big bucks

Thursday November 15^th, Mark 12: ³⁸As he taught, Jesus said, "Watch out for the teachers of the law. They like to walk around in flowing robes and be greeted in the marketplaces, ³⁹and have the most important seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at banquets. ⁴⁰They devour widows' houses and for a show make lengthy prayers. Such men will be punished most severely."  I heard an interesting sermon while on vacation a couple of years ago.  It was at an ELCA church and the text was the disciples arguing who was to be the greatest.  The basic premise of the sermon was that Jesus was a good leader who set them straight, therefore what the text calls for is good leaders, therefore, what we are called to do is support policies and systems where CEO’s are making the big bucks.  Needless to say, I don’t agree.  We have way too many examples of groups like Goldman-Sachs looking for ways of making a quick buck at the expense of the widow’s houses.  The drive for the quick buck at the expense of others has become for some the American way and was a major issue in the latest political campaigns.  It is not American, and it is not new.  These scoundrels were around in Jesus’ day wrapped in the flag of the church.  Jesus called them out for the health of the community as well as the health of their very souls.  The church should continue to do nothing less.