Mustang grapes played a small but not insignificant part in the summertime adventures of young boys growing up in South Texas in the 1960s and 70s. Grapevines were ubiquitous in the trees alongside the Guadalupe River, and they invited us to take to them in imitation of Tarzan, proving our bravery by swinging far out over the river and back again, or sometimes just letting go and plunging into the cool water. (Warning: do not attempt this at home! Grapevines can break--I speak from personal experience!) When not visiting the river, small shoots of grapevine were highly desired in certain circles, alongside rope, as a free but (I'm told) inferior alternative to cigarettes. Finally, the grapes themselves were highly desired for munching on while walking by a stream or in the woods. However, there was a drawback. Some mustang grapes are extremely sour, and once you got the flavor in your mouth, it was hard to get it out again. Isaiah tells a parable in which God plants a vineyard of domesticated grapes, but it yields wild grapes instead, despite God's careful attention. In response, God vows to remove the wall protecting the vineyard so that it will be trampled and become a wasteland, and furthermore God will command the clouds to withhold rain from the vineyard. What is the reason for this harsh judgment? "He expected justice, but saw bloodshed; righteousness, but heard a cry!" This passage contains two plays on words in Hebrew: justice (mishpat) vs. bloodshed (mishpach), righteousness (tsedaqa) vs. a cry (tse'aqa). God demands that his people treat others with justice and compassion. Too many Christians are railing against things like gay marriages, stem-cell research, flag burning, and gun control, and not enough are speaking out against preemptive wars, anti-democratic public policy, poverty, and lack of access to health care. The former issues offend some people's sensibilities; the latter kill and maim those who are weak and vulnerable. If God were to apply this parable to the people of God today, which set of issues would rank highest on God's agenda?
Most of the Old Testament is written from the perspective of the inhabitants of the Southern Kingdom of Judah and their descendants, and the Northern Kingdom of Israel and their descendants are portrayed in a predominantly negative way. For example, the prophets Amos and Hosea both prophesied in Israel, but Hosea--an Israelite prophet--preached with much greater compassion for the people of Israel than Amos--a Judahite prophet. The history recorded in Samuel and Kings presents Israel in a largely negative manner, while that of Chronicles entirely ignores Israel! A few snippets of material that present Israel in a favorable, or at least sympathetic, light persist, and today's reading from the Psalms is one of them. Psalm 80 was written in the aftermath of the fall of Israel to the Assyrians in 722 B.C.E., and it shows a people who are faithful to God, seeking God's divine mercy and salvation. "Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, you who lead Joseph like a flock! . . . Stir up your might, and come to save us!" In that highly stratified society, 95% or more of the people worked day in and day out to eke out a living from the soil. They were not concerned with the rise and fall of empires, nor did they care much about the inner workings of their own government, since they played no part in it. What they wanted was the opportunity to live their lives in peace and safety, to celebrate the weddings of their family and friends, to mourn the passing of loved ones, and to worship God according to the traditions passed down from their ancestors. When the Assyrians invaded their land, their own government recruited them to fight and confiscated their food and other provisions. The Assyrians in turn took what remained of their crops and burned their fields. The Israelite peasants were caught in the middle, and they suffered for the "sins" (from the Assyrian perspective) of their leaders. A haunting refrain, tinged with sorrow and hope, appears three times in the psalm: "Restore us, O God; let your face shine, that we may be saved." Jewish and Christian commentators over the years have rarely paid much attention to the common people, particularly of Israel, when they've analyzed the biblical story. Similarly, many people today pay little attention to the effects of government policies--particularly war--on the common people, especially when they live in other countries. The U.S. got Saddam Hussein; who cares how many Iraqi civilians died? The U.S.S.R. invaded Afghanistan to install a regime friendly to Moscow; who cares how the Afghan people felt? Global warming might be good for people living in North Dakota; who cares if a few island nations like Tuvalu are inundated? Free trade is good for big business and Wall Street executives; so what if the poor are impoverished even more? It's sometimes hard for us to put ourselves into the shoes of other people, but it's incumbent upon God's people to try to do so. We need to ask ourselves how our actions (or inactions) affect others, particularly those who are most vulnerable. When we prepare to vote for candidates, how will their stated positions or demonstrated track records impact the poor? When we set aside money to donate to churches and charities, how will that money be used in regard to the neediest among us? If we look around us, we realize that we are surrounded by people who are saying the same thing as those war-weary inhabitants of Israel: "Restore us, O God; let your face shine, that we may be saved." When we see, in real life or on the TV screen, the faces of the homeless, the poor, the downtrodden, and the refugees, it's time for us to try to see things from their perspective, because that's also the perspective of God.
In Greek mythology a hero is someone who is larger than life. Always male, the Greek hero is of royal lineage and is often said to have divine parentage. After a miraculous birth, the hero undergoes persecution and separation from his parents. He accomplishes feats requiring enormous bravery and strength, marries a princess, and dies an unusual death, which is followed by a glorious funeral celebration. Heracles, Oedipus, and Achilles all fit into the mold of the Greek hero. Unfortunately, none were real people. Do we have heroes today? The word is often applied to people whom we respect, or for whom we feel pity, but that is not the proper meaning of the term. Office workers who died when the World Trade Center towers collapsed are certainly worthy of respect and honored remembrance, and they are undoubtedly victims and perhaps also martyrs, but they are not all necessarily heroes. On the other hand, the fire fighters and police officers who rushed in to save others are heroes in the truest sense of the word, as are those office workers who stayed behind when they could have escaped to help their co-workers get out of the buildings. Many people suffer innocently, but only those who willingly risk suffering for the sake of others can truly be called heroes. Hebrews 11 contains a list of people who are often called heroes of the faith, and many of them risked their own lives--and sometimes lost their lives--for the sake of others, because of their faith in God. Why would people risk their own lives to save others? Why would people even risk their reputations and job security to act on behalf of others? They wouldn't, unless they were people of faith, people of integrity, and people of courage. The world has always been mesmerized by people of wealth and power, but without faith, integrity, and courage, their fame is only transient. In Greek mythology, only those of noble or divine birth could become heroes. In real life, anyone can be a hero, if they're willing to take risks in the name of good and for the sake of others. The greatest hero of all, the author of Hebrews says, is Jesus, who willingly gave his own life to become the pioneer and perfecter of faith. Faith, integrity, and courage: do we have what it takes to be a hero?
During Advent Christians read the passage in Isaiah which foretells the coming of the Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace, and we apply these appellations to Jesus. During Holy Week we remember Jesus riding into Jerusalem on a donkey, "meek and lowly," coming as a bearer of peace rather than as a warrior king. We recall some of Jesus' last words to his disciples, "My peace I leave with you." How then do we interpret this reading from Luke, where Jesus says, "I came to bring fire to the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! I have a baptism with which to be baptized, and what stress I am under until it is completed! Do you think that I have come to bring peace to the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division!"? Jesus then talks about divisions within the family, presumably over allegiance to Jesus and his teachings. Historically, some Christians have taken these words as sanction to unleash horrors in the name of Christ. The Crusades were a brutal attempt to wrest the "Holy Land" from the Muslims, during which supposedly Christian warriors behaved in most un-Christian ways, slaughtering soldiers and civilians alike, raping, pillaging, and destroying in the name of Christ. The "Christian monarchs" of Spain, Ferdinand and Isabella, drove the Jews from Spain on pain of death if they would not convert, and this hatred of the Jews continued for centuries, reaching its nadir in the Holocaust. Catholics and Protestants fought one another in various European wars over the centuries, all in the name of Christ. All these Christian soldiers marched to war using Jesus' words as an excuse to hate and kill their fellow human beings. Is that really what Jesus had in mind? I don't think so. I think that Jesus was saying to his followers, "It will take real courage and conviction to follow me. Not everyone, even in your own families, will want to follow me. But if you really are my disciples, you will follow me, standing for what is right and true, no matter the consequences." If Jesus came to create divisions, it was only divisions caused by separation from the mundane, the common, the selfishness of the masses. Too many people are "looking out for number one," and not enough are looking out for the welfare of others, but that's what Jesus calls his disciples to do. Jesus came to bring peace, yes, but peace with justice. Until we reach that state in the world, there will always be a reason for Christians to separate themselves from the masses and call for the creation of a world in which peace and justice reign supreme.