Clothesline #9

Greetings to all on 7 OCT 2005

Word for the Day
Xenophobia - the fear of strangers. Transliterated from the Greek, xeno (stranger) and phobia (fear), the antonym of hospitality.

Quote for the Day
“In our culture, the stranger is often a threatening figure...We rightfully stress to our kids not to talk to strangers...We avoid the panhandler, the homeless pushing their shopping carts down the sidewalk. Our hospitality, such as it is, happens on the neutral, institutional ground of soup kitchens and homeless shelters. It’s better than nothing, but seems to fall short of the biblical calling. But we can’t just write it off as some ancient practice that doesn’t fit our world today. Hospitality to strangers isn’t just a nice thing to do if we can; it’s the very embodiment of our faith.” [1] To read the full article, click on the link in the end notes.

Website for the Day
http://sojourner.typepad.com
This is a great site for house church information and other cutting edge stuff.

Thought for the Day
Last month we considered the practice of hospitality; today I want to share one final example. When you have time, read about Jesus’ visit to the home of Simon the Pharisee as recorded in Luke 7.36-50. Simon invites Jesus into his home for a meal that possibly includes an ulterior motive about which we are not informed. As a good host Simon would have greeted his guest with a kiss, an ointment of oil and a cleansing of his feet. However, things did not go quite as expected. As they reclined for the meal, an uninvited woman enters and kneels behind Jesus. Apparently, Simon had failed to extend the three customary acts of hospitality to Jesus which gave the woman opportunity to fulfill the role of hostess.

Upon seeing the woman attending to Jesus, Simon was abruptly reminded of his own negligence as a host and quickly summoned for his servant to assist her in washing Jesus’ feet. Oops - wrong ending! Instead, Simon reveals his knowledge of this nameless woman by identifying her as a sinner; a prostitute is implied. His rebuke is based on a strict reading of Leviticus 5.1-5 which indicates a risk of defilement for merely touching a sinner.[2]

Listen to the phrasing of v.44, “Then turning toward the woman he said to Simon” and imagine Jesus extending his arm and even touching her as he spoke, “Do you see this woman? I entered your house, you gave me no water for my feet, but she has wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You gave me no kiss, but from the time I came in she has not ceased to kiss my feet. You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with ointment. Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much; but he who is forgiven little, loves little.” [LUK 7.44-47]

Our world teaches us that goods are scarce and we must scavenge and hoard them from others. But God tells us that he has created a world of abundance. When the Hebrews fled from Pharoah, their physical needs were met. Bread fell from the sky for all to share. But human nature prompted them to store up bread for the future - against an explicit warning. [EXO 16.19-21] What happened to that bread? It became spoiled and therefore useless and wasted. The woman of Luke 7 illustrates this by lavishly pouring out ointments on the feet of Jesus. She knows that, “..you cannot store up God’s generosity.”[3] The analogy is clear for us today. What will we do with our excess?

May God Bless
Mike Toole
clw, ed.

1. Leonard J. Vander Zee, sermon delivered at South Bend Christian Reformed Church, found at www.sbcrc.org/sermons/2002.10.06.html
2. Footnote on Luke 7.39, NRSV, Harper Collins Pub, NY, 1989, p.1972
3. Walter Brueggemann, Deep Memory Exuberant Hope, Fortress Press, Minneapolis, 2000, p.71