Here’s a story I made up, but it’s similar to many true stories:
Pat worked for a company that was, as most companies are, very concerned with profit for this quarter. Pat’s supervisor told Pat to change the process used to make a product. Pat knew this would make the product dangerous. And so Pat had a choice:
Speak up and risk losing a job, or remain silent and risk harming customers.
What should pat do? Pat needs to pay rent and eat. But people could get hurt.
Let’s go to God in prayer.
God of wisdom, may the words that I speak, and the ways they are received by each of our hearts and minds, help us to continue to grow into the people, and the church, that you have dreamed us to be.
Amen.
You’ve probably heard “never answer a question with a question.” I don’t know that Jesus ever heard that aphorism. He often challenges those who challenge him.
The chief priests and elders challenge Jesus. They ask him “who gave you authority?” And instead of just answering the question — as he does in other situations — he asks them
“Did the baptism of John come from heaven, or was it of human origin?”
Matthew 21:25a, NRSVue
Their reaction tells you they’re more centered on politics than on theology.
“If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say to us, ‘Why, then, did you not believe him?’
But if we say, ‘Of human origin,’ we are afraid of the crowd, for all regard John as a prophet.”
Matthew 21:25b-26, NRSVue
They’re not concerned about what is true. They’re concerned with the consequences of their answer.
This is a problem for a lot of religious leaders today. There are pastors who feel called to stand for social issues, but are afraid of how their congregations will react.
I have heard faith leaders say
That’s important, but I don’t think it would fly in my congregation.
That’s how prejudices stay in communities of faith.
It’s a difficult place for leaders, and they will often hedge:
So they answered Jesus, “We do not know.”
Matthew 21:27a, NRSVue
That’s a missed opportunity.
And these leaders were also threatened by John the Baptist. He was pulling attention away from them. So they don’t want to give John any kind of endorsement, but they also don’t want to lose any followers.
And Jesus moves into a fairly simple parable:
A father asks his sons to do some work. One son says he will work, but doesn’t. The other son says he won’t work, but does.
Which son did what his father asked?
It should be pretty obvious that doing the work would be much more important than just agreeing to do the work. But Jesus is making a point:
Change is important for everyone, not just the tax collectors and sex workers.
Maybe the leaders have more to lose. Maybe that’s what makes it harder to change.
But as Jesus says in Matthew 16:26
For what will it profit them if they gain the whole world but forfeit their life?
Or what will they give in return for their life?
Matthew 16:26, NRSVue
Here’s the problem Pat has: a choice between their job and doing what’s right for others. As we read in Philippians 2:4
Let each of you look not to your own interests but to the interests of others.
Philippians 2:4, NRSVue
It’s a hard choice. It doesn’t mean we can’t feed ourselves, to seek time to rest and recover, but when our choices for ourselves harm others, we need to consider the harm we’re causing.
We see this in modern politics: politicians who are otherwise concerned with the needs of others will turn against various minorities out of expediency.
Sometimes it’s an actual turn, and they work against the rights of one or more groups, and do real harm to people.
Other times they may just say they’re against a group’s needs, hoping to switch back once they’re in office. But even speaking against justice encourages others to stand against justice.
The speech of leaders can be powerful. Imagine if the faith leaders speaking with Jesus had said John’s baptism came from heaven? They might have to answer “Why, then, did you not believe him?” But he would also encourage those who had been baptized by John.
So, as we learned from The Amazing Spiderman,
with great power there must also come — great responsibility!
Stan Lee, Amazing Fantasy #15, 1962
We all have some power and influence. We have the ability to speak to leaders, and the ability to speak to others around us. It can be scary. Things we say may cause tension between us and family or friends.
But my challenge this week is to notice the choices we have in our daily lives and when we are tempted to do what is profitable instead of what is honorable.
May we be at least as willing to do the hard work
as we are to agree to the hard work.
Amen
Let’s sing CH 659 What Does the Lord Require for Praise
* Scripture quotations marked NRSVue are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. https://www.friendshippress.org/pages/about-the-nrsvue
* Scripture quotations marked KJV are taken from the King James version of the Bible.
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