Luke 16:19-31
Translated by Katja Kupari
When I arrived in Seattle a year ago, getting from point a to
point b was difficult at first. Although we had a printed
Mapquest map in the car, we often missed the right exit or
passed the intersection we should have turned at. A familiar
feeling to all drivers sometimes, ’I should’ve taken a right
there’.
Luckily it is often easy to fix a wrong turn; there will be
another intersection you can turn at and take a little detour.
It takes more time, but you will make it to your destination.
But it can happen where the driver gets lost, there are no more
intersections to turn at and he doesn’t reach his destination.
Life is full of choices and chances. You can also say, with
the harmful 20/20 hindsight; "had I known that, I never would’ve
bought the product, or had I waited another year and sold my
house at a higher price I’d have it made now".
If only we could rewind to those moments when another choice
would have been wiser.
But on the other hand, maybe it was meant to be, maybe that
particular event or stage of life had a definitive meaning,
although it was not clear to me yet. My previous supervisor, the
former vicar of Ylöjärvi, Antsu Honkkila used to say "life never
goes wrong" and said with his experience, it has affected me in
my own choices.
But naturally it also has an effect on us how we use our time
and grasp the choices that we encounter. At the traffic lights
and intersections of life we may sometimes have to pay a heavy
price if we do not read the map accurately or rely on our own
infallibility. By the way, did you know that 80% of Finns
consider themselves better-than-average drivers!
Today’s Gospel talks about the big choices in life, times of
searching and finding yourself and the chances God gives humans
to save them. It is a story which again entails a parable to
Jesus’ listeners.
This story is considered a strong
depiction of social and financial
inequality, which coincides well with Jesus’ teachings, to see and
face Christ in the poor, sick and
prisoners (Matthew 25:1-46)
The same theme continues elsewhere in the New Testament:"17If
anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but
has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him?" ( 1 John
3:17)
This portrayal of time of the inequality of humans at the Sea
of Galilee 2,000 years ago has only gained strength when you
look at the current global division into rich and developed
countries and less developed countries and constant famine. But
there are many injustices at local grass root level of rich
developed countries, and there aren’t many countries in the
world where homeless and hungry Lazarus would not still lie on
the streets.
However, it’s not doing justice to Jesus’ parable if it’s
left at the description and challenge to close up the
immeasurable gap between poverty and wealth. Again, Jesus’
parable is foremost directed to those, who did not receive Jesus
as the Messiah of the Scripture, as the one anointed by God.
Moses and the prophets were earlier on the same mission from
God than Jesus. As a matter of fact they referred to the coming
time, to the redeemer and saviour of Israel and the whole world,
Jesus. The Message of God’s Kingdom, that begun to have an
effect in Jesus’ actions, had divided the nation in two. Using
his stories and parables Jesus showed the religious leaders in a
simple way that they were still in power, but that because they
did not follow the king who will have all the power on heaven
and earth, they had chosen their own path that leads to
damnation.
The story is not so much a light and superficial, "just for
fun" story, but very serious, oncoming and personal. What if I
lose the time and chances given by God?
As a young boy I remember seeing the billboards "Jesus is
coming, are you ready?" Many passersby experienced more fear
than excitement over the ad and the billboards often did not
increase the will to join a congregation.
I also remember visiting preachers in my home town during the
70s revival-movement and how they could frighten with nearing
end-times and eternal damnation. No wonder that fear of
damnation as a motive to find God has proved to be a short-lived
motive for many and for some even a traumatic experience.
In Jesus’ preachings there is no frightening. When he calls
humans to join him, it is Fatherly love that he is inviting us
into. Like John's letter says: "God is love. Whoever lives in
love lives in God, and God in him. 17In this way, love is made
complete among us so that we will have confidence on the Day of
Judgment, because in this world we are like him. 18There is no
fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has
to do with punishment." (1 John 4.16-18)
Sometimes this big picture may be lost in the currents and
turbulences of time, and something else more fashionable,
absolutely humane and beautiful is chosen as an object of faith,
but this other object is missing eternal perspective and
Christian message of salvation.
But God does not want to be apart from those He has created,
He doesn’t want humans to be lost, not now nor forever. It is
humans alone who have chosen their ways, the ways that lead them
to doom, and also the way if they want to live apart from God.
It is God’s will that everyone will find salvation, like the
word promises: "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will
be saved."Romans 10;13 And Paul preaches about finding grace:
"we urge you not to receive God's grace in vain. 2For he
says, "In the time of my favor I heard you,
and in the day of salvation I helped you."[a] I tell
you, now is the time of God's favor, now is the day of
salvation." (2 Corinthians 6:1-2).
God’s timetable and chances are chances of mercy and love.
They do no cease, not even when we make mistakes, when we pass
the intersection and have to take the detour back. Sometimes
what is considered the end of human chances, is only the
beginning of God's chances.
God calls you and is merciful. When we understand and trust
in his love and do not reject God’s mercy, we have grabbed onto
his time and chances and may travel already in this time towards
that perfect, heavenly home that Jesus has prepared for his own.
