WHEN THE CHIPS ARE DOWN, WE SHALL KNOW WHO IS WHO

 
HOMILY FOR THE 16^TH SUNDAY OF THE ORDINARY TIME, YEAR A

Rev. Fr. Ezekoka Peter Onyekachi

Our topic today is an idiom that is got from the world of gambling. In gambling, there is a point when all the bets have been placed. At that point, there is no return. At that point, there are no more chips to bet with. At that point, there is no review. It is that critical final moment when the cards have been dealt, and then turned over for the revelation of the winner. This point is a critical time when no further choices can be made. It is also a time of crisis when things can be bad for some, because their stack of chips is low; that is, they are losing. It is a time of reckoning, and a time of judgment and testing. It is an important moment when something is really at stake. This idiom has a lot to teach us. We have thus employed it to buttress the central message of our reflection today. Good day to you all.

In today’s Gospel reading (Matt. 13:24-43), we encounter three parables. It is worthwhile to note that these three parables complete the first part of the two levels of parables we exposed during our previous reflection last Sunday. We said that Matthew narrates Jesus’ teaching in parables in two phases: one told in the public to all including the disciples, and the other told in private to only the disciples. The three parables of today belong and complete the first part; that is, the ones told in public. Among them, Jesus explained only one and leaves us to use our intellect to understand the other two. One thing peculiar to the three of them is that Jesus begins with the words: the kingdom of heaven is like. He speaks in similitude. Hence, we must first and foremost know that similitude helps to compare two realities, in such a manner that one of the realities bears or exhibits some features or characters of the other.

Similitude is not exactitude. Jesus uses the stories to explain the kingdom of heaven which he knows is incomprehensible and inexplicable if one dreams of knowing how exactly it is while on earth. We can only employ some earthly experiences to explain some of the features of the kingdom of heaven. And that is what we see in today’s Gospel. The parable of the wheat and Tares explains God’s patient wait for the time of judgment, and the seeming co-existence of evil with the good. The parable of the mustard seed talks about the surprises that may come with the kingdom of heaven, and the fact that the people’s expectations may not be in tandem with God’s expectation when it concerns the end results. The parable of the leaven exposes the transforming power of God who has the capability to change that which is stubborn in us. We can thus bring out three key themes from these three parables: Divine Patience, Divine Surprise and Divine Transforming power.

Learning from the DIVINE PATIENCE...

 

The parable of the wheat and tares has many things to teach us as Christians; the first from the side of God, and the second from our own human side.

From the side of God

The wheat and the Tares were left to grow together. The Son of man (Jesus) who is the sower of the good seeds did not bother to uproot the tares which are inimical to the growth of the good seeds. Why is this so? The wheat and tares could not be safely separated when both were growing, but in the end, they had to be separated, because the grain of the tare is poisonous. It causes dizziness and sickness and is narcotic in its effects. A small amount has a bitter and unpleasant taste. So, uprooting them at a stage when the good plants are not fully grown may inject corruption to the plants and hence poison them that they become useless. Since the good plants are already grown and have rooted in the soil, they fear no poor growth. Another is that the tare known as the darnel is indistinguishable with the wheat judging from their early stages.

 

One may thus make mistake of uprooting a wheat plant instead of a darnel weed. In the end, they will be laboriously separated from each other, and the darnel burnt.

This is true in our lives. God is patient in allowing the good to grow with the bad. He knows that destroying anything perceived as evil beside us may result to our not fully realizing our potentials. Let them grow together now they are young before a mistake is made whereby the good are also uprooted or even poisoned. This parable gives us a clue to understand why the good grow with the bad. We also must know that the only person with the right to judge is God. It is God alone who discerns the good and the bad. It is a pity that human beings are limited in their judgment. Let us accept our place. Let us be contended that in the end, judgment belongs to God; when the chips are down, we shall know who is who.

From the human side

A) The wheat was not complaining against the tares. It was only concentrated in gathering enough nutrients for its growth knowing that it belong to the good plants. Some of us are so interested in pork-nosing into people’s lives to the extent that we lose our own sanctity and goodness. We need to put more effort to work on ourselves to be better, gathering the required nutrients since the soil has been made available to us. You fail if you give the reason that your business was on the affairs of leaving your own nutrients and looking around to discover the tares. Your job is not to discover theatres but to work on yourself. Yes, there is a hostile power in the world, waiting to destroy the good ones; the lesson is to be on our guard and to work hard to remove even the smallest weeds in our hearts and lives. B) May we not be too quick to classify people as good and as bad. A man may appear good and may in fact be bad, and vice versa. It is hard to distinguish the good from the bad. We must exercise caution in classifying and maiming others we perceive to be bad. We must not be too quick to judge others. All of us will be judged by own whole life not by a single stage or act in our lives. No one who sees only part of a thing can judge a whole; so too, you cannot judge a man from a part of his life. Wait until the chips are down, and we know who is who.

Understanding the DIVINE SURPRISE...

 

 The mustard is a small seed that when it grew became the greatest of all, so that birds of the air came and made their homes on it. A) This parable warns us against ourselves who think they have a poor beginning or who see themselves as never do well. Your small beginning does not limit you. You are only limited by your mentality. In history, many people have had poor beginnings and yet they made it great. Is yours different? We have had stories of people from pagan homes who became great missionaries and evangelizers. Do not allow your limitation to limit you. What is it that makes you think you are limited in faith? Sin, strive, colour or race? You are greater than all this. Work hard to be great in faith, holiness and righteousness. B) This parable warns us against the tendency to look down on others because of their small beginning. No one knows tomorrow. The parable teaches us that the kingdom of heaven starts from a small beginning, but no one knows where it will end, because we cannot know what the future has in stock. God surprises. We should even be more careful when we have affluence in our beginnings. Never look down on others. God’s judgment comes with great surprises. And do not be intimidated when you are looked down upon, for when the chips are down, we know who is who.

 

Disposition for the DIVINE TRANSFORMING POWER

 

It is a great shock that the kingdom of heaven is connected to a leaven/yeast, because for the Jews leaven is always connected to evil influence. For the Jews, the yeast/leaven was an agent of putrefaction or decay. It causes quick decay, and hence stood for that which is evil (cf. Matt 16:6; 1 Cor. 5:6-8; Gal 5:9). However, the point of the parable of the leaven/yeast lies in the transforming power of God. The yeast changed the character of the whole baking. Unleavened bread is hard, tasteless, unappetizing, but the leavened bread is soft, spongy, porous, tasty and good to eat. The introduction of the leaven causes a transformation in the flour; so too the kingdom of heaven causes a transformation in our lives and the world.

A) An encounter with Christ transforms life, gives us hope to endure suffering and the expectation of future crown. Christianity has transformed the life of the world in so many ways. With the advent of Christianity, we learnt that life is sacred. We stopped killing twins, using virgins to erect demonic altars and sanctuaries and burying kings with the heads of men or women. Christianity has helped in civilization, and indeed is the major agent of civilization in the world. B) Another is that the Christian stands as the transformer in the world. With our lives, we must desire and work to change the society from being dry, tasteless, hard-hearted, and unappetizing to being lively, tasteful, soft-hearted and appetizing. How many lives have you given hopes? How many faces have you made to smile? How many hearts have you warmed? C) A strong point in this parable too is that the kingdom of heaven works unseen. The yeast does this function in the flour, yet it is unseen, and no one easily remembers it. We must not grief if we are not remembered or appreciated for the good works we do in people’s lives. It is a message of encouragement. You may find yourself making great effort to acquire a particular spiritual gift, but you do not seem to see it realized, do not lose hope, because the works of the kingdom is more than that which you want. Some are paid back evil for good, some are killed for the course of truthfulness, some are ostracized and relegated even when they mean well. Do not worry. Be contended with the fact that through your life, you have contributed to the success of God’s work here on earth. Never think that you have worked for nothing, because when the chips are down, you will know who is who.

May God give us the courage to work for the realization of his kingdom here on earth. May He make us learn the divine patience and so allow it to apply patience in our lives. May He make understand the divine surprise and so not be quick to relegate others. May He create in us more dispositions to submit our lives for his transforming power, and so with it transform our society. Amen. I wish you a splendid new week. God bless you.