A Personal Solution

The rich become richer and the poor become poorer.

And he said to them, Pay attention to what you hear; the measure you give will be the measure you get, and still more will be given you. For to those who have, more will be given; and from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away. - Mark 4:24-25

I have always found it troubling that Jesus would tell his disciples that those who have will get more and those who don't will lose what they have.  It doesn't seem fair, and that is the point.

He claims this is the way we treat each other, and it is not necessarily the way God works, nor is it what Jesus taught his disciples to do.  Lend to those who cannot repay, and give to those who have nothing.

So, why does he say this?

He is talking about listening and learning.  This is a wisdom lesson for them, and he uses parables about scattered seeds and the mustard seed to explain the way they should grow in wisdom and spread the kingdom.

Pay attention to what you hear, he tells them.  Notice how the world works and be different.  Give and you will gain more.

In the material world, those who have find it easier to borrow than those who have nothing, and so they gain more, they can grow their wealth, while those who have little continue to lose.  The same is true of wisdom.  Those who have means and opportunity gain more than those who have no access to those things.

So, what do we do about the inequity?  Is it something we can fix or change?

I believe there is.  Each of us, as children of God, needs to find someone to help.  That is taking the direct approach, rather than hoping our institutions will find a way to balance the equation.

I know people who had lost everything and were given a chance by someone who cared, someone who found it in their heart to reach out and mentor or guide them.

If we know the ways of the world are slanted to benefit those who have versus those who don't, whether that is wisdom or money, we should know the solution, to do what is not popular, to give from the heart, to those who have little and may not be able to repay.

There is a song by John Mayer that expresses this well, I think.  It talks about how we listen to the wrong messages and wait for the world to change.  The song is called Waiting on the World to Change, and one of the verses includes the following:

And when you trust your televisionWhat you get is what you gotCause when they own the information, ohThey can bend it all they wantThat's why we're waiting (waiting)Waiting on the world to changeWe keep on waiting (waiting)Waiting on the world to change

I think Jesus was telling his disciples not to wait for the world to change, but to go out and change the world, one person at a time.

More to come...