Proper 26C + Right relation + 10.30.22

 

M. Campbell-Langdell

All Santos, Oxnard

(Habakkuk 1:1–4; 2:1–4; Ps. 119:137–144; 2 Thess. 1:1–4, 11–12; St Luke 19:1–10)

 

“So the law becomes slack
and justice never prevails.”

It is rare that a Lectionary Preacher gets to preach on Habakkuk. That slender volume hidden in the folds of the Hebrew Scriptures is not frequently visited by me or many preachers. But what great words!
The law becomes slack, and justice never prevails. And then later – Look at the proud! Their spirit is not right in them, but the righteous live by their faith.
At first glance, we wonder what on earth this passage has to do with the gospel reading from today. Zacchaeus is an interesting character. Sometimes he seems comedic- he is short so he has to climb a tree to see Jesus- so that Jesus might have, seeing him land, said “You’re out of your tree!”

But all joking aside, Zacchaeus’ role is seriously suspect, as I mentioned about tax collectors last week. Unlike the current IRS where we send in our allotment, like it or lump it, directly to the government, these were the middle-men who took their cut in between, sometimes quite a hefty one, when collecting the taxes due to the emperor. And he is the chief tax collector. So, you know, quite a “sus” gent. Can anyone trust a tax collector?
But he is drawn to Jesus! I mean, who isn’t? He’s a magnetic personality! And he makes this public statement. “Half of my possessions I will give to the poor; and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I will pay back four times as much.” Now, this is an interesting part. As the Greek is in the present tense, it is possible Zacchaeus is mentioning an action he usually does or one he is about to do. Is Zacchaeus just saying this is his common practice, or is he repenting, as I always believed?[1] Regardless, he is making a very public statement. He is opening himself up to be taken up on it, too. If he has cheated anyone as chief tax collector, he will make it good. A bit ridiculously so, I like the four times flourish. I mean, is he serious?

But what is serious is this public pronouncement. It is enough to make Jesus say, hey, here’s one of the good guys. And Zacchaeus is saved, but also restored to his community in this action.

This week I heard an interesting take on this passage. That it is about reparations. And once I started thinking about it that way, it made sense! I mean, Zacchaeus has profited from an unjust system and is willing to pay back those who have been defrauded. More than they were defrauded, because in the meantime, he has been earning interest with those ill-gotten gains.

Now, you may have heard about reparations a bit in the news, and wondered if the church had any role in the current dialog around making right on past injustices. You may have even heard about how when the pope visited Canada he acknowledged the church’s role in the residential schools.

The Episcopal Church knows a thing or two about reparations and the need to acknowledge and honor old wounds. As we have been covering in our “Sacred Ground” series on Wednesday afternoons, sadly we have a lot to repent of.

One of our oldest seminaries, Virginia Theological Seminary, is aware that many people labored as slaves in the seminary and helped build at least one of the buildings on the campus. As a result, the seminary has begun to send money to the descendents of the slaves who worked there as a small way of recognizing its role in the sin of slavery. Will this money right the wrong? No. As Ebonee Davis says, “This money, even if it was millions of dollars, cannot change the past … The primary goal is to build a new relationship with the local Black community in Alexandria, and that’s why it is such a personal process.” [2] And that is the point. Just like Virginia Theological Seminary, Zacchaeus is to return funds to those he had wronged, not just so that they have their money back. No, the idea is the restoration of relationship.

It is so that he can, like the righteous in Habakkuk, live by his faith.

Other dioceses, including Maryland, Minnesota, New York, Texas, New Jersey, Virginia and Washington have begun similar processes of trying to restore right relationship and acknowledge that if we are rich, sometimes it has been due to the exploitation of others.[3] And this is well and good! We need to model this for the country at large.

Do we do this so that we can feel bad about ourselves as a church? Absolutely not! In fact, we acknowledge our role in historically oppressive systems in order to be free. In order to feel better about ourselves for the future, to be honest. In order to be better than we have been. As Christians we know we do not have the corner on wisdom. But sometimes we have learned better than the previous generation in some small way, and we can make the world that slight bit better by owning our past. Not so that we can get stuck in it. But so that we can move forward, together.

In our community, what might this look like? I am personally heartened by the attempts at the Mission in Ventura to develop a sign that would honor the indigenous persons buried there even as their burial ground is now covered by an office building. The Tortilla Flats mural in Ventura remembers a community of Black and Latino folks that got turfed out by the development of the 101 Freeway. Here in Oxnard, we could have a few more signs I think, to acknowledge places of important local history, especially where folks were displaced to make room for development.  But glimpses are around, if you look for them, for example in the historic Japanese cemetery off of Pleasant Valley Road.

Very locally, our church’s trustees have encouraged us to make sure that our investments are socially responsible so that we don’t support industries that harm others. This is another form of making things right.
We’re working on it! We strive to make things right. Not because we are already righteous but because we want to be in right relationship. And we work on ourselves and our country, so that our law doesn’t become slack! So that justice can prevail! As you move into this week, reflect: is there anything in your life that could be harming another or is a result of harming another? If possible, try to take one step towards remediating that harm and or making that good this month. Or if you can see a way that we as a church can move forward, please approach myself and/or the vestry about it. Together, we can make a difference! And may God bless you for your brave step in the style of Zacchaeus! Amen.

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[1] Joel B. Green, “Notes on Luke 19:1-10” NISB (Abingdon: 2003), 1889.

[2] David Paulsen, VTS reparations fund makes first cash payments to descendants of seminary’s Black slaves, laborers – Episcopal News Service (July 8, 2021).

[3] David Paulsen, As dioceses pursue reparations, General Convention poised for churchwide racial justice discussion – Episcopal News Service (June 9, 2022).