Good Shepherd

Truly, he who does not enter the fold by the door, but climbs in some other way is a thief and robber. The thief comes to steal, kill, and destroy.

It appears that Jesus’ threshold for considering someone to be a thief is very low. Just about anyone could fit into it. The only thing you have to do to be a thief is not follow proper protocol. How many of you have ever bent the rules just a little because it was easier? Why go through the proper channels, when it is so much easier to lean a ladder up against the side of the sheep pen and hop the fence? What difference does it make, after all?

It makes a difference because cutting corners and not following the proper policies and protocols are all done in the name of expediency and ease. What is thievery after all but enriching oneself at the expense of others?

One example of thievery in today’s world is the way in which people are getting a little too comfortable with the whole social distancing thing. How many people are enjoying staying at home, not working, and getting free money from the government? To make matters worse, this is supported by elected officials who seem to relish stripping away personal freedoms in the name of public health. Thieves are afoot taking away freedom, and leaching off the government. How dare they!

At the same time there are a whole other class of thieves. These are the people who flaunt common sense contact precautions and assemble in large groups without masks or social distancing to fulfill their personal desires. They gather in the name of recreation, politics, or hedonism so focused on their personal fulfillment that they rob the public’s effort to contain disease. What exacerbates the actions of these people are elected officials who desire to rush headlong into opening up businesses to generate revenue at the cost of human life. They rob the health of others in the name of their own financial gain. Theives!

So which band or brand of thieves would you care to join: 

Perpetual shelter in place, mooch off the man, and have no freedom thieves? 

Or hustle for a profit, spread disease, and let the bodies pile up thieves?

Are there any other options you ask? Why yes there is.

500 years ago a guy named Martin Luther faced a similar dilemma, and it was driving him crazy too! Luther was an Augustinian monk in Germany. He was born to an upwardly mobile family and had the opportunity to secure for himself very good financial wealth at the cost of eternal damnation. Or, he could live a completely miserable life as a monk and hope to earn his salvation. Luther decided to become a monk. He gave up his personal freedoms, lived a shelter in place life, and mooched off the system like so many other monastics. He hoped that he would get right with God, and be able to live forever in God’s eternal salvation. There was only one problem. Luther plunged into a deep despair. No matter how hard he worked at being good, and doing everything that God desired, he only felt like a greater failure. 

Even though Luther felt terrible, he likely suffered from depression, he showed academic ability, and was directed toward scholastic studies including reading the Bible in its original languages of Hebrew and Greek. As Luther studied the Bible he began to be unnerved by some of what he read. Must succinctly it was the words, “The righteous shall live by faith.” What ever could that mean?

“The righteous shall live by faith” couldn’t mean that a righteous person, that is a good person, merely trusts in God’s mercy, could it? It couldn’t mean that a person is able to receive eternal life, forgiveness of sin, and salvation from the devil merely by having faith in those things, could it? That would mean that the most valuable things in the world, eternal life, righteousness and salvation aren’t things you earn through holy living or shrewd business moves, but are simply handed out to those who fancy themselves as having them! People who simply have faith would be saved. If that were true then the entire project of organized religion linked to political power would unravel at the seems! And guess what? That’s what happened!

What if you could have the best of both worlds? What if you were totally free to do what your heart desired, and you were assured that everything you ever needed would be given to you? What kind of a life would you live then? Would you steal, cut corners, hop fences, and hurt others? What would be the point of stealing if you already have more than you need? Or would you turn the other cheek, not return abuse with abuse, and not threaten those who cause you to suffer?

Given the freedom to do what you want knowing that you are saved by grace and not by your works has radical implications. The church that began in the days after Jesus’ resurrection had radical qualities. The believers held all things in common. They would sell their property and share the wealth so that everyone had what they needed, and nobody didn’t have enough. Day by day the Lord added to their numbers those who were being saved. This was a spiritual form of communism without the politics and obligation. It was totally voluntary, and totally revolutionary. 

I learned a lot about taxes after I graduated from college. I began a career in ministry, earned money, paid rent, and at the end of the year, owed taxes. I felt very frustrated by this. Luckily I lived in south Orange County and there were plenty of sympathetic people to my plight as a young white single male. But two people stand out in my memory as having taught me the most important things about taxes.

I will begin with Tony. Tony was my landlord. He and his wife Rachel owned a ten unit apartment building a couple of blocks from the beach in San Clemente. It was the “pier bowl” neighborhood. Tony grew up modestly in the central valley of California. He scrimped, saved, and through hard work and the power of the American Dream ended up being wealthy. One day he told me, “Wes, you want to pay taxes.” I couldn’t believe my ears. He said, “The more taxes you pay, the more money you make.” Again I was confused. He said, “The only way the government can tax you is if you make money. So paying taxes is just a sign that you have made money. And the more money you make, the more the government will tax you!” Eventually I laughed, and so did Tony. I had to admit he had a point.

The other person who taught me about taxes was Pastor Jeff, who I served with at Our Savior’s. Pastor Jeff used a similar logic in a different direction. He said, “The government can’t take what you don’t have.” Pastor Jeff and his wife Kelly were very generous people. They helped individuals and were faithful in their stewardship. Pastor Jeff told me that when they tithed and gave generously and first to God, there was always enough money to live on, and taxes were never a problem. This is due in part because when you give it away, it’s not there to be taxed. I have found this to be true too.

These two men weren’t theives. Just the opposite. They were good shepherds. They were people who went in and out through the gate, the proper channels, and did so with big smiles on their faces. They had faith that God would give them what they needed, and in fact more than they deserved. 

Grace Lutheran Church right here in Upland, California has discerned a call to share our abundance with those who are in need. Are you hungry? Do you need food? Please visit graceupland.org/connect and fill out our Fellowship Form. We would like to give food to members and friends who need it. Do you have some abundance that you would like to share? You can sign up to give by also filling out the fellowship form. I invite you to do that now.