Step 7: The Judge and the Widow Sit Down for Tea Preached at Wollaston Congregational Church On October 20th, 2019 Scripture: Luke 18:1-8 Each week in worship we read the passages recommended for us by the revised common lectionary. And then the preacher expands on one of them. We reflect on the issues our lives and our world. We consider the scripture while we wonder: how is God calling us into deeper love, for God and for the world? Usually we consider the scriptures just one bite at a time, because there is so much to them. We try to delve deep into the message for the week. This fall we are following a thematic series on the 12 steps of spirituality from the book “Breathing Under Water” by Richard Rohr. It’s amazing that each week one of the weekly scriptures has spoken to the step we were on. One reason this has worked is because we are in a series of Luke readings, as well as texts from the prophet Jeremiah. These scriptures are generally very relatable. They tell tales of real people living real lives in real places. That is all we really need for the 12 steps. As we have worked our way through these steps, we are reminded that the gospel as a whole is always the message. One scripture reading cannot be taken in isolation. There is one particular teaching that is a guiding light for this series. In Luke 6:41-42 Jesus says “… how can you say to your neighbor, ‘Friend, let me take out the speck in your eye,' when you yourself do not see the log in your own eye? … first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your neighbor's eye.” This our lens for the reading of the 12 step process. It is tempting to look at each step and think of the neighbor, friend, family member, even enemy for whom this step is perfect! We notice the speck in our neighbor’s eye much more easily than the log in our own eye. But that is not what we are doing here. In this series we are looking at our own lives, our own habits and behaviors, our own church and culture. Because, in the end, who and what can we change? Only ourselves … only our own church, only our own community, only our own culture. And so, with these thoughts in mind, let’s consider the gospel message for today. Luke sets the scene, saying that Jesus tells this story so that the disciples will pray always and not lose heart. Though we may not think that this is the first thing that the story is about. Jesus tells this story of the judge and the widow. He talks of an unjust judge. This man has no respect for people and he does not fear God. Hardly the attitude we hope for in our judges. A judge has to take into account the law of the land, and the circumstances of the people who come in front of them. And in the case of a judge, fear of God might be seen as humility in his own power, or reverence for universal moral law. A judge who has no respect for people or fear of God does not make for justice. This judge is plagued by a widow who is on the war-path for justice. This widow is not a meek little old lady. Nor is she a righteous woman seeking justice for herself and other widows in her community. No! “Grant me justice!” she insists. New Testament scholar Amy Jill Levine points out that this term is best interpreted as “avenge me.” The widow is looking for vengeance! [1] She wants to bring down her opponent, for whatever reason. English translations soften the language of this story, which actually uses boxing terms. The judge is afraid that if he does not grant her request she may give him a metaphorical black eye! And so the judge and the widow are not likeable characters, although they may be relatable. Perhaps a little bit too relatable for comfort. Because you see, these characters live inside many of us. The judge’s ego is in the driving seat. He has no compassion for others or reverence for God. He wields power over people. He can casts judgment any way he likes. So far as he is concerned he is in the right, and his opinion is all that matters. Relationships mean nothing to him. He simply gives in to the widow to silence her nagging and to protect himself from possible harm. Her petitions have left him unmoved and unchanged. We all have a little of the judge in us, don’t we? Don’t we all know in our hearts that we are right and others are wrong? Don’t we all get tired, at times, of the gospel Jesus, always calling us to greater mercy and compassion? And, isn’t it true, that sometimes we give in, simply to silence the voices that call us to God’s justice. Being the judge is exhausting and hard. We are constantly on the look out for evidence that we are in the right. And we replay every experience of conflict, until we are certain this is the case. When we see problems in our family, our church, or in our community we look for who to blame. There is always someone. And we love to critique other families and communities too. We like to point the finger, forgetting that whenever we do that there are three other digits pointing back at us. The Apostle Paul cautions the judge in all of us: “In judging others you condemn yourself, since you behave no differently than those you judge.” [2] We use the lens I mentioned earlier, because of this internal judge. And so we remember Jesus’ instruction “… first take the log out of [our] own eye, and then [we] will see clearly to take the speck out of [our] neighbor's eye.” Those of us who have a particularly harsh judge inside know this only too well. As author Brené Brown writes, in the book “Dare to Lead”, “We judge in areas where we’re most susceptible to shame, and we judge people who [we believe] are doing worse than we are in those areas.” [3] If you are unable to tolerate failings in others, look at how judgmental you are on yourself. For me, this is a painful reminder of the gossipy group I belonged to as a teenager. The targets of our gossip were the girls whose fashions sense, body size and shape and eating habits didn’t match impossible ideals. It doesn’t take too much imagination to guess that my friends and I felt shame because of our own less-than-ideal body shape, size and fashion sense. Besides the judge, though, the widow is also quite likely to be a part of ourselves. The widow wants vengeance because she believes she has been wronged. She is not going to rest until she settles the score. She holds onto the wrongs of the past with a tight and greedy fist. And she wields that fist against the judge. Give me what I want! I am not going to go away! Give me satisfaction! The widow goes after the judge with an angry stick, she is so convinced that she is the victim who has been wronged. I recognize the widow inside of me. I know that if I am honest, my deepest prayer is for healing from past wrongs. The smallest slight from the past can live and grow inside if I let my internal widow wield her angry stick. The blaming and shaming will only continue. And so, we might wonder, with the judge and the widow at their antics inside ourselves, what we can do to help them get along a little better. We all encounter people like the widow, who are angry and feel victimized. Often the best we can do is sit down and have a cup of tea or coffee with them. To listen until their grievances are over, and they get to what is really going on. To say what they are truly longing for. Perhaps we can encourage our judge to do just that, to sit have a cup of tea with our widow. As the judge listens, perhaps he will discover that the widow’s deep longing is actually to be filled with God. Rohr says, those in recovery from addiction learn that their “deep and insatiable desiring came from God all along … [they just] looked for love in all the wrong places.” [4] And this brings us to what Jesus was beginning to say before the parable began. Our invitation is to “pray always and not to lose heart.” It is most difficult to pray about times when we have been in situations of conflict, like the judge and the widow. Years ago I came across a spiritual practice that can help. In this practice, like the Examen, you look back without judgment on the conversations of the day. Was there a time when you were with someone who said harsh and hurtful things to you? Did you say harsh and hurtful things to them? In your time of prayer go back to that situation, and invite Jesus into the midst. Invite him to join you and the person or persons you were in conflict with for a cup of tea. Take the time to imagine what Jesus would say and what Jesus would do. Would he invite you and the other person to set down your differences and apologize? Would he take one of you aside to calm down and regain control? Would he help the judge in you discover empathy and compassion? Would he help the widow let go of the grievances she is holding so tightly? Later in “Breathing Under Water” Richard Rohr talks about ways we can look on our own imperfection without judgment. He says “Don’t judge, just look can be our motto—and now [we look] with the very eyes of God.” [5] And, so, praying always and not losing heart, or humbly asking God to remove out shortcomings could look like this. It could look like making the peace between an unjust judge and an angry widow. May all God’s people say Amen [1] Amy-Jill Levine, Short Stories by Jesus: The Enigmatic Parables of a Controversial Rabbi (New York: HarperOne, 2014), 235 [2] Romans 2:1 [3] Brown, Brené. Dare to Lead (p. 145). Random House Publishing Group. Kindle Edition [4] Rohr, Richard. Breathing Under Water: Spirituality and the Twelve Steps (pp. 65-66). Franciscan Media. Kindle Edition. [5] Rohr, Richard. Breathing Under Water : Spirituality and the Twelve Steps (p. 90). Franciscan Media. Kindle Edition.
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