Upside Down

 July 28, 2021

In Matthew 19 and 20, we see Jesus in a series of situations that take contemporary conventional thought and turns it upside down—divorce is unacceptable, willing celibacy is to be honored, children are important, wealth is disdained, equality of outcome is preferred over fairness, serving is the highest honor. Most of these stories are so familiar they have ceased to be alarming, but his parable of the workers in the vineyard troubles me. It is meant as a lesson about the mercy of God, but it comes at the price of promoting a kind of socialism. Jesus tells a story honoring equality of outcome (“Equity” in modern parlance) rather than equality of opportunity; had he continued the story, the next day the owner of the vineyard wouldn’t be able to find men willing to work from the beginning of the day.

I’m not sure what to do with this story except to read it in the context of these entire two chapters which are encouraging us to look at life from a different perspective. Jesus takes everyday life experiences and lifts up the opposite of what we would normally think of as the preferred outcome. What we value, he despises, and what we despise, he values. It’s a topsy-turvy world he holds out before us as he beckons us to follow him. He invites us to, as Spurgeon once said, “kiss the wave that dashes us against the Rock.” 

As I reflect on these chapters, I am forced to look at my perspective on life. I like to be busy. It’s easier for me to get busy doing things than to slow down and pray. For me, one lesson from these chapters is to consider prayer as significant as action. It’s hard; I tend to rush through my prayers so I can get at the day. But if there is anything to be learned from these chapters in Matthew, it is to be willing to question my priorities and look at my life from Jesus’ point of view, knowing all the while that his gaze penetrates uncomfortably, because only the discomfort has the power to move me to change.