Back from driving the girls basketball team to their last game of their regular season. It was a fairly miserable game due in large part to this being the girls fourth game in five nights and the hour and a half bus ride to Danville. Since I was there anyway I was recruited to "keep the book." Each team has an official bookkeeper to keep track of the scores, fouls, timeouts - all the stuff which comes with a sport which in my opinion is over coached. The highlight of the evening for some of the girls was stopping at Pizza Hut in Mt. Pleasant rather than McDonalds after the game. The "highlight" for me was having my temporary bridge crack and fall off. Fortunately I found all the pieces before I swallowed.
What I had intended to write about was based on something I read this morning (actually Saturday morning as it is now early into Sunday morning) For Christmas my wife gave me a book titled "Take our Moments and Our Days: An Anabaptist Prayerbook" I have been trying to use it at least once a day since then. It is written to be used twice a day, but I just go in order and don't pay much attention to the day listed in the reading. What I read this morning focused on the beatitude, "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness." For the New Testament scripture it used the story of Zacchaeuss. What struck me was the response of Zacchaeuss. "look, half of my possessions, Lord, I will give to the poor; and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I will pay back four times as much."
This past week students have asked if we are in a Depression, why is the economy so bad, and occasionaly, what do I think should be tried to fix the economy. A year or so ago the media began to write about banks failing, mortgage companies failing and insurance companies going broke. We also began to hear about bad loans, "creative financial instruments" the bundling and marketing of loans and mortgages, along with lavish salaries and bonuses. Even after the bailout, the executives of some of the bankrupt companies were being paid huge bonuses.
After reading the Zacchaeus story I got to wondering what would happen if Jesus showed up at the home of a Wall St. executive. I doubt the guy would say, "half my possessons Lord, I will give to the poor, and if I have defrauded anyone I will pay back four times as much." From what I read and hear, the Wall Street guy would tell Jesus, "You know I made a lot of money for my company, besides I worked hard for my income, bonus, and stock options. There just aren't that many Harvard and Yale graduates who understand the sophisticated financial and marketing tools I created and was using." I deserve my bonus, and if you dare to cap my salary at 500,000, I'll call you a socialist and a communist. Then I will find work for a company which truley appreciates my unique talents and won't be afraid to pay me at least one million per year plus the bonuses I deserve."
"Zacchaeuss said, if I defrauded anyone I will pay him back four times as much."
The Wall St guy- "That is socialism, pure and simple. The story incites class warfare, besides, the wealthy have worked hard for their money. It wouldn't be fair to expect us to to give away half our possesions, or to pay back 4 x what we had taken. "
It is late and it is hard for me to feel creative. Needless to say, I don't think Zacchaess's response to Jesus would go over well in the corporate world these days in spite of some of the religious platitudes about wealth being a blessing from God, that rich people like to spew.
As I read the latest financial news, especially the parts about how the intellectuals at Harvard and Yale, have messed things up, and how some hope to stimulate the economy I will try to keep that image of Zacchaeus in my mind. And I will hear him say, "half my possessions I will give to the poor and if I have defrauded anyone I will pay them back four times what they owed. When I hear one of the Wall St types, or one of the politicians say something similar to what Zaccheaus said, maybe then we have a person we can trust.
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