But if that servant says to himself,
‘My master is delayed in coming,’
and begins to beat the menservants and the maidservants,
to eat and drink and get drunk,
then that servant’s master will come
on an unexpected day and at an unknown hour
and will punish the servant severely
and assign him a place with the unfaithful.
How often do you hear a story of a cheating business person, lawyer, athlete, minister or politician -- and wonder, "How did he think he could get away with it?" We hear stories of embezzlement and fraud almost daily and wonder how is it possible.
Wisdom has often warned us not to live in a world of our own making. Spiritual masters of the west and gurus of the east urge us to see things as they are, and not as we want them. But true cons believe what they say and they say it with assured conviction, without a shred of hesitation or doubt, and often with such urgency that people just go along with it.
The Kentucky Shakespeare Company last summer put on Othello and I shuddered as I watched it. The Moor and his beautiful wife began their marriage with a deception; and then tried to make it right in the eyes of family and state. They seemed to succeed in that but the past could not be erased and a diabolical Iago could exploit it. Dealing at the time with a chronic liar, I felt Othello's anguish and Desdemona's distress. They could not understand what was happening around them. It was as if the ceiling is not a ceiling; the floor, a floor; and the walls, walls. They were fatally ensnared in an elastic web that gives but will not let go.
Such is the world the liar creates. He may be as clever as "honest Iago" or incredibly stupid, but in either case he creates a world of confusion among people who cannot possibly detect and navigate around every deception. "You can tell he's lying because his lips are moving!" people say of him, but still, because he lives in our world his presence generates chaos.
The servant in Jesus' parable has created such a world. The absentee master has delegated authority to him and because the other servants cannot organize and mutiny, he exploits his power with violence and treachery.
VA chaplains have been discussing "moral injury" over the past few years. The injured person suffers a deep confusion and loss of faith in basic goodness. There may be shades of grey but there is neither black nor white.
Jesus assures us, the day will come. There will be judgement. If you were distressed by the apparent victory of evil on Good Friday, wait. Easter will surprise you but it will destroy the liar.
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I love to write. This blog helps me to meditate on the Word of God, and I hope to make some contribution to our contemplations of God's Mighty Works.
Ordinarily, I write these reflections two or three weeks in advance of their publication. I do not intend to comment on current events.
I understand many people prefer gender-neutral references to "God." I don't disagree with them but find that language impersonal, unappealing and tasteless. When I refer to "God" I think of the One whom Jesus called "Abba" and "Father", and I would not attempt to improve on Jesus' language.
You're welcome to add a thought or raise a question.