Sunday, December 30, 2007
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Thursday, December 6, 2007
December - Health Care
This month's study has been posted by Judy Weindling.
Scriptural References:
Matthew 9: 2-8, Matthew 9: 27-30, Mark 5: 21-43, Mark 13: 10-17, Luke 5: 12-15, Luke 9:2, 6, Acts 3: 6-9, Acts 14: 8-19
INTRODUCTION
Is there no balm in Gilead? Is there no physician there? Why then has the health of my poor people not been restored? Jeremiah 8:22
This month we will explore the issue of health care. I must admit that I was overwhelmed by the depth and scope of the topic. Health is a multidimensional concept, encompassing the entire human being, including every aspect of mind, body and spirit. To be healthy is to be whole, productive and capable of living up to one’s potential as a person made in God’s image. The health of a community is dependent upon the health of each of its members and it is incumbent upon society to ensure that each person has the tools and resources necessary to maintain their optimal level of health.
Central to the idea of maintenance of health is the concept of healing. As Christians, who seek to create the kingdom of God on earth, we attempt to emulate the example of Jesus, the consummate healer and to live out his admonition to feed the hungry, welcome the stranger, shelter the homeless, clothe the naked and comfort the sick and imprisoned (Matthew 25:31-46). To this end we could study a broad range of topics including access to care throughout the world, including nutrition, the promotion of healthy lifestyles, human sexuality and reproductive issues and medical and bioethics. Perhaps at some time we will be able to examine them all, but in this study will cover the issue of access to health care and health care justice in the United States.
SCRIPTURE & HEALING
Throughout the gospels Jesus performs the miracle of healing both as an act of compassion and as a way of establishing his position as the Son of God. At times he uses these acts as a way to illustrate that the promise of God is for all people by healing the social outcast. The interplay of mind, body and spirit is illustrated by the variety of conditions that Jesus heals: making the lame walk, the blind see, casting out demons and stopping hemorrhage. By healing the lepers, Jesus restores them to wholeness and makes them clean and able to return to society. At times his acts are socially risky and place him under deeper scrutiny by the authorities, creating an element of risk. Ultimately, the healing stories give us a template for compassion, caring and love that transcends social norms and self concern. Healing is indelibly bound to the greatest commandment, that we love one another. Reading further in the New Testament we find that the disciples emulate the example of Jesus by themselves performing miracles of healing despite personal risk. The spread of the good news of Jesus is accomplished through personal sacrifice, toil and the emulation of the love and healing of Christ.
HEALTH & HEALTHCARE IN AMERICA
Martin Luther King Jr. said, “Of all the forms of inequality, injustice in health care is the most shocking and inhumane”. Today in America, the richest nation in the world, people die each day because they cannot access the care they need to keep or make them well. Lack of access occurs for a variety of reasons. Poor rural areas often lack facilities and qualified providers, in urban areas resources are overwhelmed, and many Americans cannot afford to pay for healthcare. According to public opinion surveys health is the top domestic concern. 18,000 Americans die each year because they cannot afford health care, this amount to two deaths every hour. One in seven or 45 million people lack health care insurance coverage, including over nine million children.
The Twin Scandals
Social programs, which should provide a safety net, are difficult to access, provide limited coverage and are consistently the target of governmental budget cuts because the people who benefit from these programs are not well represented politically. The persistent correlation between poverty and lack of access to health care has been called the “twin scandals”, which also is the name of a movement to raise awareness among church members about this disparity and to move this constituency to use their political voice on behalf of the vulnerable and the disenfranchised (see www.ucc.org/health/twin-scandals.html). The gospel is clear that Jesus’ healing power and presence was for all. What does it say about us, as his followers, that we fail to notice and act to alleviate the suffering of our brothers and sisters who cannot be healed because they simply cannot afford health care? Speaking up, taking a political stand against this injustice may involve the risk that we will be seen as too liberal, too fiscally irresponsible. It may involve stepping out of our comfort zone and drawing attention to ourselves. It may tax our already overloaded schedules. Did Jesus, our role model, worry about speaking out?
The SCHIP Debate
The debate over health care access is in the news almost daily as the legislature grapples with how to design and fund programs. While some embrace the concept of universal health insurance, others declaim the idea as socialism. Many worry about the cost in tax dollars. In October, President Bush vetoed the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) Reauthorization Act (H.R.976), which sought to expand coverage to more of the nine million uninsured children, and both legislative branches, without a veto-proof majority, passed a weaker bill that is on the President’s desk as you read this. What does it say about us, as the followers of Jesus, that we fail to provide for the very ones about whom Jesus said “theirs is the kingdom of heaven”.
The Problem of Inadequate Coverage
Even for those with health insurance healing may be difficult to attain. Health care costs are the leading cause of bankruptcy and almost 70 percent of the uninsured live in families with at least one full time worker. There is persistent social stigma associated with some conditions, creating a parallel with biblical lepers. Mental illness and HIV/AIDS are two conditions that still evoke feelings of shame. For people suffering from these illnesses access to care may be compromised by limits on coverage, even for those with private insurance. Our elderly face age related declines in health and are often left with inadequate resources to manage their health issues. Existing medicare plans force out of pocket expenses for medical tests, treatment and prescriptions that force many elders to choose between health care and basic necessities such as food.
Being Present in Another’s Suffering
In the Jewish tradition there is a mitzvah, an obligation or commandment found in the Torah, to visit and to pray for the sick. As Christians, an important display of compassion and love is to be truly present in the suffering of another, whether the pain is physical, such as illness, emotional, such as depression or grief, or spiritual, such as feelings of loss of community or connection to God. In the act of being present there is great comfort. In this day of the global village, how can we be present for those who suffer who we “know of” but do not know personally? Perhaps if we use our collective voice to speak out against the injustice of unequal access, perhaps if we speak loudly enough that those who suffer know that they are not abandoned we can fulfill the mitzvah and in doing so become better disciples of Christ.
THE UCC ON HEALTH CARE
The United Church of Christ has a long history of recognition of the disparity of health care access. In 1975 General Synod 10 called for a health policy emphasizing universal access, comprehensive benefits, government financing and reform of delivery. The 1977 General Synod 11 resolved to work toward the creation of a national health care system. A 1991, General Synod 18 pronouncement affirmed the moral and justice imperatives of equal access for all to high quality and affordable health care. General Synod 21 passed a resolution reclaiming the church’s ministry of health and healing and called for the establishment of health ministries which are “ rooted in the ministries of Jesus and empowered by the Holy Spirit to continue Jesus’ ministries of compassion, justice, and wholeness for all God’s people”. Please access www.ucc.org/health to view these related ministries and find out how to join the UCC in advocacy for these vital issues.
Other Resources
The Children’s Defense Fund
http://www.childrensdefense.org/
God is Still Speaking about Healthcare,
www.ucc.org/justice/God-is-still-speaking-about-health-care-booklet.pdf
www.WebMD.com/election2008/default.htm
QUESTIONS
1. Does our faith obligate us to be aware of the political climate surrounding health care? What do you know about the Presidential candidates’ views on health care?
2. How can we as a church make a difference in the lives of those who lack access to health care? Do we know if this problem affects any within our congregation?
3. The problem of access to health care is a global one. Can you think of examples of this that have been in the media recently? How has the UCC and MCC responded?
Thursday, November 1, 2007
November - Just Peace
Scriptural References: John 8:2-12; Ezekiel 37:36; Matthew 5:9; Isaiah 2:1-4; Isaiah 5:7; Psalms 27:1-6; Hebrews 13:18-
"True peace is not merely the absence of tension: it is the presence of justice. "
- Martin Luther King, Jr.
Introduction: The UCC Synod Pronouncement
In 1985, the 15th General Synod of the United Church of Christ voted the Just Peace Pronouncement, naming the United Church of Christ to be a Just Peace church and urging local congregations to consider how they could honor God’s call to build God’s realm.
Just Peace is based on the concept that is conveyed in the Hebrew word shalom. Scholar Gerhard Von Rad will describe shalom as a communional well-being in which God’s creation is justly ordered.
The pronouncement defined "just peace" as the interrelation of friendship, justice, and common security from violence. The pronouncement called the church to a vision of shalom rooted in peace with justice and placed the UCC General Synod in opposition to the institution of war.
Just Peace Now
Ralph Slater, a member of the Ridgefield Congregational Church, remembers a former pastor who would say that peace is more than the absence of war. “You have to wage peace,” he remembered the Rev. Clayton Lund as saying. Slater was sharing this concept with me as he talked about his deep ambivalence about the news that his son would be on his 4th deployment to the War-on-Terror battlefields.
Another UCC layman, Bruce Barrett, a member of the Woodmont Congregational Church, has used his billboard business to support peacemaking in the Middle East. You may have seen the billboards driving up Route 8 to Waterbury, or in the Stratford area. I Wage Peace, they proclaim.
This project began at Temple Emanuel in Orange CT. “The Palestinian, Sulaiman Al Hamri and the Israeli, Elik Elhanan were sharing their stories of their life as combatants and their decision to join forces non-violently to end the suffering of their people. I was moved by their words and invited them to come to our sign shop and paint a sign promoting their organization, Combatants for Peace. Quite unexpectedly, they asked me if they could paint the sign in the West Bank. I surprised myself by answering, ‘yes, we will find a way’. And so the project was born.”
From Pacifism to Just War
Within the UCC and its predecessor churches, approaches to the issues of war and peace have ranged from pacifism, to just-war, to crusade. Zwingli, Luther and Calvin, our reformer divines, were in the just-war tradition. Zwingli even served as a military chaplain and died on the battlefield when the Catholic Cantons of southern Switzerland attached the north.
While we are not considered one of the historic peace churches (the Mennonites, Quakers are) pacifism has often taken root in our midst. As early as the war of 1812, peace preaching can be found in the likes of David Osgood (1747-1822), pastor of the Congregational Church of Medford, Massachusetts, who said:
As a teacher of righteousness, as a minister of Christ I feel myself under obligation infinitely superior to all human laws, most solemnly to testify, both in public and in private, everywhere, in the hearing of all persons, rulers, and subjects, against this atrocious wickedness [of war], and to lay down my life rather than cease this testimony.
After the Civil War, The National Council of Congregational Churches passed resolutions affirming the work of the American Peace Society, which engaged numerous Congregational lay and clergy leaders. Later, and having joined with the Christian Connection, a number of resolutions in favor of peace were passed between the two World Wars.
The Congregational Christian Pacifist Fellowship was organized at Grinnell, Iowa in 1946 and adopted this covenant at that time:
In loyalty to the teachings of Jesus Christ and in obedience to the will of God as I understand it, I am committed in conscience to redemptive love as the way of life. In expression of this conviction I cannot participate in war or give it my support. I accept it as my task to work for peace, for justice, and for the reconciliation of mankind.
At the same time, Reinhold Niebuhr was reinvigorating concepts of just-war with his theology of Christian Realism. Out of the Evangelical and Reformed branch of our tradition, Niebuhr is perhaps the best-known public theologian of the 20th Century. The exigencies of the Second World War made Niebuhr plumb just war theory to understand how Christians ought to respond when standing by did not seem just.
Peace movements in our midst have clearly taken deep root in the UCC. Dr. Robert V. Moss, the second president of the UCC, wrote in 1971, "We now need to put as much effort into defining a just peace as we have done in the past in defining a just war.” The Just Peace pronouncement, passed the delegates 14 years later, names just-peace making as a central concern of our common life, and commends deep thought, prayer and discernment on the part of local congregations as they determine how to live our their particular local calls. The Justice and Peace Action Network is a resource for congregations and individuals who hear the call of peacemaking.
Of course, gospel freedom (a concept most clearly articulated by the Christian branch of our heritage) means each one of us is responsible to determine our own witness. In that spirit, and in the tradition of the Just Peace Pronouncement, UCC president John Thomas and Justice and Witness officer Linda Jaramillo attempted to deliver a pastoral letter with over 60,000 collected signatures to the Whitehouse. The pastoral letter states:
We confess that too often the church has been little more than a silent witness to evil deeds. We have prayed without protest. We have recoiled from the horror this war has unleashed without resisting the arrogance and folly at its heart. We have been more afraid of conflict in our churches than outraged over the deceptions that have killed thousands. We have confused patriotism with self-interest. As citizens of this land we have been made complicit in the bloodshed and the cries. Lord, have mercy upon us.
My own personal history is as complex as the United Church of Christ’s around war. I am the daughter of many generations of West Point officers, professors and one Superintendent. On my mother’s side, pacifism runs so deep that relatives of mine were ambulance drivers and registered conscientious-objectors during the first and second world wars.
The Just Peace pronouncement engages me to live out a difficult Christian commitment. It is not enough to react to wars with pacifism. I see the Just Peace Pronouncement as calling me to be an active participant in the making of justice in all the days of my life.
Jesus and Just Peace
Jesus saw a crowd gathered around a woman, all standing with stones ready to throw at her. Taking a stone into his own hand, feeling the damaging heft of it, he challenges the crowd: “the one of you who is without sin, go ahead and cast the first stone.” Jesus’ approach here is instructive. He manages to be both an advocate for justice and for non-violence (see John 8:2-11). Jesus engages the community to set to right the woman’s position. Only then is peace possible.
Living the Just Peace
The Just Peace Pronouncement recognizes the challenging call that is ours in Jesus Christ. It acknowledges that the risks are great, but that the church cannot be neutral. It admits that our witness to peace must begin long before the rumors of war, in addressing the inequalities, materialism, and political realities that contribute to war.
There is no one way to be a just peace church. Still, the blessed calling to be agents of God’s healing, wholeness and reconciliation overrides our concerns of the impracticality--even nigh-on impossibility--of the task. Peace churches study the Bible, partner with churches abroad, educate themselves in other faiths, read the newspaper, join coalitions and networks, sponsor missionaries, and worship the God of Justice and Peace.
Just Peace is not a Pollyanna approach. It is a Christian challenge in a complex and difficult world. It acknowledges that peace without justice is as dangerous as justice extracted without peace. Naming the biblical themes of friendship, the reconciling activity of Jesus Christ, the power of the Holy Spirit, the church’s role of being the reconciling community and our hopes for God’s reign, Just Peace stands firming in a richly biblical and churchly heritage.
Questions for reflection and dialogue
1. What is your family history around war and peace, and how does it inform your beliefs?
2. What are the compelling critical voices against pacifism? What are the compelling critical voices against a just war approach? Do you hear Jesus’ voice in either of these?
3. What are the stories of peacemaking that inspire you?
4. How should the church be involved in justice making? How should you be involved in justice making?
5. Can you think of examples in which an easy peace might institutionalize injustices?
6. What is waging peace? Is war a means of waging peace?
Resources:
The Niebuhrs debate war: http://www.ucc.org/beliefs/theology/two-famous-brothers-debate.html
Becoming a just peace church:
http://www.ucc.org/justice/peacemaking/a-just-peace-church-1.html
The just peace pronouncement:
http://www.ucc.org/beliefs/theology/general-synod-pronouncement.html
Pastoral letter: http://www.ucc.org/news/significant-speeches/a-pastoral-letter-on-the-iraq.html
And excellent list of justice advocacy resources
http://www.ucc.org/justice/advocacy_resources/witness-for-justice/
Join the justice and peace action network:
http://www.ucc.org/justice/join-the-network/
For Further Reading:
Thistlethwaite, Susan, Ed., A Just Peace Church, New York: United Church Press, 1986
Chesterman, Simon Just War or Just Peace, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2001
Thompson, Joseph Millburn, Justice and Peace: A Christian Primer, Maryknoll: Orbis Books 2003
Monday, October 1, 2007
October 2007 - Poverty
Scriptural References:
Old Testament: Book of Proverbs , 6.11 ,10.15 11.24, 13.18, 20.13, 23.21, 24.34, 28. 19-22 K.J.V.
New Testament: 2 Corinthians 8.2,9
“This Administration today, here and now declares unconditional war on poverty in America, and I urge the Congress and all Americans to join me in that effort. It will not be a short or an easy struggle, no single weapon or strategy will suffice, but we shall not rest until the war is won. The richest nation on earth can afford to win it. We cannot afford to lose it.” Lyndon Baines Johnson, 1964
Introduction:
What is a working definition of poverty? How many people live below the poverty line in the United States? Ct?, Fairfield County?, Monroe? Who is affected by poverty in the Bible?, in modern times?
Poverty is a serious national and global problem. The literature on this subject is overwhelming. Therefore, I chose to narrow my scope, to the subject of poverty in the United States.
Webster’s dictionary defines poor as “having little or no money, goods or other means of support.” Eerdman’s Dictionary of the Bible defines poverty as, “lacking material goods, honor and power.” From his economic classic, The Wealth of Nations, Adam Smith defined poverty as a “lack of those necessities that the custom of the country renders indecent for creditable people, even of the lowest order, to be without.” What would these necessities be? How about food, clothing and shelter? Any absence of any one or all three necessities causes emotional stress on the individual and the family. To further understand the picture of poverty in America, let us view these sobering statistics.
The recent Census (2004) estimates that the United States had a total population of over 300,000,000 million. Of that total number, 37,000,000 million Americans are living at or below the poverty line. This is 12.7 percent of the total population. The poverty line criteria is established by the Department of Health and Human Services in Washington, D.C. Each state establishes its own poverty line criteria. In 2004, the Federal poverty line threshold was $9,827 for any individual under the age of 65. In 2004, the Federal poverty line was $19,157 for a family of four. Let’s reduce the lens to the state of Connecticut, one of the wealthiest states in the United States.
In 2004, the estimated population for Connecticut, was over 3,000,000 people. The census estimate for Connecticut residents living at or under the poverty line was 315,000 or 9.1 percent of the total state population. In Fairfield County, one of the richest counties in the United States, 76,000 or 8.5 percent of the population was at or below the poverty line. What about Monroe? In 2000, Monroe had a total population of 19,247. Of those 19, 247, about 1.8 percent of families and 2.6 percent of those under the age of 18, lived in poverty. Folks 65 and over experienced a 5.5 poverty rate in Monroe, Connecticut. Who are these people? They are our neighbors. They are our friends.
Biblical Discussion:
Old Testament:
There are several interconnected themes found in the Old Testament regarding the poor and the subject of poverty. Mark Rank, in his book One Nation, Underprivileged writes, “To begin, there is a strong sense that it is God’s will for those in a community to help the poor.” (Deuteronomy 15.7-8) In addition, there are passages that detail the obligation and responsibilities of the ruler towards the poor. (Isaiah 3. 13-15) The ruler is seen and viewed as an advocate for the poor. Those who care for the poor, “follow in God’s footsteps”. (Psalm 111.9) “Finally, Rank concludes, the poor are seen as blessed in the eyes of God, and hence they will receive their just rewards.” (Proverbs 28. 6)
The word poverty is found in the Old Testament 12 times. Eleven of these occurrences are in the book of Proverbs. Poverty is a translation of the Hebrew word yiwaresh, “to be poor, to come to poverty.” The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia writes, “Four different Hebrew words are used in the 11 references in Proverbs, all bearing the idea of being in need of the necessities of life although a distinction is made between being in want and being in extreme want.”
New Testament:
The New Testament continues themes found in the Old Testament. There are differences however. In the New Testament, Jesus and his disciples convey God’s message. In the Old Testament, the prophets are the voices of God’s wisdom. Jesus is born in a stable, not a palace. Jesus is a carpenter by trade, not a king or a ruler. Jesus’ message gives power to the powerless. Hope to the hopeless. Another theme in the New Testament is the Golden Rule. Love your neighbor as yourself. Treat others as you would wish to be treated. The qualities of mercy, kindness and compassion permeate the text. (Matthew 22. 34-40) Finally, the New Testament warns of the dangers of wealth. (Luke 18. 22-25) There is the story of the rich man/rich ruler. “Indeed, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.” (Luke 18.25)
In the New Testament, the word poverty is found in the text 3 times. Two of these uses are found in 2nd Corinthians, written by the apostle Paul. The word poverty, used from the Greek, is ptocheia , “to be reduced to a state of beggary or pauperism.” The commentary suggests a review of the references for poor, as the Greek root for poor is ptochos, which implies a spiritual deficit, rather than simply a material one.
Warren Copeland, from his book, And the Poor Get Welfare: The Ethics of Poverty in the United States, offers a clear synopsis of the Judeo-Christian perspective concerning poverty and the poor. He writes, “To be specific about the issues of poverty within the Christian tradition, there can be no doubt about its religious status. Indeed, of all contemporary public issues, historically the Christian Scriptures and Christian churches have been the most clear that poverty is a religious issue. In the Hebrew Scriptures, kings were judged on how the poor fared under their rule; prophets focused on the gap between the rich and the poor as a reason for God’s judgment. In the Gospels, Jesus associated himself with the poor and offered little comfort to the rich. The early churches raised funds to aid the poor among them. Again and again ever since, official and ethical statements by the churches have centered on the issue of poverty. The overall thrust of this tradition is to place God’s presence with the poor and God’s judgment upon the affluent who misuse or ignore the needs of the poor.”
Discussion Questions:
1). In your activities today, how have you encountered poverty, or how has poverty approached you today? How did you feel or not feel?
2). The story of the rich man/rich ruler (Luke 18. 22-25) presents a challenge for Christians concerning wealth, our relationship towards money, and our response to the poor and the subject of poverty. If you were a church leader, how would you approach this text?
3). Remember, every little bit helps. What realistic steps could you take to combat poverty in your town, state, U.S. and the world?
Websites of Interest:
U.S. Census Bureau: ask.census.gov.
United Church of Christ: www.ucc.org
National Council of Churches: www.ncccusa.org
For further reading:
1). Copeland, Warren R., And the Poor Get Welfare: The Ethics of Poverty in the United States. Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press, 1994
2). The New York Times Magazine, June 10, 2007. “John Edwards War on Poverty.”
3). Rank, Mark R., One Nation Underprivileged, N.Y.,N.Y. Oxford University Press, 2004
4). Shipler, David K., The Working Poor. N.Y. N.Y. Vintage Books, 2005
Thursday, August 16, 2007
September 2007 - Hunger & Food Insecurity
Instructor: Rev. Jenn Gingras
Scriptural References: Mat 14:13-21 & Mar 6:30-44 & Luke 9:10-17 (Feeding of 5,000); Mat 22:1-10 & Luke 14:15-24 (The Parable of the Wedding Banquet)
“More than 850 million people in the world go hungry. In developing countries, 11 million children die each year where 6 million is from hunger-related causes. In the United States, 12.4 million children live in households where people have to skip meals or eat less to make ends meet. That means one in ten households in the U.S. are living with hunger or are at risk of hunger.” - from the Bread for the World website
Lecture: It is a staggering and sobering truth - you and I have almost a billion hungry neighbors on this Earth. We can (and do) point to many causes for hunger and food insecurity: colonialism, underemployment, globalization, racism, politics, warfare, famine, educational disparity, etc., etc. The purpose of this study is not to debate these or any other reasons for global hunger. Rather, our purpose is to look at what the synoptic gospels (Matthew, Mark and Luke) have to say on the topic and draw some conclusions about what it means for us in today’s context.
Introduction
Before we undertake this study, let us define and clarify the term “synoptic gospel”. The first three books of the New Testament are known as the synoptic gospels because of their similarities in stories, sequence and wording (literally, the term is derived from the Greek words for “together” and “seeing”). Scholars have argued the differences between these books for many years; this debate is often called “the synoptic problem” (a good example of this can be found in the nativity accounts of each gospel).
I like to think of the differences between the synoptics as less of a "problem" and more of an "opportunity". I'm not sure that the time and energy spent debating factual minutia in hopes of either “proving” a fundamentalist-literalistic interpretation through artificial agreement or “proving” a scientific-rationalist interpretation and therefore an inherent “falseness” of the gospel (as in, it must not be true because the facts don’t match up!) is always well spent.
I believe that when people retell stories, sometimes the details become fuzzy. Humans are prone to remembering “the big picture”. Sometimes, in the retelling of stories, it serves our purposes to place a greater importance on some details at the expense of others. The best and most current biblical scholarship maintains that Matthew, Mark and Luke were not written down immediately, but orally passed down from one community to another. Scholars estimate that these synoptic accounts of the life of Jesus were recorded after the Pauline epistles and the Gospel of John, probably between 70 -115 AD. Think about this…what might people say about your life 100 years after you lived it?
OK, I’ve jumped down off the soapbox, let’s get back on track. My point of view is that the themes and details in the synoptics are like threads in a larger tapestry, sometimes blending and at other times contrasting but always woven together as part of a larger work, a larger message. The Hebrew Bible clearly directs God’s people to care for the hungry, the widow and the orphan through the voice of many prophets (Isaiah, Jeremiah, Amos, Micah, etc.) and the words of Law. Paul, in his instructive letters to the earliest churches, calls for equal access to resources such as food and shelter. In the synoptics, many of Jesus’ teachings point directly to the same Biblical messages. Now let's take a look at two stories as opportunities for discussion: the Feeding of the 5,000 and the Parable of the Wedding Banquet.
The Feeding of the 5,000 (Mat 14:13-21 & Mar 6:30-44 & Luke 9:10-17)
In Matthew, Mark and Luke, the story of the feeding of the 5,000 begins with Jesus and his disciples retreating to a quiet place to rest after hearing the news that Herod has beheaded John the Baptist. We might imagine this to be a particularly shocking and painful blow to the community. But retreat seems impossible due a large crowd pressing upon the group. Jesus takes compassion on the crowd and begins to teach and heal those who are sick. The hour becomes late, and the disciples urge Jesus to send the crowd away so they can buy food for themselves. In all three, Jesus replies to his disciples “you give them something to eat” (although Matthew adds “They need not go away,”). Mark shows the frustration of the disciples by adding what seems to be a smarmy response “what, should we go and buy 200 days of labor’s worth of bread and give it to all these people?” (…my interpretation). Five loaves and two fishes are found, the people are directed to sit (Mark and Luke have them neatly arranged in groups of 50). Jesus gives thanks and breaks the bread and distributes the meal. 5,000 men (plus women and children in Matthew’s account) ate and were filled, with 12 baskets of bread left over. All were fed, with enough left over. Rather than send the hungry away, or make excuses that nothing could be done for a crowd so large Jesus first thanks God, then distributes the available food. In two of the accounts the crowd was instructed to make smaller groups, was that so they could be accountable to one another for equal distribution? This story is often referred to as a miracle story. What if the real miracle was not that 5 loaves and 2 fishes fed such a large crowd but rather that everyone who had food with them was inspired to share with one another?
The Parable of the Wedding Banquet (Mat 22:1-10 & Luke 14:15-24)
This parable is a fine example of how sometimes the message is tweaked for the purposes of the writer. In Matthew, the first to be invited reject the invitation and the king destroys their city in return. The second people invited include everyone found on the streets (good and bad alike). These folks accept the invitation, but one of them does not wear appropriate attire and is summarily thrown out into the darkness. Allegorically, the first group represents the Jews, the destroyed city is Jerusalem, the second group is the church, and the man who is thrown out represents a sinner among them. Bernard Brandon Scott calls it a tale of “Jewish rejection, Christian acceptance and final judgment” (112). Matthew’s parable is of little use in our discussion of hunger and food insecurity because it focuses attention on the political situation of day (a common theme in Matthew).
Luke, however, tells the same story another way. It happens within the framework of a larger travel narrative, directly after Jesus imparts to his disciples important table manners. Specifically, the disciples are told that they should seek the lowest place of honor at the table, for “those who promote themselves will be demoted, and those who demote themselves will be promoted” (Luke 14:11). Luke’s story has two parts – an invitation to the wealthy (which is rejected), and an invitation to all “others” (which is accepted). Instead of a King, the banquet is set at the home of “someone”, an unnamed wealthy person with the financial means of throwing a large banquet. Judgment of who is “in” and who is “out” is pronounced at the end of the story. In a parabolic reversal of fortune, the wealthy people who are too self-absorbed and full of excuses to join the party are “out” and the poor, crippled, blind and lame are in. Here, as in other places in Luke, the first are last and the last are first.
Conclusion: The gospel calls us to love our neighbor as our self. We have pointed out only two instances appearing in the synoptics that might be linked to the issue of global hunger and food scarcity. Others abound. Are we called as disciples of Jesus Christ to care for the most vulnerable in our society? Will we accept the invitation?
What has the United Church of Christ said on this issue?:
From the UCC's national website, download and read http://www.ucc.org/assets/pdfs/jw8.pdf
Discussion Questions: Students may respond to the following questions in a comment to this blog or privately to the instructor or a pastor.
1. How might you re-tell the story of the feeding of the 5,000 for today's world?
2. What other themes or stories from the synoptic gospels speak to the current global crisis of food insecurity?
3. Describe concrete examples of positive action you have seen in response to the gospel message to feed the hungry. What are some other ways in which we could respond as individuals, local churches and the wider church?
Website of Interest:
Bread for the World: http://www.bread.org/
For further reading:
Cobb, John B. Jr. (ed), Progressive Christians Speak: A Different Voice on Faith and Politics, Louisville: John Knox Press, 2003.
Scott, Bernard Brandon, Re-Imagine the World: An Introduction to the Parables of Jesus, Polebridge Press, 2001.
Sider, Ronald J., Rich Christians in an Age of Hunger: Moving from Affluence to Generosity, W Publishing Group, 1997.
Throckmorton, Burton H., Gospel Parallels: A Comparison of the Synoptic Gospels, Nashville: Thomas Nelson, Inc., 1992.
Welcome to Agape Institute Online
This course is an monthly online Bible study offered by the Monroe Congregational Church that explores contemporary justice issues within the context of scripture, specifically the Synoptic Gospels. The study is taught by a team of pastors and guest lecturers from the congregation, and it is open to any person who wishes to study scripture within a trusted community.
Participants in this study agree to make the following covenant with one another: under all circumstances, each person's opinions and responses are to be treated with care and confidentiality.
Shall we begin?