It was about seventy-five years after
the birth of Jesus, 40 years after his death. The Jewish temple had
been destroyed, and Christians throughout the empire were being
persecuted. Persecution didn't just mean being put to death; it also
appeared in the form of making Christians live on the margins. They
were excluded from the synagogues; they couldn't hold office in the
Roman empire, which employed people in all kinds of jobs; and in many
parts of the empire they could not own land or establish a business.
People who had actually known Jesus had mostly died, and even those
who had heard the apostles preach were getting old. Jesus had
promised that he would come again, and the people who had heard him
expected that to happen in their own lifetimes. It didn't seem as
though this promise was coming true. In the face of this, many
people had given up and gone back to their old ways – some to
Judaism, some to Roman paganism.
It was about that time, as far as we
can tell, that someone put together the Gospel of Luke. It's
probable that the writer had Mark's gospel in front of him, because
we can see much of Mark in Luke. And its probable that the author
had collections of stories by and about Jesus, passed by word of
mouth and then written down. And Luke set out to write the story of
Jesus, keeping in mind the people who he would be writing for – the
poor, the marginalized, the discouraged, the persecuted. You will
notice, if you read Luke's gospel, how his audience is always on his
mind, and our gospel today is a good example.
It is a warning and a promise. Jesus
assures them that they haven't been forgotten; that better times will
come. He tells the story of the vigilant servants, who are doing
what they are expected to do, but end up being waited upon by the
master himself. Then Jesus gives his apostles a warning; if you
assume the Master has been delayed or is not coming at all, and live
as as if this is what you believe, there will be a day of reckoning.
And Jesus adds one other thought; those who knew what the master
wanted will be punished much more than those who did not.
What do we make of this? How does it
apply to us? I think there is a hint in the second reading when we
remember our father in faith, Abraham. God had made many promises to
Abraham, and many had been fulfilled. He had wealth beyond measure.
He had been promised descendents as numerous as the stars in the sky,
and he had finally been given a son with Sarah, his legitimate wife.
And then God demanded that Abraham sacrifice his son. Sometimes
people can't understand how any father could sacrifice a child, let
alone Abraham who had literally walked with God. I don't even think
Abraham understood this. But Abraham had faith. His faith was based
on the fact that God had kept his promises so far. Abraham had
allowed Sarah to be taken into a king's harem because he knew that if
he were dead, the promise couldn't be fulfilled; God cursed the
king's land and Sarah was returned to Abraham. Then the two of them
decided that if Sarah was barren, maybe Abraham could have a child
with Sarah's slave. And he did, but God caused Sarah to demand that
she and her child be separated from Abraham. And finally after they
had decided to get out of God's way, the miracle happened; Sarah
became pregant and delivered Isaac. In view of his own experience,
Abraham expected nothing but good from this God who had promised to
spare the city of Sodom from destruction if even a handful of good
people could be found.
And that is Jesus' point as well. Look
back and see that God has always kept his promises. Even when people
put barriers in God's way, he still was faithful; that was the whole
story of the exiles when the Jews were cast out of their land by
other nations. The prophets reassured the people, the story isn't
over; you brought this on yourself by being unfaithful, but God will
find a way to keep his promise. And he did; he brought the Jews back
to their land.
The gospel writer is recalling for the
people something Jesus said, and a parable he told. Just because
things haven't happened as you expected them to doesn't mean we give
up on God; we know he will keep his promises, so don't give up, keep
working to bring about His kingdom; keep living expectantly, as if
God is right around the corner, as if Jesus will be coming again
tomorrow.
I'm depressed about our country. I'm
concerned about both presidential candidates. I don't think either
of them can begin to address the problems our country faces, both
internal and external. I suspect we will muddle through for the next
few years whatever happens, and then it won't concern me any more.
But my children and grandchildren will have to live in this world
which seems to be getting worse every day. It's refreshing to think
back to those early Christians who looked at their own future and
wondered what would become of them and their children? And from our
vantage point 2000 years later, we can see that God did keep his
promises; he did grow the Church; he did bring about the conversion
of the Roman empire; he did raise up great popes and bishops and
saints who continued to preach the message of the apostles; and yes,
there were ups and downs, setbacks and advances; but on the whole you
can see by looking back that God kept his promises and keeps his
promises, and our job is to trust God to make everything work out in
the best way possible. And our job is to keep on building the
kingdom of God in our families, our workplaces, and in our Church
community And then when our Lord comes again, we will not be found
wanting.
