Word to the Wise
Tuesday, June 17, 2008 - Tuesday in the Eleventh Week of Ordinary Time
[1 Kings 21:17-29 and Matthew 5:43-48]After the death of Naboth the Lord said to Elijah the Tishbite: "Start down to meet Ahab, king of Israel, who rules in Samaria. He will be i the vineyard of Naboth, of which he has come to take possession. This is what you shall tell him, 'the Lord says: After murdering, do you also take possession?'"
It would be worthwhile to take your bible and read the whole story of Naboth's vineyard, which was presented in "part one" yesterday. King Ahab makes what many people would consider a reasonable offer to Naboth for Naboth's vineyard which is close to Ahab's palace: either cash or an even better vineyard. Ahab wants Naboth's vineyard for a a vegetable garden because of its convenient proximity. To Naboth, however, this vineyard is more than just a piece of property. It is his "ancestral heritage" and he's not going to sell! Ahab pouts till his formidable Queen, Jezebel, takes charge and frames Naboth on a charge of blasphemy and has him stoned to death. Ahab gets to confiscate the vineyard! But God was watching! Elijah is sent to confront Ahab and Jezebel. The story is somewhat similar to the story of David and Bathsheba (2 Samuel 11 and 12). Again, someone powerful wants something that belongs to someone less powerful. Greed and lust bring about murder and theft and eventually divine wrath. These stories are archetypes for a pattern of conduct that plays itself out generation after generation! Those who are rich and powerful can never seem to get enough wealth or power. In the case of Ahab, his offer to Naboth seems reasonable, but he is not looking at the property the same way that Naboth is. Naboth's refusal is based on a personal relationship to the land! This scenario has been played out many times in our country, for example, in the form of the treatment of Native Americans by the UsS. government and business interests or the massive competition brought to bear on the family farms in the Midwest by huge agri-business combines. Occasionally we see the lone figure of the one who refuses to sell watching as his property is subjected to "eminent domain" proceedings because the local authorities want to put a shopping center on his land. (The Supreme Court recently upheld such an action!). What all these stories and scenarios should remind us of is the danger of wealth and power. Once these take hold of a person, they are like bottomless pits of appetite. Nothing, but nothing, is permitted to stand in the way of acquiring more and more. Even the Elijahs (against Ahab and Jezebel) and Nathans (against David and Bathsheba) are sometimes "gotten rid of" or "neutralized" in the name of "progress" or "the economy!" Naboth's vineyard was equivalent to his integrity and soul. The loss of those is far greater than a monetary fortune. AMEN
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