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| Eye of the Needle. |
Here is a dilemma. A number of us have been helping a young woman in jail. As it turns out in NC, if you are jailed you still have expenses. This is particularly true on the local level. Beyond the canteen where one may buy alternative food to the plain meals, you may buy undergarments, sanitary products, soap, shampoo, toothpaste, deodorant, etc. Evidently only a few of these products are provided and those that are , are under grade and not very effective. To make a call to the outside, to see a nurse or go to the dentist, you must pay. Even to receive money in a jail-controlled account, you must pay. Those trying to help got that and began to help.
This week I learned that this woman has been transferring some funds to another inmate to help him out, all the while saying she needed more help. How charitable on the one hand. Except that this is part of a pattern of attaching herself to unsavory people. Is this an addictive behavior? Addiction and association with unsavory people is the behavior that has placed her in jail.
Why worry, you might ask. I have asked. There are several reasons. One is that the spirit of aiding her was to help out in a distressed need. Some who are helping are stressed economically themselves, as is so often the lot of the families of those incarcerated. That is not my case. Yet each dollar given here might be given elsewhere. So I personally find two things true. I don’t want to enable a poor choice of relationship on her part. I have unwittingly done that in the past. Second, I want to give to the best effect, here or elsewhere.
But I also know how good it feels to help another in need. Am I wrong to not help her help another? Does it matter that she did not tell me this was what her need was about?
Life is filled with choices and with motivations and we are all to test our own. Sometimes we need feedback to know how we are doing.
In 2 Samuel, David has half forgiven his son for the murder of his rapist brother, David’s eldest son. Half forgiven because he has allowed Absalom to return to the safety of Absalom’s own home while forbidding Absalom from entering David’s presence. That actually is a lot of forgiveness and a very modest punishment for murder. Such I guess is the fruit of privilege. Absalom’s character becomes clear when he takes revenge by burning his cousin’s field, for he too will not enter Absalom’s presence. This story ends with Absalom getting his way and a kiss from his father, but it also foreshadows how conniving he will continue to be. Privilege will be misused.
In the gospel a rich man comes to Jesus wanting eternal life. That is honorable enough. Keep the Law is the answer. Ok, I’ve done that from my youth, what next? Jesus loves him and thus said:
“You lack one thing; go, sell what you own, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.” Mark 10:21
He can’t and departs, downcast. This causes Jesus to observe:
“How hard it will be for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!” Mark 10:23
He disciples wonder at this saying of Jesus.
“Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.”
They were greatly astounded and said to one another, “Then who can be saved?” Jesus looked at them and said,
“For mortals it is impossible, but not for God; for God all things are possible.” Mark 10:24-27
The 'Eye of the Needle' was a small door in the gates of Jerusalem. When the gates were locked for security at night and a caravan arrived, the camels had to be off-loaded and led to crawl through the 'eye' on their knees to enter the safety of the city. This is Jesus' image of the challenge to the rich and privileged. In some real sense we crawl into the reign of God by the generosity of our heart and actions. The Reign means to enlarge our hearts not our pockets. So much for the theology of live right and you will have great wealth. You may, but will you have the heart for it?
You could also apply it to our privilege and the danger of pride. We all have some off-loading to do to create generous space for others.
And the good news is that God can guide us, if we are willing to seek a way. Yet that way will ask us to share our abundance significantly as a blessing to others and open our privilege to bless others as well. My rule of thumb is that we all have some of each. We all have a journey to share deeply.
However misguided I may think my young friend is in her generosity from jail, I think God is using it to challenge my own heart and purse. So often the poor help each other in ways that both trouble and humble those of us with more. Our hearts do well to kneel down here and learn.
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