Monday, September 2, 2019

See Me



"On a Sabbath, Jesus went to dine at the home of one of the leading Pharisees. He told a parable to those who had been invited . . . 'When you hold a lunch or dinner, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or your wealthy neighbors, in case they may invite you back and you have repayment.  Rather, when you hold a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind; blessed indeed will you be because of their inability repay you.' "- [Luke 14: 1, 7-14].


I once knew an important man, who went about boasting that he attended all the big charity dinners and concerts. He regaled all, with stories of those glittering evenings. He showed around photos of banquets laden with gourmet food, photos of the stellar guests dressed in their finest designer clothing. 'Oh, ' he would say, ' By the way, this was all for charity.'

It seemed like he was more motivated by the fine accoutrements offered, or by the personal pleasure enjoyed in such luxurious trappings. The people whom he was meant to serve were an afterthought. They were strangers to him, or mere props in his pursuit of pleasure.

He seemed more interested in toting up the value of what he had received, as against the charitable donation that he had made. The charity banquet became a financial transaction - "I gave $100 but received things worth far more than that in the course of an evening."

In this Scripture, Jesus advises us to invite "the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind".  These are neighbors or acquaintances who cannot possibly pay us back for our generosity. This kind of banquet is not designed to make our guests feel guilty.

This kind of banquet is designed to make us feel a whole lot less entitled. When we do not feel "owed" something, we suddenly become a whole lot more humble.

Love is the great leveler, is it not? Love asks us to give generously, from the heart. Love requires true sacrifice. Not forking over a few bucks, to get a guaranteed pay-off, now or in the future.

Love does not mean keeping score - 'I did this for you, now you owe me this.'

Love also requires us to meet ALL people, where they are.

Love requires me to accept that you are a "mere carpenter", and to find the value, the humanity and the Soul in that.

Love does not put certain people on a pedestal, and place others beneath us in status. Love is not a constant measuring up.

Jesus treated the dreaded tax collector, the woman of ill-repute, the Pharisee and the blind man, all with Love and respect. He truly saw them, but from the inside.

When I was a little girl, I was bullied. People "accused me" of coming from a rich family, as if that necessarily meant that I was a snob. They "accused me" of being intelligent, as if that necessarily meant that I was a know-it-all. They mocked my strong aquiline nose, they criticized my ethnicity, as if that meant that I did not belong in the place where I lived.

After awhile, even as a child, I realized that people were rejecting me because of things I could not control. Things I was born to be.

It was then that I vowed to never reject or criticize someone for who they were. I could wish that someone could change a bit - learn to be kinder, to work harder, to be more patient.

But I would never reject someone for being blind, poor, lame, a stranger from a foreign land, etc. These are characteristics that simply ARE, that say nothing about the person's talents, or their capacity to love, or to be of value in our world.

As a little girl, I longed for someone to see me for who I really was, from the inside. I longed for people to see past the superficialities, and to understand me to the core.

I cannot fix all the bullying from the past. But I can try to be more like Jesus, meeting people where they are.

I approach people where they are, with Love.

(c) Spiritual Devotional 2019. All Rights Reserved.

[Related Postings: "The Banquet", 10/12/14.]