A Good Reputation Counts (Mk 8:27-35; Lk 9:18-22; Mt 16:13-15)

 

Reputation is an important feature of our lives.  Our reputation is the perception others have of us, rather than how we see ourselves.  It follows that our reputation depends on, and is determined by, what we say and do.  It serves as a kind of social currency used in many different contexts (Milinski, 2015).  Our reputation provides a way for others to decide about our trustworthiness and to predict our behavior.  A good reputation opens doors, while a bad one closes them. 

No wonder Jesus asks his disciples about his own reputation.  His first question—Who do people say that I am—is easy enough to answer.  The disciples had seen the large crowds gather as Jesus went around teaching his message of love and salvation.  They saw his deep concern for the poor and the oppressed, and how he included sinners and outcasts in his inner circle of friends.  They were there the many times Jesus challenged the cruel hypocrisy of the Pharisees.  By now, the disciples had witnessed Jesus heal many people, forgive their sins, walk on water, drive out demons, and raise the dead to life.  So, why would Jesus ask a question the disciples could answer with ease? 

The question is easy to answer because it does not require the disciples to reveal anything about what they personally feel and believe about Jesus.  Nor does this question call for a commitment on their part to Jesus or to his way of life.  The question simply requires the disciples to repeat what others have said about Jesus, and not much else.  Their answer is much like reporting the results of a survey or political poll.   

In a sense, this first question serves as prelude to the next question that will be harder to answer because it calls for something more substantial.  The second question—who do YOU say that I am—compels a choice.  The question itself creates a decisive moment beyond which the disciples can no longer remain aloof.  They must decide right then and there what they personally think and believe about Jesus.  In other words, the question calls for a commitment. 

For that reason, how the disciples answer will determine both their future relationship with Jesus, and who they are in relation to him.  Jesus knows that his time with the disciples is nearing an end.  For that reason, they must decide once and for all who they believe Jesus is and how they will relate to him.  They must decide what Jesus means to them.

Jesus asks the disciples these two questions while times are good to prepare them for the bad times ahead.  Later, the disciples will have no time for reflection about such questions.  With these two questions, Jesus tries to convey the urgency of Isaiah’s warning, “Seek the LORD while he may be found, call him while he is near” (Is 55:6).  Jesus knows that his disciples will need to rely on more than what others say about Him.  The disciples will need a personal commitment to Jesus and solid faith in him, and in each other, to overcome the violence and threats to life and limb that are about to unfold.

Jesus asks the same two questions of us for the same reasons.  The answer to the first question may be easy enough for us to answer as it was for those first disciples.  Our answer to the second question, however, is as challenging and revealing for us as it was for the early disciples.  It is not enough for us to repeat what others say about Jesus.  Our answer to the second question reveals who we believe Jesus is, and who we believe we are in relation to him and to each other.  It is a question that we cannot avoid answering, no matter how or when we choose to formalize our answer.

Jesus indicates his expectations regarding our answer when he teaches his disciples the Lord’s Prayer.  With this prayer, Jesus provides a framework for how we are to conduct ourselves in our relationship with him, with God, and with each other.  To say “Our Father” is to acknowledge and proclaim first and foremost that we are all children of God.  We all belong to the same spiritual family in and through Jesus Christ, with an equal relationship to one another.  We are all equally loved by God, the apple of his eye, without exception and without exclusion (Zech 2:12; Ps 17:8). 

In turn, Jesus expects us to live out this spiritual unity by loving God and loving others with trust and faith.  There is no better way to answer the second question, who do you say that I am, than by expressing our belief in this divine unity of love.  No other answer will give us a better reputation.

God or Mammon? The Choice is Ours (Lk 16:1-13)

 

Jesus teaches us through parables.  The beauty of the parables is that they are timeless, and for that reason, can help us in our troubled times today and in our personal lives.  Through his parables, Jesus wants us to keep our eyes on him.  To that end, he allows us to connect the dots and tease out the hidden meaning in his parables.  He provides clues along the way, for sure, but the motive of the main characters is often key in discovering the real point of the story.  The parable about the dishonest steward follows this pattern.

The story provides a detailed description of how the disreputable steward saves his own skin through clever manipulation and exploitation of his master’s wealth.  That much is obvious.  Then, Jesus surprises us with an unexpected conclusion to the story.   When the master finds out what the steward has done, he praises the steward’s unscrupulous behavior. 

Equally surprising is the lesson Jesus claims the parable offers.  Rather than warning against imitating the dishonest behavior of the steward, Jesus encourages the children of the light to be as clever with dishonest wealth.  He claims that doing so is a means of proving themselves trustworthy with true wealth!  All of which leads to the unexpected conclusion that we cannot serve two masters, God and mammon.  Jesus leaves the choice to us. 

With this parable, Jesus shows how the commandments and the whole Mosaic Law can be interpreted and applied in ways that go beyond the obvious.  The underlying reference point for this story, for example, is the first of the Ten Commandments: “There shall be no foreign god among you; you shall not bow down to an alien god” (Ps 81: 10-11).  During the time of Jesus, there were many Roman and Greek gods available for the ancient Hebrews to serve.  Thus, on one level, the point of the story is obvious: “No one can serve two gods…You cannot serve both God and mammon” (Lk 16:13).

On a deeper level, however, Jesus uses the word mammon to take the parable a step further.  Mammon has a comprehensive, worldly meaning as valid today as it was back then.  Mammon includes more than just money.  It includes the many things of this world that produce a sense of security—not only our material wealth, but also our status, our power, our control.  Thus, on a deeper level, the implication of the parable is that, if we take our eyes off Jesus, we risk turning anything into a god.  This is why he urges us to be clever with dishonest wealth.  We must be on guard not only with our money, but with all the things of this world. 

The question for us today, then, is how to use the things of this world in a spiritually wise manner?  Which master do we serve?  This is a question each of us must answer.  Whichever one we choose, Jesus shows us through his life and mission that our calling is to serve the God of love, mercy, and justice (Lk 6:36).  To that end, the prophet Isaiah urges us not to turn our backs on those in need (Is 58:7-10). 

There is a passage in the first letter of Timothy that makes this point in a very clear and powerful manner.  Timothy says in his letter: “Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant or put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.  Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share.”  For Timothy, this is how we prepare ourselves to take hold of the life that is truly life (1 Tim 6:17-19).  Timothy encourages us to grow rich with good deeds done, if for no other reason, than as a show of gratitude for what God has done for each of us. 

Timothy’s advice reminds us that Jesus called the people of his day—as much as he calls us—to follow the wisdom of God, not the wisdom of the world (1 Cor 2:4-6).  Doing so is a matter of living in a vibrant, dynamic, trusting relationship with God.  Such a way of life gives mercy and compassion priority over ritual and custom as a guide for the right road.  The stories of Jesus always point to the God of Love as the master to serve. 

And, because Jesus loves us, he allows us to choose our own response, hoping we will choose wisely. 

 

 

Which is the Right Road? (Lk 6:39-42)

 

The blind leading the blind is a catchphrase that we learn early on because it applies in so many areas of life.  It actually comes from the New Testament (cf. Lk 6:39; Mt 15:14).  Jesus himself used this idiom to warn about the dangers of being led astray by incompetent spiritual leaders.  Jesus warned against those who do not know which is the right spiritual road.  Thus they go down the wrong path and take many others with them.  The only way to avoid that spiritual pitfall, according to Jesus, is to know for ourselves which is the right road.  As Jesus puts it, “Remove the wooden beam from your eye first; then you will see clearly to remove the splinter in your brother’s eye” (Lk 6:42).

This raises what can be a difficult question of how to know when we are on the right spiritual road; how do we remove the log from our own eye?  The difficulty is apparent in light of the way our culture places high value on the pursuit of self-interest, at times even at the expense of our neighbor.  Adding to the difficulty is the idea that we always pursue that which we value most as a matter of individual choice.  In that case, we can tell whether we are on the right spiritual road by first acknowledging the end that we pursue.  Then, a consideration of the end that we ought to pursue will provide the answer we seek (1 Jn 4:1).  As Jesus would say, “where your treasure is, there also will your heart be” (Mt 6:21). 

The answer that emerges from our comparison will show that not just any road will do.  Not all roads are right roads (Prov 14:12).  Jesus himself warns us that “False messiahs and false prophets” operate in the world so as to deceive even the devout (Mt 24:24).  The right spiritual road for the most part depends on the beliefs and hopes that we hold dear.  In other words, it depends on what we love.  This is why Jesus points out that our love for God goes hand in hand with love for our neighbor, including our enemies. 

We cannot hate our neighbor and love God.  In fact, our faith and hope compel us to express our love for God with love for our neighbor (1 Jn 4:20-21).  Although like the good Samaritan, we each determine how and when to love our neighbor, such love is what we take with us when we pass from this life to the next (1 Cor 13:13).  The love that we keep and nurture in our hearts for God, for our neighbor, and ourselves is the gift that we keep and take with us to the other side (1 Cor 13:13; Mt 10:13).  This is the mystery of love.

We might say that faith in the mystery of love binds us to Christ and to one another in a unique way.  For this reason, we celebrate the great mystery of love in our Eucharistic celebration.  In turn, our celebration enables and empowers us to bring the love of Christ to others in our daily lives.  Our acts of love reveal the meaning of this great mystery.  As followers of Christ, our Eucharistic celebration is truly a sending out into the world because it connects our earthly life to the heavenly realities promised by our Lord. 

Not everyone is open to this message, however.  The spiritually blind refuse to see the truth of what Jesus proclaims.  Those who do accept his message and act on it are people of good will.  A person of good will has the mindset of serving others with an active regard for their benefit and welfare.  This is the example of service that Jesus gave us as a guidepost for finding and following the right spiritual road.  We do well in taking to heart his good counsel, for the road of loving service leads to our eternal treasure.