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Hierarchy is definitely out of fashion in America. Hasn't that been the purpose of several of our wars, to depose hierarchy? Beginning with the very first one, the War of Revolution, designed to kick King George III off his throne, so that in America "every man could be king." The Civil War was fought to destroy the master/slave relationship. And in this century the rivers of blood of two world wars washed away the thrones of warmongering despots so that the world would be "safe for democracy."

Isn't that the way we look at our world? Well, prepare yourself now for the upside-down, topsy-turvy world of the Bible! Jesus, who is still on his way to Jerusalem where his own world will be turned upside down, tells a story inviting his disciples -- and us -- into this topsy-turvy world.

The story starts out with us on top: "Who among you would say to your slave...." If the way of the world is going to be masters and slaves, well, at least let you and me be the masters, because, of course, we would be good masters, wouldn't we? -- gentle masters, benevolent masters. Perhaps as masters we could even change the terminology, we could alter the titles. Not masters, but how about this? Managers! Oh, yes, it sounds good, doesn't it?

Jesus draws us further into the story when he lays out the perks of the masters -- oh, excuse me, "managers," perks of the "managers": "Who among you would say to your slave who has just come in from plowing or tending sheep in the field, 'Come here at once and take your place at the table'?" Oh, not us, that's for sure! "Would you not rather say to him, 'Prepare supper for me, put on your apron and serve me while I eat and drink; later you may eat and drink'? Do you thank the slave for doing what was commanded?" Oh, yes, that sounds much better, but please, please, use "manager" and "employee," not "master" and "slave."

But the story is not over. Jesus is about to turn our world topsy-turvy, upside down: "So you also, when you have done all that you were ordered to do, say, 'We are worthless slaves; we have done only what we ought to have done!' " What!? I thought we were the masters -- oh, excuse me, I mean "managers." Why does Jesus now call us slaves, er, "employees?"

Now you and I are forced to re-live the story, this time not as masters, but now as slaves. And let's even give up our illusions about what we should be called; "slaves" is the correct word. For a couple of generations we lived with the more benevolent Revised Standard Version of "servants." But the new RSV has shaken us out of that illusion. We are "slaves," with all that that implies: we receive no pay and we have no rights of our own.


You and I are the slaves who have just come in from working all day, plowing the fields or following sheep as they roamed the bare desert land looking for something green to eat. And do we presume to think that we are done with our labors just because we've come inside? Think again! All that's changed is the location of our slavery: not field slaves now, but house slaves. If we had let down our robes on the way into the house, now it's time to hitch them back up again, in the marvelous words of that old-fashioned King's English: "to gird up our loins," to tie up those heavy, clumsy robes so that they don't get in the way of our work.

In this topsy-turvy, upside-down world of the Bible, loins were girded for two different reasons. First, to do work -- plowing, shepherding, serving -- all tasks mentioned in Jesus' story. Plowing, shepherding, serving -- those were also images which Jesus used to describe the tasks of his followers.


? Plowing, cultivating the fields for the planting of God's Word: "No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God" (Luke 9:62).

? Shepherding, searching for the lost sheep to bring them back into the fold (Luke 15:3-7).

? Serving at tables, inviting one and all to the Great Banquet of the kingdom (Luke 12:35-38).


Secondly, loins were girded in preparation for a journey. But where is there any indication of a journey in this story? The only evidence of a journey is the journey that Jesus himself is on as he is telling this story, a journey that we are reminded of in the ominous opening words of the very next verse: "On the way to Jerusalem ..." (Luke 17:11). The disciples -- and we -- are asked to "gird up our loins" to follow Jesus to Jerusalem, to follow him to the cross.

This is a story about duty, about faithful obedience, words which are just as much out of favor in our day and age as are hierarchical words and concepts like master and slave, Creator and creature, lord and servant. But remember: this Bible world is a strange and jarring world, a topsy-turvy world. Whenever you and I as Christians read these Scriptures, we are invited in to this new world. Whenever you and I read the Bible, we are summoned to look at our world in a different way, a topsy-turvy way, to see our world from God's point of view, to let the biblical world become our world.

So when you hear a story like this, with its talk of "girding up your loins" for a task, don't use your "this-world's" ears to listen. If we listen to this story with our twenty-first-century ears, then we are bound to misinterpret it; then we will hear the word "task" and we will immediately think "achievement, accomplishment, and success." This story calls us to faithful obedience to our duty, not to achievement, not to accomplishment, not to success.

Do you see how liberating that is? There need be no anxiety or worry about whether or not we are successful and why? Because our task is faithful obedience; the task of success is in God's hands, where it properly belongs.

The disciples certainly knew that they didn't have in themselves what it would take to be successful! Thus their request of Jesus, at the very beginning of our passage: "Increase our faith!" They knew that they didn't have what it would take. They knew that, left to their own, they would fail. They knew that they were not in control. They knew that they needed a Lord, a Master.

That is the good news for you and me. You and I have been called to be disciples, to be slaves of our Lord Jesus. And we are not up to the task! We are not fit for it; we don't have enough faith for it; we will not perform our task perfectly; we certainly won't do it with complete responsibility. We begin the task knowing ahead of time that we will fail. We will not win; we will lose.

But that, precisely that, is the good news! Our call to discipleship does not rest upon our fitness; it rests upon forgiveness. Our call to discipleship does not rest upon our achievement; it rests upon grace. Our call to discipleship does not rest upon our success; it rests upon faithful trust in Jesus Christ, who is our Lord and our Master. That's the good news, that's the advantage in having a Lord. The burden of success does not lie upon me, it lies upon Jesus.

That is the good news of this topsy-turvy, upside-down world of the Bible, where we read that the Lord Jesus is the one who "girded up his loins" -- remember? at the Last Supper? -- and got down on his knees to wash the feet of his disciples! Our Lord Jesus is the one who is the Master in another topsy-turvy parable which Jesus told, the story of a Master who goes on a journey, leaving his slaves in charge, returning to find his slaves faithfully obedient. And then, what does this Master do? In this upside-down biblical world, this Master "girds up his loins" and actually serves his slaves (Luke 12:35-38).

That is the good news of this topsy-turvy biblical world where the Lord Jesus Christ "girds up his loins" to make the journey to Jerusalem, the journey to the cross, where Jesus, unlike us, is completely faithful to the will of his Father; where Jesus, unlike us, is completely obedient to the death on the cross which the Father has required of him.

Finally then, we understand those strangest of words in Jesus' parable, the concluding words to us faithfully obedient slaves: "So you also, when you have done all that you were ordered to do, say 'We are worthless slaves; we have done only what we ought to have done!' "

You and I cannot say those words, standing in twenty-first-century America; we cannot say that we are "worthless slaves." Standing in our world today, we can only point to our achievements, to our successes: Look how I fed the hungry! Look how I gave away ten percent of my income to the church! Look how I petitioned my government for justice!

Only in a biblical world, only in a topsy-turvy, upside-down biblical world, can we admit that "we are worthless slaves" -- worthless slaves of a gracious Master and Lord who, topsy-turvy, girds up his loins to serve us. And it is all grace. It is all grace.