Commentary on Lectionary for February 6, 2011

Epiphany 5A

Isaiah 58:1-12; Psalm 112: 1-10; 1 Corinthians 2:1-16; Matthew 5:13-20

If we were to give our children advice about money, what would it be? Make enough money so you don’t have to worry about it? Make enough so that you donate to worthy causes, build hospitals, fund research? Make enough to free your children to use their talents for humanity and not spend all their time in non-creative employment that leaves them tired and unable to invent, initiate and discover?

There is a so-called theology of prosperity out there—a belief that Scripture promises wealth and prosperity to all those who keep the commandments and are judged to be righteous. Psalm 112 in today’s readings may be partially responsible for this theology. “Happy the man who fears the Lord, who greatly delights in his commands…Wealth and riches shall be in his house…” (Psalm 112:1,3).

And the passage from Isaiah contains a similar promise, but only to those who take care of the poor, the hungry, the naked: “Then the Lord will guide you always and give you plenty even on the parched land” (Isaiah 58:11).

What a joy it would be to win the lottery! Would prayer help? Would some sort of sacrifice to God help? Just tell me what to do in order that I may be freed from worries about employment and mortgages and medications and retirement?

Accumulate money! Is this the sole wisdom we want to impart to our children?
If we turn to the author of 1 Corinthians for an answer, it will be quite different from what we might expect. If we are asking Paul for answers in our quest for comfort and happiness, he will point us toward wisdom, all right, but a “mysterious, hidden wisdom” (1 Cor. 2: 7). It seems as if counting money and stacking gold coins is NOT what the Spirit of God is leading us to appreciate. Paul suggests that only those who have the mind of Christ have true wisdom.

Matthew describes that mind in the Sermon on the Mount. The words reflect a wisdom that comes from being connected to God and His presence. Then everything looks different. Once we have this vision, we become “lights to the world,” fit to be put on a lampstand so that others can see (Matthew 5:15). The words are delivered by a man who is able to look at fishermen and say: “Follow me,” and they drop their careers and their livelihood to do so. The man is sufficient. He fills up emptiness, dampens fears, and makes money much less important. Wealth, it turns out, is for helping those who don’t have any.