Ecclesiasticus 35.12-17, Luke 18.9-14
The Last Sunday after Trinity, Sunday 21 October 2016, Queen Camel 'Together at Ten'
How do privileged people talk about the unprivileged - and how do the unprivileged speak of themselves?
Listen now to a parable about exactly that thing.
Luke 18:9-14
9 Jesus also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and regarded others with contempt: 10 ‘Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax-collector. 11 The Pharisee, standing by himself, was praying thus, “God, I thank you that I am not like other people: thieves, rogues, adulterers, or even like this tax-collector. 12 I fast twice a week; I give a tenth of all my income.” 13 But the tax-collector, standing far off, would not even look up to heaven, but was beating his breast and saying, “God, be merciful to me, a sinner!” 14 I tell you, this man went down to his home justified rather than the other; for all who exalt themselves will be humbled, but all who humble themselves will be exalted.’ This is the gospel of the Lord….
How does a privileged person talk about the unprivileged - and how do the unprivileged speak of themselves?
How do we talk about poverty and wealth - how do we think about, how do we speak about the poor? It was clearly a live issue in Jesus’ time; it is a very live issue today.
VIEW Poverty, Money and Love: TED talk by Jessica Jackley, an American entrepreneur who is best known for co-founding Kiva and later ProFounder, two organizations that promote development through microloans. (Introduction, 4 mins).
How do we talk about poverty and wealth - how do we think about, how do we speak about the poor? In particular, how do we think about and speak about the poor close to home?
You notice in the parable, that there was a significant distance between the Pharisee and the tax-collector, they were ‘standing far off’ from each other. What happens when the distance shortens and we are brought face-to-face? Maybe that’s the best thing that can happen.
For Jessica Jackley, the problem of finding a good way outcome in facing these questions, came when she discovered the practice of microfinancing, which is in short the practice whereby individuals loan small amounts of money, called microloans, to entrepreneurs throughout the world, enabling people in developing countries to start up their own businesses, which will be very modest, very local, by our standards, but which make all the difference in their lives.
You notice in the parable, that the tax-collector knew he was in a bad situation, that he was flawed, in need of help. That’s the beginning of salvation of any sort. Imagine the parable retold so that the tax-collector, recognising his flawed nature, shortens the distance between himself and the Pharisee, approaches the Pharisee and asks the privileged man for help.
In our country Christians and others are getting involved with organisations whereby people who are struggling financially, with debt, are helped to overcome it.
a. CREDIT UNIONS - Peter Ebsworth speaking on the work of Wyvern Savings & Loans, for which he volunteers.
b. VIEW: Christians Against Poverty - Suzanne’s Story
Groups such as Christians Against Poverty work with the system as it is - and do a very good work indeed. But maybe it’s the system which is broken. Imagine Jesus retelling the parable like this:
‘Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax-collector. The Pharisee, who benefited from the taxation system in the land. He quietly fasted twice a week and generously but secretly tithed his income, saw a tax-collector standing far off, who would not even look up to heaven, but was beating his breast and saying, “God, be merciful to me, a sinner!” The tax-collector was in low-paid work which demanded that he took money from the poorest of his neighbours, and to survive he had to exploit his position, taking more than was required to make a profit for himself. The Pharisee approached him and said, “I see the position you’re in, caught between a rock and a hard place, hated by everyone for what you do. I’m just as much part of the same system you are in, but I benefit from the way things are. I’d like to help work with you to find a way out of this situation. I can try to help you, and together with others we can try to change the system itself.”
And so there are other groups in the UK, such as Church Action Against Poverty, which seek to give a voice to the poor in the wider, ongoing, debates about how the system could be reshaped to best meet the needs of all people. In a society where people want to play an active part, where everyone has a role to play, groups like these organise events like the Poverty Truth Commissions, where those on the hard end of UK poverty speak truth to power, and their slogan, ‘nothing about us, without us, is for us’, reflects the prevailing new mood. [1]
How do we talk about poverty and wealth - how do we think about, how do we speak about the poor? And what are the poor saying about themselves? It was clearly a live issue in Jesus’ time; it is a very live issue today. Let us give thanks that Jesus' parables help us to reflect on these live issues; let us embrace the possibilities on offer in these positively changing times.
Note
[1] Barry Knight, 'Whose Responsibility is Poverty?' in A Good Society Without Poverty, Webb Memorial Trust New Statesman Supplement, 21-27 October 2016. Downloadable here.
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