Loading...Exodus 3:1-15, 1 Corinthians 10:1-13, Luke 13:1-9, Psalm 63:1-8
Reality is different for everyone. The people who bring their concerns to Jesus today have one reality and they are anxious. They have received news of disastrous events, they are feeling oppressed, and they are trying to tie all this together and deposit it on God’s doorstep. Jesus is left with the task of dismantling the popular theology of divine retribution by offering up simplistic explanations of natural disaster and local calamity while, at the same time, raising their awareness that life is fragile. We do not know when disaster will strike and consequently have a limited time in which to exercise our discernment and repent of our sins.
The people want things to change and clearly hope that Jesus will be the one to lead them in effecting this. Targeted protests, designed to change corporate, judicial, or governmental systems are not new. Ancient records reveal evidence of people trying to make their voices or opinions heard by withholding business from one person or entity or another. The world’s oldest detailed letter of complaint dates to 3,800 years ago in Ur, Mesopotamia.[1] A legitimate form of democratic protest in Jesus’ time in Rome was graffiti [2], and in 508 B.C. the people of Athens marched in the streets demanding a fairer form of government.[3] It was from these early Greek protests that Democracy arose in that region. I am rarely asked to participate in an organized protest, but recently two people, and then a third, expected me to boycott certain shops, first on Fridays and then for the duration of Lent.[4]
In principle this might seem to be an effective idea, but then I started to consider all the components beyond the glaringly obvious, “We don’t like the actions of the owners/management of this company.” Firstly, the world we live in is dissimilar from ancient Palestine, in that an unwise word or action today can be quickly disseminated across the internet bringing undesirable consequences. Secondly, gigantic diversified corporate entities exhibit a superior ability to weather the impact of protests, whereas household budgets are more fragile. Thirdly, to realistically sustain such a protest will require lifestyle changes for the majority of participants, and we do not do well with changing our habits.
If retaliation against these companies for their labor policies is effective, then what are the consequences? What impact do these boycotts have on the workers, the people like you and me, our friends and neighbors, young people just entering the workforce? Is there a possibility they might be laid off or assigned fewer work hours and, if so, how will they pay for food, rents, medical supplies, or education? A seemingly noble action undertaken for the greater good is likely to barely impact the wealthier citizens, like corporate CEOs but might be catastrophic for people who rely on these jobs for everyday necessities.
Secondly, some people plan to participate in the protest but decide to shop the day before, or the day after. These people want to be supportive but are not prepared to inconvenience themselves beyond rearranging their shopping day. This simply results in a dip in sales one day which is balanced by an increase on a different day. Do smaller, locally based businesses actually receive more custom on the protest days, or do shoppers simply stay home?
Part of the problem is that we do not deal well with change. We would like things to be different, to be better people or for others to be better people. We would like to keep the policies we support, or which seem to support us, but to eliminate those with which we disagree. We, like the vineyard owner in today’s Gospel, can be impatient, unkind, and lacking in compassion when things do not conform to our expectations, or changing others’ behavior seems to be an unsurmountable task. In common with the fig tree, we do not always perform as others believe we should.
The gardener shows us the middle way between the current status quo and destroying the tree; nurture it, provide it with care and hospitality. Spend a little time to discern why this tree is not yet fruiting. It is possible the vineyard owner does not understand that many fig trees do not fruit until their fourth year, or that it is not a self-fertile variety and needs the companionship of another tree. Figs like loose soil and send down deep roots questing for water. Loosening the soil and adding manure may help the tree grow or may reveal rotten or damaged roots which need to be excised for the tree to thrive. So often we want the fig trees in our lives, other people, organizations, or governments to be more than they are actually capable of being. The process of discernment is as important as the actions we take. Adding manure to rotted roots will cause further damage, removing the affected part and then providing nutrition will bring new life.
The time we have to act is short, if we leave change for too long, further damage is caused. If we act precipitously, maliciously, or out of desperation we may unwittingly cause harm and destroy something with the potential to become a fruitful source of nourishment. The immature fig tree still provides shade for resting workers, a place for birds and animals to build homes, and beauty. It is not useless. Nor are the people or entities we seek to dismiss in our own lives. The timeline for change, for repentance may be short, but we do have time, and a God whose boundless love presents us with every opportunity to live each day in such a way that we will have no fear of giving an account of how we have used God’s gift.[5]
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[1] Read The World's Oldest Known Customer Complaint To Copper Dealer Ea-nasir
[2] Graffiti Was a Powerful Form of Protest in Ancient Rome – as Gladiator II Shows | Ancient Origins
[3] How the Ancient Athenians Went from Oppression to Democracy
[4] Do No-Shopping Protests Work? A Boycott Expert Weighs In. | HuffPost Life
[5] New Interpreter’s Bible, Volume IX, Keck, L.E. (Ed.): Abingdon Press, Nashville, TN; © 1995; p. 272.
