Sufficient injustice [Trinity 16; St. Luke 7:11-17]

LISTEN TO THE AUDIO HERE.

Jesus speaks today, saying,

“As he drew near to the gate of the town, behold, a man who had died was being carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow, and a considerable crowd from the town was with her.”

The word used to describe our funeral crowd this morning, read as “considerable”, is a pretty broad adjective. It can mean larger than normal, but it can also be interpreted as sufficient or adequate.

So, in the case of us hearing the Gospel today, we hear it in two ways. The first was already spoken, as in a larger than normal crowd was there. The second way is that the crowd was sufficient, as in it was just enough to do justice to the grieving mother and to the city’s image.

This second reading suggests an uncaring attitude, as in we will provide just enough mourners to make it look good. And you can relate. If you have ever lost a loved one, you feel as if the whole world should be paying respect, especially those people who don’t stop for the funeral procession on the road.

Here is the evidence for reading it this way: In I Kings, it was not sufficient enough for King Ahab to walk in the sins of his predecessor, but he had to serve Ba’al as well. Going back to Genesis and hearing about Rachel and Leah, Jacob’s two wives, fighting over who is giving more children to their husband, Leah, who is not having any children, complains to Rachel demanding to know why it is not sufficient enough for Rachel to take Jacob, but she also needs to take Leah’s livelihood as well.

Finally, it is the Lord who prophesys against the pastors of Israel, because they are abusing the Lord’s congregation. He asks them why its not sufficient enough for them to feed on the good pasture the Lord provides, but they must also trample it for the sheep when they have finished eating.

The point is, Justice is supposed to be a virtue, but in our sinful hands it turns into a weapon. We see the oppressed, we give them just enough which is their due, and that’s it. Now, you would say, what’s wrong with that? And I would reply, Repent.

In the Kingdom of heaven, justice is not enough. If your brother asks for your cloak, give him your shirt as well. If he asks you to walk one mile with him, go two. Yes, give them justice; give them their due, but if you are to show mercy as the Lord has been merciful to you, then you must go beyond Justice.

Charity, or love, is beyond justice in this way. It is just for God to punish us eternally. It is love that stays His sentencing. Our example in the faith is Cain, the guy who gets the ninth circle of hell for his injustice towards his brother. He cries out how he can not bear God’s justice against his sins, saying, “My punishment is greater than I can bear…whoever finds me will kill me.”

In remembering and recognizing our sins, Cain’s cry is our cry. If our friends and family knew who we really are inside, if they ever found out, surely they would kill us. And it would be a justice to the world to remove such a sinful and corrupt creature from it. And yet, it wouldn’t, because then Jesus would have one less sinner to receive His free, public forgiveness of sins.

For Jesus, it is not sufficient enough to redeem this only-begotten son from this just-enough crowd and from death. It is not enough for Jesus to restore this family, mother and son, on earth. Therefore, Jesus does not give us our due. He does not give us what we deserve. He gives us what we don’t deserve.

In the Garden of Eden, when Adam betrayed Jesus, there were no mourners for Jesus. At Jesus’ suffering and death on the cross, there was no considerable crowd for Him. And yet, even though He lost His entire creation, all His first-born, and only-born, and every-born person to sin, death, and the devil, it was not enough for Him to sit idly by.

Jesus switches places with the funeral; all funerals. Where there is a considerable crowd or no crowd at all, it is Jesus in the coffin; Jesus in the bier. Jesus weeps in our place. Jesus suffers, in our place. Jesus dies in our place.

This is injustice. That the holy, innocent Son of God should give His life for those who hate Him and rebel against Him is not justice. Yet, by the mercy of God, His injustice is punishing the innocent. The justice of the Kingdom of the heavens is sending One to die for the many. Justice is laying the One into the grave Who built the earth’s foundation.

And Jesus’ grave is still open. It stares at us and it stares at the widow of Nain. We know we are going down, but because Jesus left the door open, it is no longer a pit of death, but a portal of life.

Thus the church sings not because she is happy, necessarily, but because she has hope. She sings because, contrary to popular opinion, the clouds are breaking and the storms of time will cease. Death, sorrow, and earth’s dark story will all come to and end.

This end will not just be sufficient or even considerable. It will be perfect. It will be complete. It will be an end that not only delivers justice, but love 100 times over what was done to us here and 100 times over what we have lost here.

Jesus lives Who once was dead! He has blessed us and not cursed us. He has washed us and not left us. He has spoken to us and not ignored us. He has fed us and not left us hungry. The Church is not selling these things, but giving them away for free.

“Such is the confidence that we have through Christ toward God. Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God, who has made us sufficient to be ministers of a new covenant…” in Body and Blood.