Indentured
Have you ever felt like a slave?
Then Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in him, ‘If you continue in my word, you are truly my disciples; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.’ They answered him, ‘We are descendants of Abraham and have never been slaves to anyone. What do you mean by saying, “You will be made free”?’ - John 8:31-33
Last night, we were talking about people who had once owned their own land but found themselves laborers on the larger farms of landowners when times got rough and they couldn't hold onto their property.
We were talking about Jesus' time, not today, yet the situation of becoming an indentured servant on your own land could apply to the affects of technology advances and unemployment in any generation.
I encounter people every day who see me as an opportunity. I am the guy in the parable about the vineyard owner who goes out and hires people he needs at different times of the day.
He could have hired as many as were there and gotten the harvest done quickly, but he chose one or two at a time, being selective and frugal perhaps.
In the end, he says something judgmental. Why are you standing here idle all day?
I always heard that and believed he was saying that there is much work yet you fail to speak up and ask for it. But last night as we spoke about it, I had a chance to see it differently.
People come up to me and ask me if there is work for them every day. I often tell them I don't need help, and then they see the staff and volunteers working hard while they sit and wait. I wonder if we are doing this all wrong.
What if the money we raise was used to pay people to work, to prepare the meals, set the tables, clean the floors, stock the pantries, unload the deliveries, and the volunteers came to sit and eat with them, to keep them company?
How much more would it cost us to give all who wanted to work a chance to work?
In the parable, the owner chose to pay all the workers the same day's pay regardless of how many hours they worked, and that becomes our focus. We argue the fairness of that and totally miss the unfairness of being selective in how we help each other.
Jesus told parables to get us to think, to cause us to challenge each other to look at the world differently. So, I think that is what we need to do, to look at the problems we are trying to solve through the eyes of those we are trying to help.
If you need work to be done, hire me. I will do it.
If I am willing to do it for no pay because I am hungry, how will feeding me help me gain my dignity?
What do you think?
More to come...