
crown of righteousness has been laid up for us, which the Lord, the righteous
Judge, will give to all who have loved His appearing. And there is no doubt
that this heavenly reward awaits all those who walk worthy of the calling—those
who live their baptism with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering,
bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit
in the bond of peace. With all confidence, we can and should expect to receive
this crown, this reward, this heavenly life. Our Lord has promised it to us.
And by His Spirit, this incorruptible and undefiled inheritance that does not
fade away is reserved in heaven for you.
But does this mean
we have deserved it? Will we get heaven simply because we’ve paid our dues with
the coin of grief, sickness, and death? Have we earned it because we’ve given
our best years to a futile cause? And is it ours because we’ve worked and
sweated to do the right thing, to turn our life around, to make the best of our
rotten luck? Beware of such thoughts. They tempt us to take pride in ourselves,
our work, and even our misery. And they tempt us to compare ourselves with each
other, to see how we measure up, and to determine who’s really deserving and
undeserving. But most of all, when we are convinced that we have earned our
place in heaven, we belittle and dismiss the Lord’s mercy and grace. We live,
not in gratitude for God and love for others, but selfishly.
That is what we
see in today’s Gospel. Those laborers who cry “foul” at the end of the day are
not grousing about unfair labor practices. Rather, they are thinking only of
themselves. And they are more concerned with getting what they deserve than
they receiving their denarius with thanksgiving. This story is not about
workers and management. It’s about the kingdom of heaven. And in the kingdom of
heaven, the coin—the denarius—is our Lord’s mercy and kindness.
Our Lord’s mercy
is called that precisely because it is undeserved. It is His kindness, His
love, His compassion extended to us who have rebelled against Him, who live as
if He doesn’t matter, who abuse His creation, who think little of His gifts,
and who are quick to believe the worst of Him; those who are convinced that the
Lord’s will is never done and that His kingdom will never come; those who are
sure that the Lord has abandoned them or is against them—they are the ones to
whom our Lord extends His mercy. For no good reason whatsoever, our Lord also
invites us into His kingdom, His vineyard, so that we might not be destroyed by
idleness, but would live in Him by tending to the good fruits He has planted
for our use and enjoyment.
So let our eyes
focus not on what we think we deserve. If we do, we will miss what our Lord has
already given us. His mercy endures forever. Let us fix our hearts and minds,
our efforts and desires, our prayers and affections only on this—that our Lord
Jesus once again, and without fail, has mercy on us by speaking into us His
healing forgiveness, and by feeding us with the Blessed Sacrament of His body
and blood. In the name of the Father and of the Son (+) and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
The
peace of God which passes all understanding will keep your hearts and minds in
Christ Jesus always. Amen.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment