There is a whole lot of righteous anger going on in our Bible readings today. Did you notice? Jonah is angry…angry enough to die, he says… because God forgives the people of Ninevah. Admittedly, the people of Ninevah have been horrifically evil…along the lines of what is happening to the Rohingya people in Myanmar. And along the lines of what happened to the Jews in Nazi Germany. And along the lines of what happened to the Native Americans when white folks moved across our own country. Tales of the Ninevite army’s activities included chariots dragging babies by ropes through the street and rampant rape and murder and desecration. It’s not surprising that Jonah believes they deserve to burn…that they NEED to burn. And so, when they repent, when they actually acknowledge the awful things that have been done by them and in their name…and then God forgives them and spares them…being merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and all that…. Jonah is ticked. Righteously angry. And he’d rather die than watch the kind of horrific injustice these people have inflicted go unpunished. He’s not the only person to feel that way, I’m guessing.
And then in our gospel…we have the righteous anger of those who have worked all day in the hot sun…and then have to stand by and watch as those who have worked only and hour or two get the very same wages as they do. If that doesn’t make you bristle…if that doesn’t get your righteous indignation going…nothing will. It is distinctly unfair.
These stories do not introduce us to something new or unfamiliar. I think most human beings recognize themselves in Jonah and in the ones who have worked all day in the heat…we all have experienced that righteous anger. That resentment. That bitterness. Whether we resent people who get benefits that they don’t seem to deserve. Or whether we see people who have done great evil…and seemingly get away with it. We’re right there, fuming at the unfairness of it all. And it seems, as humans, we have an innate sense of “fairness”. We aren’t very old before we start to care deeply whether we get our fair share of the dessert. Or whether everybody is doing their fair share of the chores. Or whether our younger siblings are getting away with behavior mom and dad would never let us get away with.
But here’s the problem. Just as surely as that sense of fairness and justice are wired into us…so is our propensity to sin….our greediness that wants the biggest piece of that pie for ourselves, and our natural inclination see just how much or how little we can get away with. We are hardwired, it seems…both for sin…and for justice. Odd, isn’t it?
So here’s my question — when you hear these stories…how many of you assume you are Jonah, who watches others get second chances they don’t deserve? And how many of you assume you were the one who, of course, showed up for work at 6am, and worked your butt off to earn your daily wage…to get what you deserve? I always assume that’s me.
But I think the truth about these stories…is that we think we are Jonah…but really, we are the Ninevites. And we pat ourselves on the back and assume we are the workers who have been at it since 6am…but the truth is, we are the ones who show up at the last hour. We have a tendency at times to think that we are the ones who deserve God’s grace, God’s love, God’s mercy….while others do not.
But then, it is our very resentment, our bitterness, that makes us unable to receive with gladness the wondrous gifts of God.
I heard someone say once that heaven is for everyone….but to some, it will feel like hell because they will be so angry about all the people they have to share it with who don’t deserve it. We are tempted to think we can decide the limits of God’s love and mercy or determine the makeup of God’s family. Because the truth is, the whole earth is God’s and the fullness thereof…including the Ninevites.
And all of us..Jonah and the Ninevites, the workers who show up at all hours of the day…are desperately in need of God’s grace. Just when we think we have it all together…or should have it all together… our hardwiring betrays us. Each of us knows the darkness in our own hearts that creeps up on us….our pettiness. Our resentments. Our laziness. Our anger. Our greed. Our self-absorption. Our lusts. Our addictions. Our tempers. Our cruel words. Our callous indifference. Our jealousies. Our despair. We all get this life thing wrong…over and over again.
But then, here’s the good news. God shows up where we are…merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and all that…to claim us. As we are. Yes.. this is the good news…God gives us all the forgiveness and hope and promise and love that God has….whatever the time of day or circumstances of our life. God is generous. When we deserve it and when we don’t. You know, those 6 am workers may have been bitter…but just think of the shock of the last hour workers…their disbelief,as they were overwhelmed by undeserved kindness.
This year, we’re remembering the 500th anniversary of the Reformation…and this parable from Matthew is one that was at the heart of Luther’s critique of the way indulgences were being used in the church during his time. You see, at that time, for those who hadn’t earned enough of God’s forgiveness and mercy on their own merit…the church allowed them to “buy” some of the merit that the saints of the church had earned…so they could apply it to their account. Luther read a parable like this…and said “hold on a minute!”. Because clearly God wasn’t concerned about how much time or merit the workers had accumulated… God was just interested in giving them all the generous grace that they needed for the day.
And that was the good news that transformed Luther…who was all too aware of his sinful hardwiring, and never felt he could possibly be good enough to deserve God’s grace. The good news is that God is not interested in your tally sheet of how good or bad you were this week. God is not interested in what you deserve or don’t deserve. God just wants to give YOU the grace you need to live. God just wants to give you the love you need to really live. God just wants to capture you in God’s arms and enfold you with mercy and kindness…and invite you to live …a life shared with the one who made you…who adores you…and who knows that you are more than some balance sheet of good works and sin. You are a holy child of God. I only hope that the ludicrously unjust generosity of God’s love for you might shock you and take your breath away at that moment you need it most and deserve it least. May you know the grace of God for you…whatever the time of day, or the sin you have to confess. May you know the good news…you are enough. Amen.
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