Now after others got their answers, soldiers who have also come to be baptised by John are eager to know what is required of them. Like the tax collectors, the soldiers know they need to give food and clothes to the poor - but they don’t own toll booths; they don’t own franchises. They aren’t rich. Quite the opposite: while the tax collectors were apt to get rich from this 1st Century inflation-less microcosm of market-driven free enterprise, the Judean soldiers were likely to get poor from it; so, what should they do when they are saved from the impending wrath? Verse 14, John says, “Don’t extort money and don’t accuse people falsely—be content with your pay.”
This sounds easy enough doesn’t it: don’t extort money from people, don’t falsely accuse people, and be content with your pay. Easy? Maybe. These soldiers weren't Romans; they were Judeans just like the tax collectors and just like most of the rest of the crowd. These soldiers worked for the Romans just like the tax collectors but these soldiers were very poorly paid. They didn’t have the freedom of the toll booth operators to set their own wages so they resorted to other ways to make money - basically stealing. But that was okay, they convinced themselves, because ‘everyone was doing it’. But that is not okay. I love looking at Luke in Advent season. Luke is the social justice gospel. It is a revolutionary text.
I remember when we were living in Vancouver, there were many stores in our neighbourhood which would charge you less if you paid in cash because then they wouldn’t have to declare the money as income. I have met many people who are paid 'under the table', who deliberately do not claim income on their taxes – after all they don’t make very much and the government doesn't need their money. When I worked at a military base pre-9/11, one co-worker allegedly regularly used to take discarded copper home to sell for extra money, after all he only made minimum wage; the government didn't need more money. I remember as a janitor when I was a teenager, colleagues who would take food or office supplies from the buildings where they were working: they're only going to throw it out anyway. Why would they miss this food from their coffee room? They have lots of money to buy more. Luke says, “be content with your pay.”
I remember too, we used to be able to make more money by working more hours so we would volunteer to take on extra hours cleaning extra buildings. I –like my fellow janitors – loved that. This is where you could get overtime pay without even working one hour overtime. It was late at night and we often worked alone so some of us could do 16 hours worth of cleaning in just six hours without anyone noticing. The buildings were clean, thus no one complained so we would write 16 hours on our timesheet even though we only worked six; no one cared, everyone was doing it and that way we would not only get paid for 10 hours of work we didn’t do but we would even get time-and-a-half or double-time for some of those hours. It was an easy way to make an extra buck or two. Get paid for hours you don’t work, take food and supplies no one will miss which ‘everyone else is taking anyway’. (I have also seen Salvationists with jobs and money take food or toys meant for the poor as presents for their own families too… ‘everyone is doing it’…)
I remember one security guard at a building where I worked as a janitor for a while. I would chat with him about God, among other things; one day he asked me, “If you are a Christian, why are you leaving early?”
“My work is done.”
“Are you getting paid?”
“Yes.”
“So, do more work.”
“Everyone just leaves when they are done, we’re expected to”
“Isn’t that stealing?”
The baptiser, John, says to those of his day who weren’t paid necessarily a ‘livable wage’, “be content with your pay.” Luke says to we today who may be tempted to pad our hours, not declare our income, or manipulate our wages, “be content with your pay.” It is always interesting looking at Luke during Advent. Luke is the social justice gospel. It is a revolutionary text. Luke tells as what the impending Kingdom of God looks like. It is a place where the poor will have equal access to life and liberty as (or more than) the rich and everyone who is a part of God’s Kingom will deal openly and honestly with each other.
And honestly, in Advent this revolution is noticeably important. We, as Christians, are called to be holy. We, as Christians, are called to be the advance guard of a just society where the poor do have the same access to life and to forgiveness as the rich. The middle class and the elite - like the tax collectors - are not to make a profit at the expense of the poor and those just barely eking out a living; we are to do it honestly. And all of us, rich or poor, are to be content with our wages for God will provide for us as He provides for the birds of the air and the lilies of the feild (Luke 12:27, Mt 6:28).[9] Everyone, as we are a part of God's proleptic Kingdom, we are to love our neighbour and as they are in need we are to provide for their need just as our Heavenly Father provides for our needs.
This Sunday we light the Candle of Joy and as we love our neighbours as ourselves in this way we will experience the joy of the Lord - I promise. Next week, we light the Candle of Peace and as we love our neighbours as ourselves in this way we will experience the peace of the Lord - I promise. This week, as we await the celebration of the penultimate arrival of our Lord as a baby laid in a manger and as we await the ultimate arrival of our Lord at the echaton, let us all be a part of the joyful, peaceful revolution by honestly loving our Lord with all our heart, mind and soul and loving our neighbour as ourselves and as we do I promise God will change our world as He changes us from the inside out.
This sounds easy enough doesn’t it: don’t extort money from people, don’t falsely accuse people, and be content with your pay. Easy? Maybe. These soldiers weren't Romans; they were Judeans just like the tax collectors and just like most of the rest of the crowd. These soldiers worked for the Romans just like the tax collectors but these soldiers were very poorly paid. They didn’t have the freedom of the toll booth operators to set their own wages so they resorted to other ways to make money - basically stealing. But that was okay, they convinced themselves, because ‘everyone was doing it’. But that is not okay. I love looking at Luke in Advent season. Luke is the social justice gospel. It is a revolutionary text.
I remember when we were living in Vancouver, there were many stores in our neighbourhood which would charge you less if you paid in cash because then they wouldn’t have to declare the money as income. I have met many people who are paid 'under the table', who deliberately do not claim income on their taxes – after all they don’t make very much and the government doesn't need their money. When I worked at a military base pre-9/11, one co-worker allegedly regularly used to take discarded copper home to sell for extra money, after all he only made minimum wage; the government didn't need more money. I remember as a janitor when I was a teenager, colleagues who would take food or office supplies from the buildings where they were working: they're only going to throw it out anyway. Why would they miss this food from their coffee room? They have lots of money to buy more. Luke says, “be content with your pay.”
I remember too, we used to be able to make more money by working more hours so we would volunteer to take on extra hours cleaning extra buildings. I –like my fellow janitors – loved that. This is where you could get overtime pay without even working one hour overtime. It was late at night and we often worked alone so some of us could do 16 hours worth of cleaning in just six hours without anyone noticing. The buildings were clean, thus no one complained so we would write 16 hours on our timesheet even though we only worked six; no one cared, everyone was doing it and that way we would not only get paid for 10 hours of work we didn’t do but we would even get time-and-a-half or double-time for some of those hours. It was an easy way to make an extra buck or two. Get paid for hours you don’t work, take food and supplies no one will miss which ‘everyone else is taking anyway’. (I have also seen Salvationists with jobs and money take food or toys meant for the poor as presents for their own families too… ‘everyone is doing it’…)
I remember one security guard at a building where I worked as a janitor for a while. I would chat with him about God, among other things; one day he asked me, “If you are a Christian, why are you leaving early?”
“My work is done.”
“Are you getting paid?”
“Yes.”
“So, do more work.”
“Everyone just leaves when they are done, we’re expected to”
“Isn’t that stealing?”
The baptiser, John, says to those of his day who weren’t paid necessarily a ‘livable wage’, “be content with your pay.” Luke says to we today who may be tempted to pad our hours, not declare our income, or manipulate our wages, “be content with your pay.” It is always interesting looking at Luke during Advent. Luke is the social justice gospel. It is a revolutionary text. Luke tells as what the impending Kingdom of God looks like. It is a place where the poor will have equal access to life and liberty as (or more than) the rich and everyone who is a part of God’s Kingom will deal openly and honestly with each other.
And honestly, in Advent this revolution is noticeably important. We, as Christians, are called to be holy. We, as Christians, are called to be the advance guard of a just society where the poor do have the same access to life and to forgiveness as the rich. The middle class and the elite - like the tax collectors - are not to make a profit at the expense of the poor and those just barely eking out a living; we are to do it honestly. And all of us, rich or poor, are to be content with our wages for God will provide for us as He provides for the birds of the air and the lilies of the feild (Luke 12:27, Mt 6:28).[9] Everyone, as we are a part of God's proleptic Kingdom, we are to love our neighbour and as they are in need we are to provide for their need just as our Heavenly Father provides for our needs.
This Sunday we light the Candle of Joy and as we love our neighbours as ourselves in this way we will experience the joy of the Lord - I promise. Next week, we light the Candle of Peace and as we love our neighbours as ourselves in this way we will experience the peace of the Lord - I promise. This week, as we await the celebration of the penultimate arrival of our Lord as a baby laid in a manger and as we await the ultimate arrival of our Lord at the echaton, let us all be a part of the joyful, peaceful revolution by honestly loving our Lord with all our heart, mind and soul and loving our neighbour as ourselves and as we do I promise God will change our world as He changes us from the inside out.
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