Luke 7:11-17
Proper 5 (10) - Year C
Prophets see life where others see no life. Sometimes a lack of vision is some form of complicity with the status quo and all the privilege and entitlement that carries with it. Sometimes it is not having a sufficient lens through which to see new shoots poking their heads out of a drought.
Prophets do more than see and point. They are engaged with that which is beyond the boundaries of the current community. Here the disciples and large crowd were all looking for what they could get from Jesus. Jesus, prophet that he was, looked both at and beyond them.
Unfortunately, disciples and crowds often have a wrong take-away from a prophetic moment. They get all excited about Jesus, rather than for the mother whose hope for livelihood has been restored to her. They might have had their eyes opened to the standard difficulties of widows and children in their community/culture.
Where was the larger question from this localized situation? Did the Bible get it right that every laud and honor is to go to Jesus, with no learning about paticipating in his Way?
News about Jesus spread. His prophetic vision and actions went unheeded. From this time and distance, we might put this story back together in a new and more helpful way (do note this story is a wooden reprise of Elijah/Elisha resuscitations, but doesn’t help the gathered disciples and crowd grow past adulation of Jesus and continued dereliction of their covenantal duty to love their Neighb*r).
http://kcmlection.blogspot.com/2013/06/luke-711-17.html
The gate of complaint and resolution is an appropriate meeting place for this tale. A procession of daily death exits every city. A parade of compassion meets it.
Here in the place of judges and prophets we are called to decide whether or not we will be part of a procession or a parade. In coming to this decision we will make political as well as religious choices.
Practically, will we lay our hand on the casket of HIV/AIDS/TB and allocate resources to send people back to their families? Will we put our hand out to the bier carrying a child and going back for another who could be returned to their family if health care were universal rather than a privilege? Will we touch the flag-draped coffins of the war-injured and war-dead with spoken and acted resistance to government-sponsored violence?
Will it finally be said of our participation in a parade of life that "G*D in us has looked favorably on people and creation"?
- - -
compassion flows
like a gentle river
with the power of a flood
through a marching band in step
in random clown's feet
compassion flows
to counteract pain's presence
loss's agony
with a song for the heart
and a hope reborn
compassion flows
with an invitation
to risk joining
leaving expectations
behind
compassion flows
toward emptiness
touching what is not there
revealing
restoring
http://kcmlection.blogspot.com/2007_06_01_archive.html
Jesus' compassion was short-term practical and long-term status quo.
Justice/compassion for one was not translated into justice/compassion for all. And the imponderable is whether this is from Jesus or the Church.
One young man rose to care for one lone widow.
For this Jesus was seen as a great prophet.
This same Jesus has been heard to say that those who came later would do more than he evidenced.
Well, the needs of many "widowed", physically and religiously, still are present and need attending. Proceeding one-by-one won't suffice. This is going to take a common-unity approach.
Imagine how far this news would spread - not just a lottery-lucky widow, but all "widows" will be care for - beyond blood lineage, beyond class, beyond status, beyond religious obligation.
Now G*D has not just looked favorably upon the poor or had a preferred option for the poor, but G*D is literally with the poor and the poor with G*D - so both "poor" and "G*D" are redefined.
http://kcmlection.blogspot.com/2010/05/john-711-17.html