Rearranging the stones

There is a phrase “We say that we are going to work in the ‘vineyard’, but instead of harvesting the grapes we spend our time rearranging the stones along the path. It’s easier to sit back and let others do the work, isn’t it? If there was a working party – Methodist’s love a good working party, don’t they? – this working party might have a leader, one with some status. 

How might we respond when someone is nominated as a leader, and it wasn’t us?

Is it phew thank goodness they didn’t mention my name, or… feeling a bit unsettled? 

Status

Have you ever heard of people having a status they haven’t earnt? Perhaps you might be thinking of politicians or business people who hold sway over others, purely because of their inherited status. In my days in the military, rank was something that was hard earned; respect was given to those who had worked their way up – it was seemingly deserved. We had rank tabs on your shoulders, we had squadron badges to highlight what aircraft you operated upon, and then an aircrew badge to denote your specialism: all marks of status. 

When people reach those dizzy heights, they can use that power for good or for themselves. In the original Greek, politikos indicates the relating to the people, listening to the people, not just themselves. It is listening to the person in front of you. Just pause to conjure with that phrase: listening to the person in front of you. 

It isn’t about their status but a deep desire to hear more of their story. To enquire, if they’ll tell you, what makes them tick, what they love, what makes their heart sing. According to Trey Hall, influential chap in London within Methodism, that’s a key to evangelism. Intentionally listening to the person in front of you. Making time to have that moment to listen to their story, not thinking this is what I want to say, but giving 100% of our time to listen to the other for that moment.

And what passage is relevant to this?

If we were to read Matthew 21: 23-32 w’d find that Jesus has returned to the Temple. And he has began teaching. Two separate things which we might just overlook if we read it fast. All the healing that Jesus has been doing in the hinterland has surprisingly not all been received well. Yes, those he healed were overjoyed, for they were now permitted to re-join their community. Moreover, they didn’t need to go to the Temple and have their sins absolved by the Priests.

It was the role of the priests of the Temple to run the place, taking taxes off the worshippers for the Temple, and the heavy levy demanded by the Roman authorities. Some might suggest that many of the priests were in league with the Romans, for some High Priests only got the job, and the status, if they were to bribe the authorities. They had to remove the wrongdoings, plus the person to pay a sum of money for the due process, and now… Jesus was cutting them out of the loop. Their status was being removed. 

Back to the passage. Jesus is teaching the leading priests and elders. I wonder if Matthew was critiquing James, the brother of Jesus, with this line, given that the Gospel was written after the destruction of the Temple.  By how did Jesus get this authority, which course had he done, where was his certificate? Jesus response is a little indirect. He starts talking about whether his friend John the Baptist’s authority came form heaven or humans. 

What a dilemma! 

If they say heaven, Jesus has them snookered – not a term you often read in the Bible – as they should have believed him totally if that was the case. If they say humans they’ll have lost all credibility. They even feel like they’ll be mobbed. Quite dramatic…given their status, or their perceived status.

Jesus goes on with a story about two sons who have a decision to make. Initially the eldest has a strop and sits on the ground and shouts Noooo but eventually calms down and goes off to do the work in the vineyard. The youngest one initially said Yes I will, but then walks off in the other direction.

Both may feel that they have implied status and shouldn’t have to do such work. Only the eldest, the one with Jewish privilege, finally sees that they go off to do what is required. 

Where did we start? Rearranging the stones

Jesus concludes that the Kingdom of God isn’t about status for even those who are corrupt tax collectors – quite harsh for the culture there Jesus – and prostitutes – he’s making his point clearly now – will enter before the people he is speaking to.  If we might look at others or even ourselves with a perspective of hierarchy then perhaps this passage is pushing us to think again. It’s time to stop rearranging the stone around us, and consider our perspective with others. What do you think?