Today’s Gospel November 13, 2011 - The Haves and the Have-nots.

῞Ωσπερ γὰρ ἄνθρωπος ἀποδημῶν ἐκάλεσε τοὺς ἰδίους δούλους καὶ παρέδωκεν αὐτοῖς τὰ ὑπάρχοντα αὐτοῦ, 15 καὶ ᾧ μὲν ἔδωκε πέντε τάλαντα, ᾧ δὲ δύο, ᾧ δὲ ἕν, ἑκάστῳ κατὰ τὴν ἰδίαν δύναμιν, καὶ ἀπεδήμησεν εὐθέως. 16 πορευθεὶς δὲ ὁ τὰ πέντε τάλαντα λαβὼν εἰργάσατο ἐν αὐτοῖς καὶ ἐποίησεν ἄλλα πέντε τάλαντα. 17 ὡσαύτως καὶ ὁ τὰ δύο ἐκέρδησε καὶ αὐτὸς ἄλλα δύο. 18 ὁ δὲ τὸ ἓν λαβὼν ἀπελθὼν ὤρυξεν ἐν τῇ γῇ καὶ ἀπέκρυψε τὸ ἀργύριον τοῦ κυρίου αὐτοῦ. 19 μετὰ δὲ χρόνον πολὺν ἔρχεται ὁ κύριος τῶν δούλων ἐκείνων καὶ συναίρει μετ᾿ αὐτῶν λόγον. 20 καὶ προσελθὼν ὁ τὰ πέντε τάλαντα λαβὼν προσήνεγκεν ἄλλα πέντε τάλαντα λέγων· κύριε, πέντε τάλαντά μοι παρέδωκας· ἴδε ἄλλα πέντε τάλαντα ἐκέρδησα ἐπ᾿ αὐτοῖς. 21 ἔφη αὐτῷ ὁ κύριος αὐτοῦ· εὖ, δοῦλε ἀγαθὲ καὶ πιστέ! ἐπὶ ὀλίγα ἦς πιστός, ἐπὶ πολλῶν σε καταστήσω· εἴσελθε εἰς τὴν χαρὰν τοῦ κυρίου σου. 22 προσελθὼν δὲ καὶ ὁ τὰ δύο τάλαντα λαβὼν εἶπε· κύριε, δύο τάλαντά μοι παρέδωκας· ἴδε ἄλλα δύο τάλαντα ἐκέρδησα ἐπ᾿ αὐτοῖς. 23 ἔφη αὐτῷ ὁ κύριος αὐτοῦ· εὖ, δοῦλε ἀγαθὲ καὶ πιστέ! ἐπὶ ὀλίγα ἦς πιστός, ἐπὶ πολλῶν σε καταστήσω· εἴσελθε εἰς τὴν χαρὰν τοῦ κυρίου σου. 24 προσελθὼν δὲ καὶ ὁ τὸ ἓν τάλαντον εἰληφὼς εἶπε· κύριε· ἔγνων σε ὅτι σκληρὸς εἶ ἄνθρωπος, θερίζων ὅπου οὐκ ἔσπειρας καὶ συνάγων ὅθεν οὐ διεσκόρπισας· 25 καὶ φοβηθεὶς ἀπελθὼν ἔκρυψα τὸ τάλαντόν σου ἐν τῇ γῇ· ἴδε ἔχεις τὸ σόν. 26 ἀποκριθεὶς δὲ ὁ κύριος αὐτοῦ εἶπεν αὐτῷ· πονηρὲ δοῦλε καὶ ὀκνηρέ! ᾔδεις ὅτι θερίζω ὅπου οὐκ ἔσπειρα καὶ συνάγω ὅθεν οὐ διεσκόρπισα! 27 ἔδει οὖν σε βαλεῖν τὸ ἀργύριόν μου τοῖς τραπεζίταις, καὶ ἐλθὼν ἐγὼ ἐκομισάμην ἂν τὸ ἐμὸν σὺν τόκῳ. 28 ἄρατε οὖν ἀπ᾿ αὐτοῦ τὸ τάλαντον καὶ δότε τῷ ἔχοντι τὰ δέκα τάλαντα. 29 τῷ γὰρ ἔχοντι παντὶ δοθήσεται καὶ περισσευθήσεται, ἀπὸ δὲ τοῦ μὴ ἔχοντος καὶ ὃ ἔχει ἀρθήσεται ἀπ᾿ αὐτοῦ. 30 καὶ τὸν ἀχρεῖον δοῦλον ἐκβάλετε εἰς τὸ σκότος τὸ ἐξώτερον· ἐκεῖ ἔσται ὁ κλαυθμὸς καὶ ὁ βρυγμὸς τῶν ὀδόντων. - Matthew 25:14-30

When a Philosopher reads the Gospel, it sets him/her to wondering, after all Aristotle told us Philosophy begins with wonder.  What is the message that one ought to extract from the lesson?  Jesus taught in parables so that the masses of the people, no matter how educated they were, would get the point.  So every parable it seems has a point to make and everyone ought to be able to get the point.  I’ve heard many sermons from a wide variety of Preachers on today’s lesson, giving widely differing interpretations of this parable, ranging from putting your money in the bank, to justifications of a surplus of wealth.  Some have even played on the double meaning of the word talent.  Since I am one of those who buried his talents and abilities for a long time, I found that sermon disturbing.  I guess one squirms in one’s seat, when the preacher seems to speak directly to/about one’s own faults.

When one considers the contentious times we live in, the vast difference between some of our society over others, the incredible income disparity of our nation as well as other nations the world over, one cannot help but wonder about this lesson.   Just what exactly does the punch line say?  Like a joke every parable has a punch line and the one in today’s lesson is rather disturbing.  It is disturbing, because to those of us on the bottom of the social ladder, it seems horribly unfair, that those who have will get more and those who have-not will be thrown out into the darkness. (καὶ τὸν ἀχρεῖον δοῦλον ἐκβάλετε εἰς τὸ σκότος τὸ ἐξώτερον·) The rich do get richer it seems, τῷ γὰρ ἔχοντι παντὶ δοθήσεται καὶ περισσευθήσεται, ἀπὸ δὲ τοῦ μὴ ἔχοντος καὶ ὃ ἔχει ἀρθήσεται ἀπ᾿ αὐτοῦ.  It seems to be the story of our economy today doesn’t it, those who have will have more and a surplus of what they have at that, while those who have-not will have even what little they have taken away.  The philosopher in me wonders, if that is not what the recent occupy movements are about and what will happen to those who participate in them.  Will they be thrown out into the darkness?  Are those who have-not really worthless slaves/serfs?

While I can be in no way considered poor, my income for my work is so little, it is a joke, while some of my friends enjoy an income perhaps fifty fold my income. I work for love - the philo of Philosophy.  When it comes to moving the economy out of recession, it is clear that disposable income plays a large role in recovery.  If a person has more disposable income he/she tends to spend more, increasing the need for product and creators of product.  One should not be deluded by the political rhetoric, wealth in itself does not create jobs, but disposable income does, by creating demand (something to do with the “disposable” of one’s income). One should be assured that the worker creates product, capital does not, capital creates the conditions for the possibility of work and hence product.  If one lacks disposable income, as many do today, one cannot do anything but use the income on essentials, and if fortunate, maintain one’s status quo.  But one also realizes that the little one has can easily be gobbled up by inflation, so that for those who have-not, even what little they do have may be taken away (if one believes the rhetoric that we have little or no inflation, I invite him/her to go and purchase groceries and compare the receipt to one of a few years ago).  Clearly disposable income spent within the economy reverberates through the economy, while those who have and if the surplus they have is sacked away (perhaps off shore) do little, if anything, for the economy and or the general good.  The trillions of cash held by corporate entities and unused in the economy is a national disgrace.

Perhaps if the writer of Matthew had omitted verse 29, the wealthy might not be so quick to justify their abundance.  Perhaps the have-nots would not be so quick to see that the rich do in fact get richer, and they who have-not, even the little they do possess has eroded over time.  Besides when there are no jobs and layoffs are the order of the day, it does no good to tell those who don’t have a job, to “GET A JOB!”  They should and they certainly would, if they could.  My friend yesterday over a quick cup of coffee told me that we who have are quick to judge and feel superior over those who don’t, and in fact we often wish we would not have to deal with those who don’t.  What could I say, but nod my head, because oh how correct my good friend is.

I’m tired of hearing the excuse from those who have, that those who have-not have money for cigarettes and beer.  Well OK, but cigarettes and beer are a rather cheap opiate for the masses, it is certain that the church no longer is.

Today’s Gospel November 6, 2011 – Ten Virgins and their Lamps

Τὸτε  ὁμοιωθήσεται ἡ βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν δέκα παρθένοις, αἵτινες λαβοῦσαι τὰς λαμπάδας αὐτῶν ἐξῆλθον εἰς ἀπάντησιν τοῦ νυμφίου. 2 πέντε δὲ ἦσαν ἐξ αὐτῶν φρόνιμοι καὶ αἱ πέντε μωραί. 3 αἵτινες μωραὶ λαβοῦσαι τὰς λαμπάδας ἑαυτῶν οὐκ ἔλαβον μεθ᾿ ἑαυτῶν ἔλαιον· 4 αἱ δὲ φρόνιμοι ἔλαβον ἔλαιον ἐν τοῖς ἀγγείοις αὐτῶν μετὰ τῶν λαμπάδων αὐτῶν. 5 χρονίζοντος δὲ τοῦ νυμφίου ἐνύσταξαν πᾶσαι καὶ ἐκάθευδον. 6 μέσης δὲ νυκτὸς κραυγὴ γέγονεν· ἰδοὺ ὁ νυμφίος ἔρχεται, ἐξέρχεσθε εἰς ἀπάντησιν αὐτοῦ.
7 τότε ἠγέρθησαν πᾶσαι αἱ παρθένοι ἐκεῖναι καὶ ἐκόσμησαν τὰς λαμπάδας αὐτῶν. 8 αἱ δὲ μωραὶ ταῖς φρονίμοις εἶπον· δότε ἡμῖν ἐκ τοῦ ἐλαίου ὑμῶν, ὅτι αἱ λαμπάδες ἡμῶν σβέννυνται. 9 ἀπεκρίθησαν δὲ αἱ φρόνιμοι λέγουσαι· μήποτε οὐκ ἀρκέσει ἡμῖν καὶ ὑμῖν· πορεύεσθε δὲ μᾶλλον πρὸς τοὺς πωλοῦντας καὶ ἀγοράσατε ἑαυταῖς. 10 ἀπερχομένων δὲ αὐτῶν ἀγοράσαι ἦλθεν ὁ νυμφίος καὶ αἱ ἕτοιμοι εἰσῆλθον μετ᾿ αὐτοῦ εἰς τοὺς γάμους, καὶ ἐκλείσθη ἡ θύρα. 11 ὕστερον δὲ ἔρχονται καὶ αἱ λοιπαὶ παρθένοι λέγουσαι· κύριε κύριε, ἄνοιξον ἡμῖν. 12 ὁ δὲ ἀποκριθεὶς εἶπεν· ἀμὴν λέγω ὑμῖν, οὐκ οἶδα ὑμᾶς. 13 γρηγορεῖτε οὖν, ὅτι οὐκ οἴδατε τὴν ἡμέραν οὐδὲ τὴν ὥραν ἐν ᾗ ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ἔρχεται. - Matthew 25:1-13

There is a cultural disconnect in today’s gospel.  At least I don’t remember ten virgins coming to meet me when I was a bridegroom.  But leaving that aside, the virgins were probably equivalent to our bridesmaids and they had lamps for a night time procession.  The parable divides them in half between those who forget the oil for the lamps and those who remember.  Because they wait a long time for the bridegroom all ten fall asleep.  But when the Bridegroom comes those who forgot their oil plead for oil from those who remembered, but are told to go and buy their own.  In the meantime the bridegroom comes and the 5 who remembered go to the wedding banquet, and the door is shut.  When the five who forgot arrive with their oil they knock at the banquet door and are not admitted, in fact they are told they are unknown.

One wonders about this parable and obviously we should not take it too literally and think it applies only to the virgins amongst us.  But should we not take this parable as a continuation of the parable concerning the servant who beats his fellow servants and keeps company with drunkards in the last part of chapter 24.  To begin chapter 25 with Τὸτε tells us that. What is the Kingdom of heaven like?  Obviously we are not talking about a place like a paradise above where the souls go for a reward, we are talking metaphorically about the souls themselves.  We are talking about the people in the kingdom.  Note that in ἡ βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν the word for heaven is plural.  We are perhaps not talking about the banquet hall either.  In short we are talking about the spirit, like all parables we are metaphorically talking about that which we have no exact vocabulary for. 

The important part of the parable is the last verse.  It is the punch line, the point that is supposed to be driven home to those of us who are not altogether prepared for the spirit. I’m not sure that the Kingdom of heavens does not refer to all of creation, to all existence.  Perhaps all things (existents) are spirit and are part of the kingdom.  What an idealist assumption that is, and it can be gleaned from careful analysis of the texts which speak of the kingdom of heaven.  But today’s parable speaks specifically about persons - Virgins (παρθένοι) who are pure spirits in a sense, not corrupted by the material and vulgar reality.  So, we ought to keep watch, because we do not know the day, neither the hour when the Son of Man will come and establish the kingdom. Something is being said here which directly contradicts those who would foretell the end of the world or the day of “rapture”.  We cannot know and so must keep ourselves pure (παρθένος) and watchful of our purity of spirit, that we be admitted to the banquet hall, and be prepared with the oil that allows our lamp to shine. μακάριοι οἱ καθαροί τῇ καρδίᾳ, ὅτι αὐτοὶ τὸν Θεὸν ὄψονται.