“This generation is an evil generation;
it seeks a sign, but no sign will be given it,
except the sign of Jonah.
Just as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites,
so will the Son of Man be to this generation.
The Prophet Jesus, like all the prophets before him, labored to dissuade God’s holy people from their sense of entitlement. His attack is frontal and brutal; they are “an evil generation.”
Marketers and publicists might cringe at his prophetic technique. They might say that this direct approach must instantly arouse both defensiveness and dismissiveness. The target audience doesn’t want to hear it, and they won’t hear it. If anything, it will arouse hostility leading to rejection and, in the case of Jesus, crucifixion. His sage advisors might go on to say, “Now, you don’t want that, do you?”
But we could not be saved unless he were crucified. And so, we hear Jesus’s harsh words toward his contemporaries, we see their reaction, we know what must come, and we pray that he continues in that manner. And we pray that we might recognize our own sense of entitlement and repent of this grievous sin.
I visited the home of a classmate many years ago and a bunch of us played the board game Risk. I won handily and was very pleased with myself. Only the next day did my classmate tell me his younger brothers and sisters were cowed by my presence and let me win. No one would fight against the priest!
Entitlement is like that. We have it and it feels as natural as the rain in spring and the heat of summer. Why would I not feel perfectly comfortable when I get what I want? Isn’t it right that I should? Isn’t it wrong when I don’t?
The saints urge us to welcome disappointment. It’s inevitable and necessary and we should prepare for its coming. Rather than getting all hot and bothered and upset, we might welcome setbacks, failures, refusals, and denials. The emotions they arouse demonstrate the size – perhaps the enormity – of our sense of entitlement.
If we cannot exactly welcome the experience we can decide not to feed our fury with agitated, resentful thoughts and – so much worse – vengeful actions. We need not chew the resentful cud like ruminant cows. Rather, learning to practice calm and peace of mind, we allow the emotions to pass as they always do.
Refusals, denials, snubs, and disappointments should remind us of the everyday experience of many "minorities." Women, African-Americans, Native Americans, and so forth feels the same outrage but the dominant culture supposes, "They're used to it. They can handle it better."
Only those willing to take up their assigned crosses daily and follow in His steps can readily accept insults to their sense of entitlement, and only with much prayer, fasting, and practice.
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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.