Meditations

But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.” Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” Luke 19:8-10

“The story of Zacchaeus provides evidence that through actions that caused harm, through fraud, and through the thefts connected to his profession, he damaged and in fact made impossible a life of dignity for many people. The relationship with Jesus brought Zacchaeus back to his origins, restoring justice.

The fourfold return in the case of theft of means of production or of products, an act that took place during the collection, was foreseen in Exodus 21:37 (see also Numbers 5:6-7). The purpose of the return, as part of the Jewish tradition of the Jubilee, is the opportunity for the impoverished people to be rehabilitated, so that they can return to having their own independent means to produce and to live, free of processes of indebtedness! Thus, the damages can be, if not compensated, at least alleviated, and the persons who were deprived can once again have at their disposal the capital that was taken from them by fraud. They can reorganize their lives.

Moreover, Zacchaeus reclaimed a tradition of his people, namely, returning fourfold more to persons he had robbed and giving over half of his goods to persons who had entered into a process of impoverishment, perhaps even precisely because of those fraudulent actions. Zacchaeus practiced the forgiveness of debts in its full and profound sense. With that, old Jubilee traditions were revived that had been proclaimed and longed for by the suffering people.

The grace of Jesus in relation to Zacchaeus is converted into relationships of grace and commitment in the social and communal life of the people. Only in this way do rich people have a space in the ministry of Jesus and in the communities of Luke.”

Ivoni Richter Reimer in “The Forgiveness of Debts in Matthew and Luke” in God’s Economy: Biblical Studies from Latin America edited by Ross and Gloria Kinsler (Maryknoll: Orbis, 2005) 166-167.

I hope you like the new header photo of the chapel in Antigua across the street from the hotel where we are facilitating the Journey of Empowerment retreat this weekend. I also must say that am learning a lot from these Latin American authors whilst traveling with this book full of articles by Latin American scholars on God’s economy.

Today’s reading helped me see something I’ve missed in my reflections on Zacchaeus over the years. His distribution of funds must not be understood as generosity per se, as it is not portrayed as such by Jesus or Luke (though we may read it that way). Instead we must see Zacchaeus (and rich people in Luke’s narrative) as doing justice.

The giving of Zacchaeus to the poor must not be understood as generosity. His accumulation and subsequent redistribution of that which, in God’s eyes, belonged to the poor and those he cheated must be seen instead as making right the wrongs he had done. This reading is affirmed by the fact that the measure He chose linked back to justice requirements in the law.

To be generous and to do justice are different. To apply the lessons of these texts in modern times leads to two conclusions. First, sharing surplus with the poor may not be generosity after all but may, in God’s eyes, be doing justice. Two, the kind of giving Jesus celebrates demonstrates sacrificial (like the widow who put in everything) and does justice (like Zacchaeus).

So, for “salvation” to come to your house, is there a need for redistribution and justice? I am not saying that our giving can secure our eternal salvation. What I am saying is that God sees everything, that our handling of money reveals what we believe, where we place our trust, and whether or not we take seriously the teachings of Jesus regarding the handling of money.

Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Matthew 6:26

“The stunning suggestion in Matthew 6:25-34 is: in order to solve the crucial human problems of sufficient food and clothing, “just say no” to the greater production values of the modernized economy of ancient agriculture with its advanced technology of sowing and reaping and storing in barns. At the same time, the text disparages—by seeing through—the dazzling refinements of imperial civilization. In contemporary terms, the proposal of Matthew 6:25-34 would be that the solution to widespread hunger and the threat of exposure is not to be found in the pursuit of ever more efficent means of material production and better distribution. Nor are the Solomonic virtues of exceeding wealth and advanced wisdom, or free-flowing international exchange and expert scribal knowledge, to be trusted. Instead, we are instructed to imitate the birds of the air and the flowers of the field… Human existence need not be imagined to occur in spite of nature but as part of the realm of God’s continuing beneficience.”

Leif E. Vaage in “The Sermon on the Mount” in God’s Economy: Biblical Studies from Latin America edited by Ross and Gloria Kinsler (Maryknoll: Orbis, 2005) 144-145.

I will share another lesson from the coffee plantation, pictured above, that illustrates the point of today’s post. Vaage rightly notes that the answer to the world’s economic challenges is not to stockpile harvest in barns but to enjoy and share all God richly supplies and to sow it for sustainability.

On the coffee tour I learned that the two seeds in each coffee bean must either be planted or consumed promptly. The coffee plantation that had thrived for over a century had no barns on it. One seed is planted right away. The other bean is dried and only good for a year after being packaged. Once opened, the bean is good for only three more months whilst ground coffee is only good for one month.

What’s the point? If we imitate the birds, we see that they enjoy and share God’s provision promptly and generously. Storing them up is senseless. It is not big barns but rather God’s beneficience that sustains the birds and us. So, why would Jesus say to imitate the birds? A closer look reveals that He is pointing us to the realities of God’s abundant economy.

This heavenly economic model demonstrates the belief that, like the birds, we can even reap where we do not sow because God can supply all things beyond our limited capacity in his abundant economy. The world’s model does not comprehend that what sustains us is not our advanced technologies but our generous God.

When you reap the harvest of your land, do not reap to the very edges of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest. Do not go over your vineyard a second time or pick up the grapes that have fallen. Leave them for the poor and the foreigner. I am the Lord your God. Leviticus 19:9-10

“Ruth works as a day laborer in the field. All day long she gleans to feed herself and her elderly widowed mother-in-law. Ruth faces exile, displacement, poverty; she takes on the chores reserved for men, bearing the sun, hunger, and cold; she valiantly develops what is considered to be her only possibility. She does not want to become a burden to anyone; she cannot and will not be idle. So she taks on the economic task on the basis of her possibilities: to work for another.”

Carmiña Nevia Velasco in “Women and Neoliberalism” in God’s Economy: Biblical Studies from Latin America edited by Ross and Gloria Kinsler (Maryknoll: Orbis, 2005) 121.

Reading this book by Latin American scholars combined with serving this week in a poor country like Guatemala has been eye-opening for me. I am seeing a new dimension of generosity. The biblical character, Ruth, was poor, but she could still be generous. She could work to care for her mother-in-law. I am learning that her choice mirrors the decisions that many people make in the majority world.

I visited Finca Filadelfia, a coffee plantation (pictured above), and took a tour with my colleagues. When I saw the workers preparing for harvest time which is coming soon I thought of Ruth. Do you know anyone who does not want to be burden on anyone but could use a break? How might you help ease the load of someone who works to care for others? Could you empower them with tools to bless those they serve? Speaking of empowering…

Today through Saturday, GTP will host the second cohort of Journey of Empowerment, or JOE, for Guatemala. To multiply faithful stewards, I will facilitate with two people who attend the first cohort last year. Pray for us. God has brought together a great group of about two dozen influential workers. Many labor for the poor, the blind, and other groups who glean. Pray the retreat is a life-changing adventure for all. Thanks.

“Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?” The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.” Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.” Luke 10:36-37

“There is no insinuation that the needy ask for help. This may be for two reasons: to emphasize the other part, that attitudes of solidarity through be taken. Or it may be because the text is speaking about a “situation,” internalized as “normal” both for those who are fine and for the others.

And this is serious. The prophetic message acts then as a wake-up call. It makes the hearers take note of what is happening in the society, or of the social differences that divide and generate sectors of “classes” in the community.

Even more: if the text says nothing about what the needy do, or about what they should do, the force of the oracle is for those who can—and it says to them what they should do—show solidarity with them. In other words, the prophetic message proposes what Jesus in the parable of the Good Samaritan says—to be neighbor…

“Neighbor,” therefore, is not oen who is near (to the other) but one ho draws near to the other. One “becomes a neighbor” by approaching the other, by taking an initiative to draw near and help.”

José Severino Croatto in “Leviticus Jubilee Year to the Prophetic Liberation Time” in God’s Economy: Biblical Studies from Latin America edited by Ross and Gloria Kinsler (Maryknoll: Orbis, 2005) 104.

Again, I hope you are appreciating these Latin American scholarly perspectives on generosity whilst I travel and serve in Guatemala this week. Croatto helps us see that the generous neighbor for Jesus is not one is near but one who takes the initiative to draw near and helps a person in need.

Today at 8am Denver time / 4pm Cairo time, I am participating in a webinar promoted by GTP and NABLA, entitled “Steps from External Support Dependency to Local Sustainability.” But why mention this? In the webinar I cite the Good Samaritan in contrast to some helping can actually hurt.

Some help can create unhealthy dependencies rather than build healthy disciples. The key is in the movement! We cannot throw money at a problem and call it “generosity.” Instead, we show solidarity with the hurting. We take the initiative and draw near to those in need, as Croatto says, and lift them up.

Is there someone you know that you could show solidarity with right now? What if you took the initative to move toward them, to draw near to them at this time and lift them up? How might you avoid giving a handout that creates a dependency and give a hand up to build a disciple?

If you lend money to one of my people among you who is needy, do not treat it like a business deal; charge no interest. If you take your neighbor’s cloak as a pledge, return it by sunset, because that cloak is the only covering your neighbor has. What else can they sleep in? When they cry out to me, I will hear, for I am compassionate. Exodus 22:25-27

“In the biblical tradition, the sabbatical year is an important law and a tradition to safeguard the people of Israel. It is a time to begin anew. After a sequence of six years of work and also of economic successes and failures, the seventh year is considered to be a time in which social relations should be restructured.

The tradition of the sabbatical year is an application of the days of the week to a sequence of years. In the Bible three variables of the theme are linked together: rest for the land in the seventh year (Exodus 23:10-11), the freeing of slaves (Exodus 21:1-22; Deuteronomy 15:12-18), and the forgiveness of debts every seventh year (Deuteronomy 15:1-11)…

The seventh year became a special year of liberation. It is a Jubilee time, a time of grace… The laws of liberation of slaves and remission of debts constitute a profound intervention in the social relations of dependence in ancient Israelite society, establishing a “time of grace” so that the impoverished and indebted can begin life anew.”

Haroldo Reimer in “A Time of Grace in Order to Begin Anew” in God’s Economy: Biblical Studies from Latin America edited by Ross and Gloria Kinsler (Maryknoll: Orbis, 2005) 71-72.

Whilst I am traveling and ministering in Guatemala, I hope you are enjoying the insights from Latin American scholars on topics related to generosity. And the new header photo above is the time of sharing biblical teaching and practical tools with 28 workers in the G2G network of ministries yesterday.

Haroldo offers us keen insights on the sabbatical year in the teachings of the Old Testament as a “time of grace” mapped out for His people by their compassionate God. The teachings related to rest for the land, the freeing of slaves, and forgiveness of debts. They were safeguards to ensure that God’s people offered the needy a time of grace.

We need such safeguards today. These do not appear as not handouts that create dependencies but rather seasons of providing a helping hand so that after the season, the person is free to begin life anew. Some people might think this teaching as utopian. On the contrary, grace makes us such people in the New Testament.

It is happening now. After yesterday’s session (pictured above) Laura Mazariegos of Potter’s House came to me and thanked me for coming to Guatemala on multiple trips. She said the generosity and accountability teachings have shaped her life and service and influenced how they many live and work, and also impacted many ministries too.

What’s my point and how does it related to generosity? When God’s people lived out the sabbatical year, they gave a hand up with compassion and multiplied people of grace. In the early church, this led to no needy people among them (Acts 4:34). Know anyone who is impoverised and indebted that you could assist over time toward freedom?

Then [Jesus] said to them, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.” Luke 12:15

“I would dare to point out at least four themes that run through the different interpretations of the Bible with respect to economics.

1. The condition of the poor—aliens, widows, orphans, the weak or vulnerable—appears almost always in the interpretations, even in the cases in which it is seen as a result of laziness or carelessness, as a challenge or a call to piety, almsgiving, justice, solidarity, or vindication.

2. Economic life is conceived always as a question of community. Rich and poor are always interrelated. “Economic destinies” are not isolated but related—in solidarity, destructively, or through dependence. In the final analysis, all are included as conflict, as demand, as promise.

3. God demands justice: Clement can see it as sharing; Calvin distinguishes charity and communicative justice; Duchrow sees it as a structural matter. But all, in one way or another, try to link the theme of economics to the demand for justice.

4. All these texts underline the risk that economic power represents, either by enclosing human beings in the realm of the material, by making them insensitive to the neighbor, “prisoners of Mammon,” or by leading them to the “idolatry” of wealth, of money, or of vanity.”

José Miguez Bonino in “The Economic Dimension of Biblical Hermeneutics” in in God’s Economy: Biblical Studies from Latin America edited by Ross and Gloria Kinsler (Maryknoll: Orbis, 2005) 41.

Bonino does a great job summarizing the themes linked to money in the Scriptures. Which one stuck out to you? I am in Latin America right now, and the point which jumped out to me was #2.

Latin Americans grasp the “community” aspect of money and possessions. As an American, my culture tells me everything I possess is mine, because I earned it. This thinking disconnects me from others. It’s toxic.

Jesus would say “Beware!” because such thinking turns us into rich fools instead of generous stewards. Our care for the poor is a reflection of our piety or lack thereof. God demands justice and care of neighbor.

At dinner last night I learned that a network of churches in Ecuador said they were raising money for missionaries and the effort reached its goal. Then, sadly, the funds were spent on other efforts.

This example of corruption in the church caused shame to be brought to the name of Christ and crushed local giving. Julieta Murillo was wounded from this. She said our meetings are “healing” her and giving her “hope.”

Today is a full day of meetings and biblical teaching with Christian workers. The goal is to multiply faithful stewards and equip national workers to follow standards to grow local giving. Appreciate your prayers.

For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. Galatians 3:27-28

“The plagues of Egypt are … to show the power of God in solidarity with the exploited slaves. God hears the cries of the exploited and liberates them. No biblical theme can be used to discriminate against or oppress another, as was done during the conquest. With respect to difficult passages, such as those that discriminate against women, some of us think that sometimes it is necessary to…cling to discerning the Spirit of the whole canon. This means that we will have to privilege the Spirit of the gospel, which, according to Paul, guides us toward justice, life, freedom, peace, and the dignity of all persons.”

Elsa Tamez in “The Bible and the Five Hundred Years of Conquest” in God’s Economy: Biblical Studies from Latin America edited by Ross and Gloria Kinsler (Maryknoll: Orbis, 2005) 10.

As I may change the header photo soon, for those who did or did not guess but want to know…Grace St. Catherine is the second puppy from the left. She is still with her mommy at the breeder.

I got to Guatemala City safely by noon yesterday and had a good first day of the discernment retreat with Paula Mendoza of Guatemala and Julieta Murillo of Ecuador. A discernment retreat includes fasting and feasting, listening and talking, Scripture and prayer, solitude and social time. It’s rich. By the end of three days God unites and guides us forward.

As we got acquainted, we each shared parts of our stories, and my respect for these two women grew yesterday.

Both reported with grace and humility, different ways men have treated them poorly in ministry circles. But they see GTP as different. It’s one of the things they love! The board, staff, and regional workers of GTP value the contribution men and women. We experience together the fellowship of our union with Christ.

Tamez, in using the term “conquest,” is speaking of ways Western culture has impacted Latin America over the past 500 years or so. One outcome of that has been the oppression of women with texts like 1 Timothy 2:9-15. In my doctoral research that text came into view because the adornment of women included plaited hair with gold and pearls.

From my research, I found that the text was not about the role of women in ministry but about disconnecting women from life revolving around Artemis, and instead urging them to center it on God. For more on this watch a YouTube video I did for Asbury and their Seven Minute Seminary.

So, after a great first day with these two women and hearing their stories and then in reading this book to inform my thinking about God’s economy in the Latin American context, this sentence struck me: “God hears the cries of the exploited and liberates them.”

My prayer for GTP in Latin America, in part, is that we can bring the reign of Christ to the corners of life where people, such as women, are exploited and discriminated against and liberate them. This is not done by setting up new social structures, but by unleashing and multiplying generous stewards who have grasped life in God’s economy.

Make it so, LORD, for serving those who cry to you for help.

Therefore, with minds that are alert and fully sober, set your hope on the grace to be brought to you when Jesus Christ is revealed at His coming. 1 Peter 1:13

“Today we need more than ever to reconstruct life and hope, especially among the most needy. Hope is not only a theological virtue but also a strategic orientation, a methodology, an inspiration, and a force in the search for alternatives where there is life for all. In today’s system of domination we feel beaten down by disintegration, fragmentation, the crisis of values, the destruction of social relations, violence, and corruption. Traditional institutions such as the family, the state, and democracy are in crisis. An economic and technological model that excludes the majority and destroys nature is imposed upon us.

Globalization with idolatrous and destructive characteristics emerges. Many are submerged in hopelessness, confusion, and spiritual disintegration. Others look for salvation through flight to an illusory world or through total submission to the power of law and dogma that repress internally all theological and spiritual creativity and destroy or ignore the dimension of utopia, of the Spirit, and of freedom in the construction of the reign of God. The popular reading of the Bible enables us to resist all these forces of death, and at the same time, it enables us to build pathways of life and hope.”

Pablo Richard in God’s Economy: Biblical Studies from Latin America edited by Ross and Gloria Kinsler (Maryknoll: Orbis, 2005) xix.

My readings this week will come from Latin American voices as I will be serving on a GTP trip to Guatemala ministering with our partner there G2G. When this meditations posts, I will have just boarded my flight.

Before I comment on this post, if you want to guess which puppy has been given the name, Grace St. Catherine, let me know. A remarkable number of people guessed correctly yesterday. Too many to reply too. I’m working on it.

It was as if Grace pursued and picked us. Speaking of grace, today’s Scripture reminds us to set our hope on the grace of Jesus Christ. To set our hope is to abandon worldly thinking to “reconstruct life and hope” for us and those around us.

This Guatemala trip has four aims. While I won’t get into all of them here, one is to help reconstruct hope and life by providing biblical teaching coupled with practical tools. This is needed globally, and especially among the poor.

If you think of classic generosity examples in Scripture, like the Good Samaritan for example, the dispenser of blessing did not send help, he or she came. That person met others where they were and aided them in rebuilding what is broken.

I’d appreciate your prayers for a fruitful week. Let me know if you want my trip itinerary for prayer. And look around you. Ask God who is “submerged in hopelessness, confusion, and spiritual disintegration.”

While generosity may appear as giving money, it also includes moving toward the broken with love and helping them reconstruct life and hope under God’s reign.

Spirit, help us do this. Jesus, hear our prayer for the glory of God, the Father. Amen.

Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. 1 Peter 4:8

“A dog will teach you unconditional love. If you can have that in your life, things won’t be too bad.”

Robert Wagner as recounted Chicken Soup for the Soul: The Dog Really Did That? compiled by Amy Newmark (San Francisco: Simon & Schuster, 2017) 90.

Since we are all sinners, we need more unconditional love in this world. Few teach us what unconditional love is better than dogs. With Joy’s passing, her unconditional love is what we missed most of all.

Sure, she kept us young walking at least an hour a day. And, she kept Jenni company when I traveled. But nothing matched the love she gave to Jenni, Sammy, Sophie, and me.

So we determined to look for another GSP (German Shorthaired Pointers). But it often takes months to wait for a litter. We did a simple internet search and, well, the rest is a miracle story.

On Wednesday, Jenni and I made the drive to Grand Junction, and then on Thursday, arrived at Peace Valley Kennels in Montrose, Colorado, where met these four cutties!

By the generosity of God, we got our pick of the litter of four female GSP (German Shorthaired Pointers) which is what we were looking for. But it seemed that one of them picked us.

We named her Grace St. Catherine!

She will be the third GSP to bring unconditional love to the Hoag family. Joy St. Clare was followed by Sammy’s GSP, Hope St. Teresa, who is 4.5 years old now.

The weekend before Thanksgiving we will get to bring her home.

God must know we need more unconditional love in our lives! It’s a miracle gift, which we are receiving as a grace. And that is her name. The question is, can you guess which one she is?

Reply and I will let you know if you are correct.

He has distributed freely; he has given to the poor; His righteousness endures forever; His horn is exalted in honor. Psalm 112:9

“The dog is the most faithful of animals and would be much esteemed were it not so common. Our Lord God has made his greatest gift the commonest.”

Martin Luther as recounted by Tana Osborn in Until Heaven Then My Friend: Life’s Journey for Your Beloved Dog (Powell Butte: Updraft, 2013) 67.

God has given many gifts widely to common folk. Few as precious as a faithful dog. That’s what so awesome about our God. He shares such precious blessings widely.

Richness is not found in possessing wealth but in enjoying and sharing simple blessings, like a good dog. I pray today you will find joy in that which is common.