AM
Psalm
55; PM Psalm 74; Lam. 2:1-9; 2 Cor. 1:23-2:11; Mark
12:1-11
“10Anyone whom you forgive, I also
forgive. What I have forgiven, if I have forgiven anything, has been for your
sake in the presence of Christ. 11And
we do this so that we may not be outwitted by Satan; for we are not ignorant of
his designs.” 2 Corinthians 1:23-2:11
The Epistle reading appointed for
today gives us a message of forgiveness, but it is surrounded by readings that
focus on punishment and vengeance. There
is a plea for vengeance in the Psalms (“you, O God, will cast them down
into the lowest pit; the bloodthirsty and treacherous shall not live out half
their days. - Psalm 55:23) and a reaction to vengeance in Lamentations (5
“The Lord has become like an enemy; he has destroyed Israel. He has destroyed all its palaces, laid in
ruins its strongholds, and multiplied in daughter Judah mourning and
lamentation.”) God’s vengeance and
punishment is directed not only to the enemies of Israel but also to the nation
of Israel when it had gone astray. This same vengeance characterizes the “owner of the vineyard” when the
tenants kill his heir in Mark’s Gospel.
He destroys them and gives the vineyard to others – (Mark 12:9). The vineyard owner is using the “tough love”
that Israel experienced back in the Exile and it is time for mourning and
lamentation.
The powerless heir is the most
troubling part of this parable for me.
He is simply a silent victim. The
tenants recognize him, seize him, kill him, and throw him out of the
vineyard. So how does the rejected stone
become the cornerstone?
Look now to 2Corinthians, verse 10
– “What I have forgiven, if I have
forgiven anything, has been for your sake in the presence of Christ.”
Paul is drawing on his imitation of
Christ in order to practice forgiveness.
He didn’t get that example of forgiveness from the vineyard owner or his
heir. And he certainly didn’t get it
from Psalm 55 or Lamentations. When we
(and Paul) reflect on the story of the tenants in the vineyard, we see the
crucified Christ. We know that the heir
was mostly silent when he was seized and killed, but not altogether
silent. He spoke some of the most moving
words of forgiveness that we will ever hear:
“Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.” (Luke 23:34).
The heir had lived among the tenants for a while, and he knew the hold
that death and fear had on their lives.
He understood them and he had compassion for them.
11”And we do this so that we may not be outwitted by Satan;
for we are not ignorant of his designs.”
How frustrating our own
stubbornness is to us. How exasperating
it is when we respond to our fears by lashing out at others. I’m insecure, so I attack. Where is Christ’s presence in that? I’m afraid there is more “Satan” than
“Christ” in that design, and I am easily and often outwitted by it. Jesus knew this. He lived with it. He saw the power that fear has over us and
how strong that presence is in our world.
And he tells us again and again, “Do not be afraid.”
~Sue Bastardo
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