Nov. 16 | Pentecost 23, Year C
Isa. 65:17-25Â or Mal. 4:1-2a
Cant. 9Â or Ps. 98
2 Thess. 3:6-13
Luke 21:5-19
We need to hear the “all” in the Collect of the Day when we deal with St. Paul’s prescription for parasites, no one’s favorite topic. The word conjures up horrible images of grotesque wormy organisms living hidden within us and slowly sucking the life out of us—and all the time we are unaware. It may not be an image we want to contemplate when we come to church, but it is a reality in this world. Of course, the truth is that not all parasites are disease-causing killers. In fact, some are very helpful in normal living. But they all share a common M.O.—they live off the host who does all the work of gathering and preparing food, which the parasite then greedily consumes.
What is interesting about our usage of the term parasite is that the first definition in the dictionary deals not with a blood-sucking worm but a greedy person. The definition reads: “One frequenting the tables of the rich and earning welcome by flattery.” And then there is definition three: “something that resembles a biological parasite in dependence on something else for existence or support without making a useful or adequate return” (Webster’s Seventh New Collegiate Dictionary).
Sounds like the folks that St. Paul was warning the Thessalonians about when he wrote: “Anyone unwilling to work should not eat. For we hear that some of you are living in idleness, mere busybodies, not doing any work.” In short, they were enjoying the return from the labors of others but not making any useful or adequate contribution. The word for them is parasite.
We have all experienced such folks. Every group project assigned in our schools is made more difficult by the individuals who do not carry their load of the work and yet get the same grade. How many times have we worked ourselves to death to overcome an obstacle or reach a seemingly impossible goal, only to have a colleague or superior take all the credit himself? And what about those so-called friends who are with us when we are doing well, but nowhere to be found when times are bad?
In Scripture, the Church has been described as the body of Christ, and as a body it is an interdependent collection of very different parts. But as a body the Church is also susceptible to the disastrous effect of the non-function of any of its parts. Historically, the Church has been compromised more by inside idleness that outside persecution. Indeed, persecution has been a consistent stimulus for the growth of the Church, while laziness has often been disastrous.
Dr. Paul’s prescription for idleness in the church is not radical surgery to remove the parasites, but a quarantine of the uninfected members; describing the personal consequences of idleness; and encouraging the idlers to become active contributors to the mission and ministry of the Church.
The doctor’s prescription is not one of condemnation but of exhortation. We are not talking about members versus non-members or the righteous versus the unrighteous—we are a community of brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ through a common baptism. It is not a matter of separation or excommunication, but rather one of instruction, enlightenment, and encouragement so that the Church can be all that it is meant to be.
Look It Up:Â Psalm 98
Think About It:Â When the Lord makes known his victory, all the earth will break forth in praises. The Resurrection of Jesus Christ is the victory of God. Our response is to rejoice!
The Rev. Dr. Chuck Alley, former rector of St. Matthew’s Church in Richmond, Virginia, teaches anatomy at Virginia Commonwealth University Medical School.
