WwtW: God's generosity wins out in the end

Ordinary Time, Year C, Week 25.

1^st Reading:    Amos 8:4-7

Context.          Amos is the first of the “classical prophets” (ie. those who left a book).  Himself a Southerner, he prophesied at Bethel, a cultic center in the Northern Kingdom in the early to mid 8^th Century.  This was a time of great material prosperity for Israel, but also social and religious corruption.  Amos is a book of judgment; we will have to wait until later prophets to get the hope of restoration after punishment.  The hypocrisy of ‘correct’ worship while oppressing the poor is condemned – it is not right worship.  Our reading comes in the midst of visions of God’s destruction of Israel and seeks to answer the question ‘why?’

Interpretation. The language is strong and evocative: the rich are trampling on (or ‘crushing’) the poor.  The details need not concern us, but the offense is clear: cheating when selling grain.  Amos highlights the hypocrisy of observing holy days but not keeping basic moral standards.  The talk of ‘buying the poor’ may refer to manipulating markets to produce debt-slaves.  “Jacob” stands for the whole nation of Israel.  In a time of peace and prosperity (for some…), Amos laments that people have started to prey on each other; the true enemy is within.

Gospel:           Luke 16:1-13

Context.           We continue Jesus’ long journey to Jerusalem (9:51-19:48; Wks 13-31), and the section of it which is an extended response to the question “who will be saved?”  (13:10-17:10; Wks 21-27).  He is concerned to form community and set boundaries, but in a completely topsy-turvy way that will confound any sense of privilege.  Since we last read from Luke, Jesus told several parables including the Good Samaritan.  In chapter 16, Jesus continues his message of practicing hospitality so as to include the poor, and considers the use of possessions more generally.

Interpretation. The quantities involved are very large (the produce of a large olive grove, or the acreage around twenty times the size of an ordinary family farm).  With his back against the wall, the steward practices debt reduction during his ‘lame duck days,’ in the hope that he’ll be rewarded by one of the people he’s helped when he gets fired.  Finally, he has showed the ability to act prudently and so gets him job back.  Crisis drew a generous response out of him, even if it wasn’t with the noblest motives.  The coming eschatological crisis should lead all to generosity, even if we’re merely prudent (generosity isn’t just for the spiritual elite).  We are all stewards in the household of our generous God and how we use possessions is a marker of our fidelity.

Questions

1.      What do we express about our attitude to God by different ways of dealing with possessions?  Generosity, hospitality, greed, cheating?

2.      Amos has little hope for the moral rehabilitation of his people.  We certainly see moral problems in our society.  Do we have hope?

3.      Does crisis generally bring the best or the worst out of people?  I would suggest this might be a response to Amos’ gloom: yes, calamity will follow from moral decay, but that calamity will be healing.

4.      How have you experienced God’s generosity?  How can we present that to others?  (In word and deed)