To Whom Much Is Given--June 25, 2020

To Whom Much Is Given--June 25, 2020

[Jesus said:] "From everyone to whom much has been given, much will be required; and from the one to whom much has been entrusted, even more will be demanded." [Luke 12:48]

It's not hard to read Jesus' words or interpret his meaning.

It's not even controversial, I don't think, to accept the truth of what he is saying--as a general principle, about people in the abstract.

The hard part is taking an honest look at what I have been given--and then realizing my obligation to use what I have been given in ways that benefit more than just myself.  Once we start looking closely at how much of the good in our lives has been given to us, beyond our earning, we will have to do the difficult work of using that good for the sake of others.  And examining our lives that truthfully is like pulling at a loose thread: before long, we may discover that the imaginary versions of our selves as self-made success stories that we construct in our minds unravel before our eyes.

It's easy to say, "To whom much is given, much is required," as long as it's a proverb of general wisdom--you know, meant for "other people" to apply to their lives.  But it is uncomfortable to shine that light on myself and come to grips with how very <gulp> privileged I am... and then to see Jesus himself insist that I am required to use what I have been given, unearned, for the sake of others.  Indeed, I am required to use my platform and my resources to help others to have the same good things that have blessed my life.

In a sense, this is Jesus' version of the famous motto from Spider-Man comics and movies.  As Peter Parker's wise Uncle Ben teaches him, "With great power comes great responsibility."  Fans of the superhero know the story--how a newly spider-powered Peter Parker chooses not to use his super strength and reflexes to stop a robber, and that same criminal ends up murdering Uncle Ben.  Before he learns the consequences of his inaction, of course, Peter thinks he has no obligation to do the right thing, just because he has the powers to stop the crook.  "Why should I be bothered?  It's not my problem," he tells himself... only to see that, indeed, he bore a great responsibility because of his great power.

The thing I know that I need to acknowledge in my own life is that I still bear responsibility for how I use the advantages, gifts, and positions that are mine in this life, even if I didn't ask for them.  We like to tell ourselves that we're off the hook for how we use the things we had no choice in, because we didn't choose them.  We say things like, "I didn't choose to be born in America--you can't tell me that I have a responsibility to use my relative affluence and influence to help others!"  Or we say, "I didn't choose my skin color, or my native language, or the kind of family I was born into--you can't hold me accountable for how I use the advantages that those things gave me!"  Or any of a hundred different variations on Peter Parker's thick-headed declaration, "I don't have to help--it's not my problem."  We either don't want to acknowledge the advantages we have been given, or we don't want to acknowledge the obligation that comes with having them.

Jesus, however, insists that we see both.

I'll note here that this is not--AT ALL--about doing enough good deeds to earn a spot in heaven, or to make God love us, or to merit celestial rewards.  In fact, it's just the opposite.  It's about recognizing that free gifts call forth a response from us.  It's not, "Do enough good deeds and you'll get something from God," but rather, "Because you've been given so much already, what will you do with the position, the abilities, and the advantages in your hands?"

Now, acknowledging the ways I've been given a leg up in my life doesn't mean I haven't also had other areas of challenge or struggle or hard work. It just means being honest about how much of my life really has been given, and then calling me to be further honest about what I do with those things I have been given.  There are a lot of struggles I will never have to go through because of things like my gender, my skin color, my education level, and my nationality, and owning that means I have a responsibility to use the platforms I have for the sake of others, to consider how others are treated who do not have the same breaks I have had, and, yes, it means that I am called to use my voice, influence, ability, and resources to benefit people other than myself.  And where my advantages are not simply the result of random chance but the systems in which we all live, I bear responsibility for making those systems fair, just, and beneficial for all people... not just for me, or Me-and-My-Group-First.

That is never an easy undertaking.  I resist admitting how much I have been given, because I want to tell myself that everything good in my life is the result solely of my hard work, rather than things I was given.  But Jesus is determined to keep me honest, and that means he will keep being the voice holding me accountable, and forcing me to see where I have been given much... and therefore have much required of me.

And the reason that all of this is, to me, still good news, is that it's all about bringing one another more and more fully to life.  I am required to use my advantages, privileges, and platforms for the sake of helping my neighbor to be more fully themselves--more fully alive.  And they are called to use the things they have been uniquely given to help me to be more fully myself and more fully alive.  This isn't a competition or a guilt-trip--it's a sharing in grace.  I use my strengths for you.  You use yours for me.  Together, Christ is bringing us all more fully to life.

And honestly, that's the kind of life I want to be a part of.  That's a life worth living.  That's... the Reign of God.

Lord Jesus, help us to use what we have been given, and help us to be honest to see just how much of our selves that is.