Am I driving in reverse?

http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/092017.cfm
1 TM 3:14-16
LK 7:31-35

The interesting thing about disparaging words aren’t the words themselves, but the reverse gear of negativity altogether. What motivates a person to disparage folks they run into? Where are they coming from, and why do they feel so bent on finding fault with others?

More importantly, is that me? Am I the negative one, the whiny one, the all-time low nadir of conversation? 

“John the Baptist came neither eating food nor drinking wine, and you said, ‘He is possessed by a demon.’” Luke 7:33

The naysayer’s perspective on John the Baptist, as Jesus describes it, suggests the motivation for a wild man’s activities cannot be poverty and witness for good, but only as demon possession. To forgo drink and food means that someone is out of proper character. They cannot be in their right mind. Ergo, the devil has made them do it.

“The Son of Man came eating and drinking and you said, ‘Look, he is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.” Luke 7:34

Next, Jesus notes, some folks have determined that he also is going overboard, by not living the meager, poverty lifestyle expected of a rabbi, weirdly preferring that he act more like John the Baptist. The Son of Man blithely ignores both self-control and culturally appropriate relationships. He prefers sinners, who are those who live on the edges of the more proper elite society.

Since these supposed keen insights are coming from the same folks, Jesus says that the comments reflect a confused mindset. The complainers accost both John and Jesus for conflicting drinking and eating habits. John causes offense because he eats nothing. Jesus over imbibes, and exhibits poor character. Jesus says the evidence, however, points to the complainers as the offenders. 

The evidence that should confirm either corruption or demon possession isn’t in the food and drink, nor in the audiences of John and Jesus. These two men should be measured by their teaching and witness, and the actions of the community that follows them. Since they teach about the true God who forgives, and the eternal life that awaits the faithful believer there is no corruption in them. They witness to healing and new life, even in the face of death and persecution. They meet everyone with love and urgency to be filled with the Spirit of God.

The flip-flop perspectives by “the people of this generation” regarding food and drink — poverty is demonic, and eating is corrupt — reveals that the complainers are most likely unhappy with everyone. It’s not John the Baptist who’s possessed, or Jesus who’s morally corrupt. Negative ninnies are not satisfied with anyone. Their purpose in life is to find fault with others, positioning themselves first, as elites, secondly, as judges, and thirdly, as executioners. 

Jesus' description of the elitist character deficiency might well define us. Our focus as 21st Century citizens primarily revolves around proper, appropriate, and outward behaviors. We often look askance at those different from us. We are concerned with the ways of the world, according to our perspectives, because that’s what immediately concerns us. 

We may have lots of evidence about how great we are, but we’re kind of busy categorizing and stereotyping the folks we’ve just run into today. We don’t usually get back to our faithful following teaching and witnessing selves until later.

This is a perfect time to segue into politics and point out the negative ninnies whom we have put into elective office, or that our sorry sack of mud opponents voted into office. The ammunition is readily available to shoot holes into our various opposition party politicians, because we have moved into the high road position. We have bullet points, and scathing lists. Awful stuff piles up at the ready. We can cleanly pick off those we consider to be bad guys. They can’t withstand our volleys. Even when they do, we’ve got exceptionally titillating condemnations that should finish them off. 

In essence, we’ve got money, resources and influence, so we can certainly make these folks go away. That’s the focus of our worldly lives.

Except, all of that sounds exactly like the self-imposed actions of the very elitist, judge, and executioner Jesus just called out in Luke 7. Our use of privilege in money and power puts us into the wealthy and titled position of someone who doesn’t really have the right to behave that way.

If we, however, are poor slobs without any power or titles, we can affirm proudly that we are of insignificant position. We have only our voices as ammunition, and maybe a can of gasoline or two. There’s nothing elitist about calling out the wealthy as evil. We can justifiably judge them as robber barons. The right thing to do is take away the bulk of their assets. The more of us we get together, then we are a well-formed revolutionary band of anti-elitists. Then we can rise up and take the high ground as a communal group of judges and executioners.

Well, that’s actually kind of the same thing as the other elitists.

Such negative, judgmental behavior is like driving in reverse, taking a prosecutorial outlook upon others as our main means of communication. It’s a backwards choice, and improperly uses the design of a gearbox. In fact, moving forward includes at least three gears. Moving backwards is just one. You don’t drive to the grocery store in reverse. You don’t take a date to the prom in reverse. You don’t take a road trip heading down the highway in reverse.

The process of negativity makes us turn our heads and see things backwards, awkwardly navigating by traversing through crowds that run for the hills when we show up. Plus, we will crash a lot.

To heck with the backwards drivers, then, and those who don’t move forward. Jesus must also be talking about the person who holds up the line, who gets in everyone’s way. Worse, he’s talking about the duffer who doesn’t do a dad blamed thing to advance society and progress in its forward march to fix everything that’s broken in the world. They’re just as bad as the negative ninnies.

These losers and loafers and backward drivers should be … 

Hmmm. This conversation is headed right back to the direction of elitism, judgment and punishment. Dang. If we should not separate people into the good and bad, identifying the scoundrels, and cordoning off the corrupt, what do we do?

“Wisdom is vindicated by all her children,” Jesus concludes in Luke 7:35. The correct teaching that Jesus provides, Wisdom itself, is proven out by his followers. The proof of Jesus’ admonition to obey the Father, and walk in his Spirit, which is to walk in love, can be seen in the actions of the faithful. 

Complaining, judging, lifting ourselves above others, and careening ourselves backwards through a moving crowd does not align us to Wisdom. We are whom God has allowed us to be, regardless of race, gender, wealth, station, and so on.

Whether our walk leads us into prosperity or poverty, we are wealthy in the Spirit. Whether we are leaders or slaves, we are servants of God and heirs to the Kingdom. Whether rich in family, or orphaned and alone, we are brothers and sisters with God incarnate, Jesus the Christ. And, whether our lives are long and lovely, or short and burdensome, we will enjoy eternal life with God and each other.

Elite means nothing to God. Rather, we all belong to him. Judgment lies with God alone. Our duty is love and mercy. Execution must refer only to attending to what the Spirit asks us to do. We do not carry the staff of executioner. The angels will gather us according to our fealty to God at the end of our days here. This is not our job.

We need to hear the teaching and grasp hold of the witness of John and Jesus. We need to leave the disparaging words and complaining behind us, and shift our gears in the positive direction of Wisdom.

So, God bless you all. First gear.