Living by Faith and Generosity

If we take all of our Scripture readings together and reflect on them as a unit we may conclude that they are about the contrast between our own selfish needs and desires for security and God’s generosity, love, and what it means to be justified by faith.  Our reading from the First Book of Kings is about selfish need and security; the Gospel is about forgiveness and generosity, and the Epistle from Galatians is about justification by faith in Jesus Christ.

In our reading from the First Book of Kings, Ahab, the king of Samaria, wanted a vineyard that was right next to his palace and belonged to his neighbor Naboth in an area called Jezreel.  Ahab thought it would make a good vegetable garden so he offered to give Naboth a better vineyard in exchange for it, or, if that wasn’t acceptable, he was willing to buy it for a price equal to its value.

In response, Naboth rejected Ahab’s offer because his vineyard was part of his ancestral inheritance.  It would be wrong to sell it or exchange it for another vineyard.

As the story unfolds, we realize that King Ahab is entitled and selfish.  He doesn’t get his way so he feels depressed, resentful and sullen.  He reacts by going to bed, burying his face in a pillow and refusing to eat.  It is like a little boy who doesn’t get his way.  Upon seeing this his wife Jezebel asked Ahab why he was so depressed.  Ahab related what happened and she replied by saying he is the King and deserves to have what he wants.  She said, “I will help you get Naboth’s vineyard.”

Jezebel then arranged a plot whereby a couple of scoundrels in Naboth’s city brought a public charge against him by accusing him of cursing God.  Taking the Lord’s name in vain was a serious charge, punishable by death.  So Naboth was taken and stoned to death.  When he learned about Naboth’s death, King Ahab went to Naboth’s vineyard to take possession of it and claim it as his own.

Had the story ended here we would feel that a terrible injustice had been done.  Having someone killed for personal gain is a travesty of justice. There had to be an investigation.  And, in effect, that is what happened.

The word of the Lord came to the prophet Elijah who was directed to go and meet King Ahab and say to him, "Thus says the LORD: In the place where dogs licked up the blood of Naboth, dogs will also lick up your blood.  Because you have sold yourself to do what is evil in the sight of the LORD, I will bring disaster on you."

Our second story comes from the Gospel of Luke.  It is about a sinful woman who showed up at a dinner party Jesus was having in a Pharisee’s house.  She brought with her an alabaster jar of ointment, stood behind Jesus, wept, and began bathing his feet with her tears and then drying them with her hair.  Then she anointed his feet with the ointment. 

The Pharisee host, Simon, told Jesus that the woman was a sinner.  She was nameless and certainly someone not to be bothered with in the patriarchal society of the time.  Jesus replied by telling a parable about two debtors who owed different sums of money to the same creditor.  The creditor forgave the debts when he learned they could not pay.  Then Jesus asked Simon, “Now which of them will love him more?”  Simon replied that it is likely the one who owed the most.

Jesus then accused his host of not providing common hospitality for him when he entered his house.  “You gave me no water for my feet…. You gave me no kiss…. You did not anoint my head with oil.”  The sinful woman did all of this and more; she even “anointed my feet with ointment.”  Then, turning to the woman, Jesus said, “Your sins are forgiven…. Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”

This story is a wonderful and generous expression of grace and mercy.  The woman’s sin is never identified.  Jesus was impressed by her love and concern for him, and he responded by expressing gratitude and forgiveness.

These two stories are, in a sense, interpreted by Paul’s writing in his Epistle to the Galatians.  What is inferred by Paul in his letter is that justification by observing the law is not sufficient for those who follow Christ.  Paul writes, “We ourselves are Jews by birth and not Gentile sinners; yet we know that a person is justified not by the works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ…. The life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.  I do not nullify the grace of God; for if justification comes through the law, then Christ died for nothing.”

In commenting on this passage the Biblical scholar Walter Brueggemann says, “Paul offers a classic statement about an alternative life that is lived out of God’s limitless generosity, for which we use the term ‘grace’….  All of these texts witness to the summons put before us by the gospel—a choice between self-securing that brings death or reliance upon God’s generosity.”

The message for you and me is clear.  Are we selfish and legalistic, seeking our own sense of security, or are we committed to living lives characterized by generosity, love and forgiveness?  As we prayed in today’s Collect, through God’s grace may we proclaim truth with boldness, and minister God’s justice with compassion.  Amen.