It is so tempting to interpret the Scriptures in their application to others – powerful stories that remind us of how other people need to change. But the mission of Jesus is always to reveal our oneness. Today’s reflection invites us to consider both our own materialism and how our falling short can grow our unity.

September 29, 2024: Twenty-sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B‍

Numbers 11:25-29

Psalm 19:8, 10, 12-14

James 5:1-6

Mark 9:38-43, 45, 47-48

Unified in Mercy or Divided in Judgment

A reflection by Jeff Vomund

If there were ever a Scripture passage that could be used to beat up a whole group of people, today’s selection from the Letter of James might be it. The author is speaking to “the rich” whose “wealth has rotted away,” and for whom the corrosion of their silver and gold “will devour [their] flesh like a fire.” The passage goes on to say that those who have lived on earth in luxury and pleasure have been condemned.

For anyone inclined toward a faith that focuses on social and economic justice, this passage might be combined with passages from the gospels that suggest not only a preferential option for the poor but a condemnation of those who are wealthy. Take for instance Matthew 19:24, when Jesus says, “It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter [into] heaven.” One could also cite Luke’s version of the beatitudes, “Blessed are you who are poor … but woe to you who are rich” Luke 6:20, 24).

It can be so tempting to use passages like these to condemn those who we see as “too rich,” or as having earned their wealth through the mistreatment of others. These days, one might think of Jeff Bezos or Elon Musk or other billionaires and feel as if these readings offer a clear indictment of their kind of wealth and greed. And perhaps it does. And yet, I get nervous around passages from Scripture that we so readily apply to people who are not “like us.” Or said in a different way, I think it is a misuse of the Scripture when I use it to “otherize” a group of people. Afterall, anyone of the millions of refugees around the world would look at my closet full of clothes or my refrigerator and pantry filled with food and marvel at my abundance. From their perspective, they may look at me and wonder how I could, in good conscience, call myself a disciple of Jesus when I live in such abundance as compared to so many in the world who have so much less. What feels like “normal,” “middle-class” existence to me, may strike others as wealth beyond their wildest dreams.

It’s not that today’s message from James and similar such passages in the Scriptures do not offer an important critique of our materialistic culture, and of my own tendency to prioritize my comfort. They do. My fear is that I can too easily apply the most challenging Scriptures only to others. I can use the Scriptures, if you will, to examine the splinter in my neighbor’s eye, while missing the plank in my own (Matthew 7:4-5). Over and over again, Jesus tells stories and performs healings that show how expansive is God’s Reign of Love. Perhaps Jesus’ most consistent message is that everyone belongs in God’s Reign, all creation is loved: Pharisees, Samaritans, lepers, high priests, tax collectors, and even women and children are included. Perhaps the most scandalous habit of contemporary Christians is to use Jesus words to divide the world into “good” and “bad,” into “in” and “out,” when Jesus spent his whole ministry, and arguably died, to say that everyone is welcome within God’s tremendous love.

As such, whenever one reads a passage from the Scriptures and it leaves them feeling very much “in” while leaving others very much “out” of the Divine Communion, I want to suggest that some re-reading is warranted. How can I read a passage of Scripture such that it perpetuates Jesus’ mission of widening our conception of God’s love? How do I let the breadth of Jesus’ inclusive God impact my interpretation of the Scriptures?

Take this passage from James, for instance. As I have noted, the author criticizes the wealthy in the community. But not just the wealthy, the critique is targeted to those who have cheated their employees. What of those who are wealthy, but also generous? And what if that generosity coexists alongside not being a great employer? And what of the times when I am less than generous or when I have mistreated those who have less power?

Today’s passage from James offers a critique of greed and materialism, to be sure. But for me the question is whether I let that critique otherize those who fall short or do I allow it to humanize that aspect of desire with which we all struggle? Do I let James’ admonition against greed help me see that part of myself and how it connects me to everyone else, and so am I more aware of my own falling short and therefore more compassionate toward others who also miss the mark at times?

We cannot let our discipleship become a glorified to-do (or to-don’t) list, our relationship with Love reduced to a moral code. Instead, the Scriptures invite us into a deeper awareness of how we all struggle, and yearn, for a better self. As such, I do not have to look down on the “others” who fall short, when I can instead see myself in them – and notice that we are all in need of compassion, all in need of grace. To the extent that I see someone as “other” than me because of their sin, I miss the call of discipleship: to be unified in mercy as opposed to divided in judgment.

Jeff Vomund has been a member of Dignity/Washington for over 10 years although he currently lives in Knoxville Tennessee. After 15+ years of full-time parish ministry and 7 years of teaching students with particular learning needs Jeff is now a Senior Researcher at the Social Work Office of Research and Public Service (SWORPS) in the College of Social Work at the University of Tennessee where he focuses on the accessibility affordability and quality of early childhood care. He is finishing his Ph.D. in Educational Psychology at George Mason University.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      

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