Following Jesus late into the evening are crowds of people who are hungry. Disciples advise they be dismissed to “go to the villages and buy food for themselves.” But Jesus says, “(G)ive them some food yourselves.” “Five loaves and two fishes are all we have.” “Taking the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, Jesus said the blessing, broke the loaves, and gave them to (all)… They all ate and were satisfied.”
Jesus has a generous spirit, so too most villagers he meets on his travels – most of whom are poor. People who are poor are consistently shown to be more generous than people who are rich. This is true even though having a generous spirit puts a greater strain on a poor person than it does on a rich person. Experiencing poverty yet being more generous, such as the sharing of the loaves and fishes in the Gospel, describes a spirituality of generosity. Experiencing wealth yet being less generous describes the theology of scarcity. The theology of scarcity is capitalism and it originates in the rich slave owners who invented it, including Biblical ones. Professor of Old Testament Theology, Walter Brueggemann, who skips over the rich slave owner Abraham, pins the origins of the theology of scarcity on another biblical slave owner, Pharaoh. In truth, both men were slaveowners, capitalists who kept resources in abundance for themselves but scarce for their slaves. Both men also kept a priestly class to bless their slave owning and thus developed the theology of scarcity. It sanctified keeping undeserving sinners/slaves in want for even basic necessities like food. The Bible is filled with additional slave owner capitalists like Moses, David, and Solomon who used that same slave owning theology to manipulate for self-reward while they allocated scarcity to their sinners/slaves. U.S. history is also filled with slave owning capitalists like Washington, Jefferson, Jackson, Robert E. Lee, and Jefferson Davis, like the founder of the KKK Nathan Bedford Forrest, and like the 11 Confederate generals who have U.S. military bases named after them; Benning, Bragg, Hood, Polk,…. All of these men from U.S. history used the Old Testament, its slave owners, and their invented theology of scarcity to manipulate for self-reward while they caused catastrophic scarcity for others. The slave owning men from U.S. history are rightly being challenged for the honor bestowed upon them. People in the U.S. are necessarily renouncing their slave owning, rejecting their hero status, and taking down their statues. People who claim discipleship in Christ need to do the same with Biblical slave owners; renounce their slave owning, reject their hero status, and take down their statues. We need not be in want for even basic necessities like food nor basic spiritualities like generosity.
A kindly stranger traveling across the land came upon a town. Seeing him, fearful people scooped up their children, retreated to their homes, and locked their doors. As the children peered from the windows, the stranger smiled, “Why do you fear me? I am a poor traveler, seeking companions for a warm meal. The fearful people yelled to him, “We have nothing. Keep moving on.” He responded, “Oh, I have all I need. I am making stone soup and would like to share it with all of you.” He took an iron cauldron which he filled with water and under it started a fire. Then, he drew an ordinary-looking stone from a silken bag and dropped it into the water, which started the children talking. Rumors of food brought the fearful from their homes. They watched as the stranger sniffed the “broth” and licked his lips. Fear gave way to trust and scarcity to generosity. “My soup is tasty, he said, “but adding cabbage would make it even better. Soon, a woman came forward, “I have a small cabbage,” and she added it to the pot. “Wonderful,” exclaimed the stranger, “Some salt beef would make the soup fit for a king.” A man had some beef and added it the pot. And so it went, through potatoes, onions, carrots, mushrooms, and more, until there was indeed a delicious meal which everyone shared and a warm community which everyone sustained. As he was leaving the stranger came upon the children who asked, “May we have your magic stone?” He gave the silken bag with the stone to the youngest child, telling them all, “It was not the stone that was magic, but the people and their generosity who were the miracle.”
Prayer: Spirit, move me from believing in scarcity to sharing abundantly
Question: To what degree can I be free of all slave owners, U.S. and Biblical?
August 02, 2020 Gospel Matthew 14:13-21 Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time