Fourth Sunday after
Pentecost, Proper 6
Year C
June 16, 2013
I
Kings 21:1-21a Psalm 5:1-8
Galatians
2:15-21 St. Luke 7:36—8:3
Who is in and who is out?
Often we categorize people by whether they are in or out. Are they part of the cool, acceptable
crowd? Or are they out?
The Gospel today deals with those in and those out. Those who are in are often very comfortable
with their status. They have no
fears. The Pharisee’s were part of the
in crowd in the Jewish world that Jesus lived in. Women who were sinners on the other hand were
definitely on the outside. They were looked
down on. They were unappreciated. They had nothing worthwhile to offer society
or those around them.
It seems like in our society today everyone needs to be a
part of the in crowd. No one wants to be
in the out crowd. But of course, who
could blame them? Jesus was being
invited to be a part of the in crowd in.
But as usual Jesus was not very accommodating. And Jesus had his own agenda. And very often that agenda never agreed with
what the in crowd wanted.
Now the in crowd is easily upset with what Jesus had to do
or say. The Pharisee is scandalized to
the seas as is letting this sooner or woman to Sonoma. Wisely the Pharisee observes that if Jesus
was really a prophet he would’ve known what type of woman this was, that she
was a terrible sinner.
The in crowd always wants to judge the out crowd. That seems to be the nature of things. And the problem with Jesus was that he
refused to judge people. Jesus wanted to
accept everyone as they were. Jesus
wanted to touch every one right were they were in their life. The out crowd is always about changing people
to make them fit in. Jesus was about
accepting people the way they are. And
the in crowd finds that point of view just a little bit frightening.
The challenge for us is how do we make St. Peter’s more like
Jesus response and less like the Pharisee’s? Sadly too many outside of the church see a place
filled with Pharisee’s only too happy to judge them and condemn them, rather than
seeing a place filled with Jesus like people who want to embrace them with open
arms of love and acceptance.
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