The
Last Thing to Worry About Today concludes this short series about heaven and its inhabitants. My purpose in these sermons has been and is to suggest that there are better ways to interpret scripture than to conclude that Jesus came to make everyone Christian so that they might go to heaven. I am amazed at how ingrained this idea is in Christian thought. And I can only wonder how much damage this idea has done. I have had a number of comments about the two previous sermons but no one more telling than the one from the person who said that they agreed with my conclusion. However, I probably could not substantiate it with scripture and then suggested some other passages that seem to point toward a “Christian only” heaven. I have to admit that those passages exist but my response is that there are far more passages about the utter inclusivity of God’s realm than there are passages that seem to be keeping every other group out. I believe it is only because we bring that expectation to scripture (that Christians have this exclusive place in God’s realm), because we have heard it so many times in so many ways, that convinces us that Jesus spoke about an exclusive heaven and believed in his way as the only way. We are swimming against centuries of interpretation and tradition that has proclaimed again and again the idea of Christians only. In order to understand scripture anew we must bring different expectations. If our minds are so opened I believe it becomes evident that Jesus never intended to create a belief system that condemned all but the most pious. Consider today’s passage. Jesus often spoke of the Kingdom of God through parables. A full third of all the parables that Jesus taught begin with the words “The kingdom of heaven is . . .” and then he tells a story. And yet the parables are mostly ignored by those who would have us believe in an exclusive heaven. The reason for that is that a parable is usually so open ended that it is hard to make any final conclusions about them. Parables are sometimes obscure; they are not good for creating dogmatic pronouncements. And I believe most of them if not all of them run counter to this idea of a Christian heaven. That is certainly true for this parable. Jesus says “The kingdom of heaven is like a householder who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard.” (Matthew 20:1) I reiterate, Jesus is teaching about the Kingdom, that is the subject. Now there are a few undeniable facts about this story. First, everyone who the householder encounters during that day is invited to work in the vineyard. There is no kind of laborer who is left out. All are invited. No demands, no qualifications, no anything, if they are standing around they are invited into the vineyard. I interpret that to mean the kingdom of heaven is like a place where all are invited. Isn’t that what Jesus just said? The ambitious ones, who were up early ready to work a whole day, they were invited and welcomed. Those who were not quite so ambitious but still wanted work were also invited and told they would be treated fairly. Even those who couldn’t get it together until very late in the day, they too were invited. It seems like the landowner scooped up everyone he could to work in his vineyard, regardless. And it is a great day for all involved until it comes time to receive the reward. Eternal reward? Maybe. He is talking about the kingdom after all. The landowner has a strange way of paying; everyone gets the same reward, no matter how long they have worked. Good news for the neerdowells but for those ambitious folks it seems to be very unfair. When the all-day-workers complain the householder has only one defense, “Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me?” (Matt. 20:15) Isn’t that the crux of this whole thing. It may be that God is sending us all off to hell for the sins and offenses we have committed. It might be that God is sending the whole unbelieving world off to hell because they have not taken up the name of Jesus Christ. It may be that Muslims, Jews, Ba’Hais, New Agers, Buddhists, Taoists, Hindus, and apostate Congregationalist ministers are not included because they have not been washed in the blood of the lamb. But you know what? all that is up to God regardless of what we do. All are children of God and whatever God decides as our eternal future that is it. So how can anyone say with any kind of certainty who is included and who isn’t? None of us are God. But then the good news. In this parable about the kingdom the householder says the best and most important line, “Or do you begrudge my generosity?” (Matt 20:15) Do we begrudge God’s generosity? Is that what this is all about? Do those who would introduce the idea of an exclusive heaven put limits on God’s generosity so that they can feel special and right and good? What motivation could there be for believing that God would not be generous and forgiving to all? The all day workers grumbled that the householder had made THEM (those that worked less) equal to us (those who worked all day.) There is a great temptation in thinking you and your group is somehow better than the rest. And it is kind of fun when you argue baseball. And it might be true in a number of categories. But in the eyes of God we are of all equal worth. All. And God is abundantly generous to all. At least that is my reading of the parable. Well I will finish by
repeating some words of Jesus that should be but sadly won’t be the final words on
this subject, “Fear not, little flock,
it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.” (Luke 12:32)
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