First Sunday in Advent, 2001
Luke 12:42-48

He Will Purify the Sons of Levi

In Homer's Odyssey, Odysseus, the king of Ithaca has been abroad for ten years. He left his wife, palace, and kingdom to direct the long siege against the far off city of Troy. His return is extended so long that his wife, the Queen Penelope begins to despair of ever seeing him again. In fact, the young aristocrats of the city are convinced that he has died and will never return. They begin to woo the gorgeous Penelope. Each man wants to marry her. A couple dozen suitors move into the palace daily so that they can feast at Odysseus' table, drink his wine, enjoy royal entertainment, and if lucky hit the jackpot: win the hand of the queen in marriage, and thus inherit the kingdom. Passing their days in gaming and feasting, the suitors have the run of the palace. They plunder the royal storehouse, and consume the sheep, hogs, and cattle while attempting to seduce the bride of Odysseus.

Odysseus finally returns to his palace in the disguise of a beggar. These suitors are mean, and might try to kill the returned king. They mock and persecute the poor beggar. For some reason Penelope sets up a contest to determine which suitor she will marry: he must be able to string Odysseus's bow and shoot an arrow through twelve axes. She suspects that these suitors who have spent their days in carousing and partying will not be able to meet her challenge. They will be too weak and out of shape.

A day is set for the contest, the feast to Apollo, the god of the bow. The suitors try one at a time to string the bow and shoot an arrow through the axes. But they are not used to war or weaponry; they have not the strength to bend the bow, much less shoot the arrow. Odysseus, still disguised as the beggar, asks for a chance. They all laugh at him, but he gets an opportunity. Sure enough, the beggar strings the bow, plucks the string like a harp, puts an arrow in its place, pulls it back, and shatters the twelve axes. All of a sudden the suitors recognize the king, but it is too late. Odysseus seals the palace doors and slaughters the whole band. His vengeance is complete. The blood and filth of the slain suitors lie scattered with the bread and meats of the feast. The great warrior-king is at long last reunited with his wife, triumphantly ruling his kingdom.

Could it be that Jesus was familiar with the legends of Homer? Perhaps. Homer wrote around seven centuries before Christ, and the Iliad and Odyssey were classics of the time. The Lord tells a parable similar to that of Odysseus's return to His palace. In Luke 12:42 Jesus tells His disciples about the master of a large household. The master takes a long journey and leaves all the responsibilities in the hands of his most trusted steward. Expecting everything to be running smoothly the master returns unannounced. Things are not well. He finds that the steward has behaved in his absence with sloth and brutality. The master consequently beats him with many stripes, cutting the steward in two. Let us read the account in Luke 12:42-48. [Read them.]

This parable is suitable for Advent because the master came "on a day when [the steward was] not looking for him, and at an hour when [the steward was] not aware" (Luke 12:46). The season of Advent calls us to mull over the many advents of the Lord: His first advent two millennia ago when the Word became flesh and dwelt among us; His Second Advent at the end of time to judge both the quick and the dead; His many advents throughout history when He visits sinful nations with judgment; and His coming to us at our death. Our own passing is a coming of Christ in the sense that our souls are then present with the Lord. (2 Corinthians 5:7) We need to be ready for these comings.

The parable now under consideration reveals to us what God thinks when the ministers of the Church are not prepared for Christ's coming. When Christ returns, He desires to find his people wise and faithful, the clergy primarily, and the laity secondarily. Let's see why this is so.

As we examine the parable, it is hard to avoid the notion that Jesus has in mind ordained ministers. The master of a large household sets out on a journey and orders the steward to supervise the place until he comes back. A household is a figure for the Church (Ephesians 2:19). The steward is under the authority of the king or master, but is delegated duties in the household. The power and responsibility that Pharaoh laid upon Joseph is a good example. Pharaoh asked Joseph to oversee all Egypt's food production and storage during the famine. Joseph did it faithfully and wisely, feeding the empire for seven lean years, allowing Egypt to survive the drought.

The steward in our parable did not do so well. The steward calculated that his master would not return at any time soon and began therefore to beat the other servants. Besides abusing those under him, he neglects his duties. He does little but lie around, stuff his mouth, and get drunk. The master appears at an unexpected moment, discovers what has happened and severely punishes the steward. Why the harshness? Jesus explains why. [Read Luke 12:47-48.]

The more knowledge and responsibility one has in the Church the more deserving of "many stripes," if he abuses his power. The stewards of less knowledge and authority who degenerate get punished too, yet with fewer stripes. How does this work out in the Anglican hierarchy? The Deacon would receive a few stripes, the Priest more stripes, and a Bishop many stripes. St. James supports this concept. James declares: "My brethren, let not many of you become teachers, knowing that we shall receive a stricter judgment" (James 3:1). Somehow at the Great White Throne Judgment, Jesus, the supreme and awful Judge of all mankind, will judge the clergy with a higher and stricter standard. We may not understand how this will take place, but we still need to believe it.

The history of the Church is strewn with the sad stories of ministers falling into sin and disgracing their office. We find instances in the Bible. Demas was with the apostle Paul during his first imprisonment at Rome. From his jail cell Paul sends a message to the Colossian believers: "Luke the beloved physician and Demas greet you" (Col. 4:14). Evidently, Demas and Luke were Paul's two most trusted and faithful colleagues during this difficult stage. But by the time Paul is thrown in jail a second time in Rome, the apostle writes to Timothy: "Demas has forsaken me, having loved this present world, only Luke is with me" (2 Timothy 4:10). What had changed? Demas had become a bad servant. He had allowed the world to overcome him. In like manner, the apostle John laments the malice of a leader named Diotrephes. 3 John 9-10 says, "I wrote to the church, but Diotrephes, who loves to have the preeminence among them, does not receive us. Therefore, if I come, I will call to mind his deeds which he does, prating against us with malicious words. And not content with that, he himself does not receive the brethren, and forbids those who wish to, putting them out of the church."

This being the case, those who seek holy orders ought to give the decision some hard and careful thought. Not only is the task difficult, but the penalty for wrongdoing is more severe ­ many strokes. An Anglican bishop named Bishop Lawrence wrote a helpful book to men considering the ministry. He warned: "A minister is expected to have the wisdom of a scholar, the logic of a lawyer, the traveling energy of a family doctor, the wizardry of the financier, the rhythm of the poet, the imagination of an artist, the endurance of a horse, and the sanctity of a saint ­ all for the salary of a janitor." [In Parsons, Vestries, & Parishes: A Manual by W. Appleton Lawrence. P. 6.] Fifty years ago he saw many priests getting burned out by the demands of the ministry. Recent studies show that clergy burnout is more prevalent than ever.

Then Bishop Lawrence explains that there is no reason for self-pity. The positive aspects of the ministry can outweigh the negative. He writes: "The minister has an unequaled opportunity to make his life count for something supremely worth while. Every ability and capacity he has can be used to the full. He is brought in contact with all kinds of interesting people. His work is as varied as he cares to make it. Indeed, most of it can scarcely be called work, because he is doing what he loves most to do. By the very fact that he is a minister, hearts and doors and opportunities are open to him as to few others. He is his own boss in that he never has to punch a time clock The ministry is, or at least should be, the highest, happiest, holiest profession open to man;" [Close quote.]

Taking into account these pros and cons of the ministry, and what Scripture says about it, it seems clear that there are many men outside the ministry who ought to be in it. We have men in our parish that by God's grace will advance to holy orders. We need to pray and support them. We also have boys and adolescents that I hope and pray do the same. Ordinations and consecrations are some of the most exciting and blessed moments in the life of the Church.

On the other hand, the Church has ministers who do not belong where they are. There are a few deacons, presbyters and bishops who should never have been ordained. They entered for the wrong reason, or once ordained they let themselves slip. We do not have time to do it right now, but if we were to probe the qualifications for deacons, presbyters and bishops that the Apostle Paul sets down in I Timothy and Titus (I Timothy 3; Titus 1), we would discover a very important principle: more important than what a minister does, and much more important than his intellectual abilities, is the kind of person he is. He must be a man of good character. That means that I, and my colleagues must rule our families well, and be men of godly honesty, hospitality, humility, and courage. One day we will stand before the judgment seat of Christ, and the Judge will appraise our works using a tough standard, tougher than the rest. And if I or any other pastor has profaned the office, we will be punished with many stripes.

How all this harmonizes with our views of Heaven and Hell and justification by grace alone may not be easy to explain. But one thing is clear: the Church is to be governed by men of prayer and integrity. Oh how the Church needs men of godly character! Crooked and deceitful pastors debilitate the Church, bring about disillusionment among the people in the pews, and cause the name of Jesus to be blasphemed among the nations. That is why it is essential that the Church discipline her bad ministers, and put out of her ranks those who conduct themselves wickedly.

The prophet Malachi described what Christ would do at His First Advent. Malachi 3:2 says: "But who can endure the day of His coming? And who can stand when He appears? For He is like a refiner's fire And like launderers' soap. He will sit as a refiner and a purifier of silver; He will purify the sons of Levi, And purge them as gold and silver, That they may offer to the LORD An offering in righteousness." What did Malachi say would be a mark of the ministry Christ would establish? Purity. "He will purify the sons of Levi." He will purify the Priests. It was the clergy that had led the people astray, and it is the purified clergy who will bring them back.

And what are the most common temptations of the clergy? What are the traits that make them impure? From the parable we can infer at least a few. Keep in mind that these apply to clergy primarily but laity as well.

A. First, clergy are prone to become lazy. The master had appointed the steward to his current position because of his good discipline and talent in running the household. The steward had a record of feeding the sheep very well, and caring for the household. But now that the master has departed, the steward thinks he can sit around and neglect his duties. Sloth is one of the most frequent faults of the clergy because they can often get away with it. Nobody stands around and watches what they are doing twenty-four hours a day. A man who does not have good self-discipline should not go into the ministry.

B. Another problem is gluttony and drunkenness. "The steward begins to eat and drink and be drunk." The steward sounds like the suitors in Homer's Odyssey. Though the Christian life has a place for both feasting and fasting, a balance must be struck. The minister gets invited to a lot of social events. Each gathering is an opportunity to indulge. It is easy to form the habit of staying up late to talk and eat and drink. This is fine to a certain extent. The minister must be a man of moderation. His self-abnegation must overcome his self-indulgence.

C. Then, Jesus suggests that abuse of power can bring about his downfall. "the servant says in his heart, 'my master is delaying his coming,' and begins to beat the male and female servants." In former times the steward "tended the flock of God" and "fed the sheep," teaching them willingly. He was a man of humility and self-sacrifice. (1 Peter 5:2; Luke 22:32: John 21: 15-17). Now he no longer loves his master, hence he beats those under him. This is how the stewards of God's house degenerate into oppressors. It's a sad and slow process. Sin begins with a mere thought. Pride creeps in. The minister comes to love power and the exercise of it over others. He accepts no criticism. Anyone competent and gifted he considers a threat. Perhaps he draws up an enemies' list. He surrounds himself with sycophants. Once drunk on power he has few scruples in beating those under him. Left unchecked, such a one turns into a monster.

These are a handful the common pitfalls of the ministry. But our parable does not merely speak to the clergy. It is a warning to all of us during this Advent Season. The whole household must be prepared to meet the Lord. We all do well during this Advent season to examine our discipline, our moderation, and our humility. Are we pleasing to God? What will the Judge think of our character and works when we stand before His throne of judgment? The Word today calls you to examine our life. Are you prepared to meet the LORD? Are you struggling against your sin nature, and striving to love and serve others? Is your love for the LORD and devotional life what it should be? Come now to the Lord's Supper. Beseech the LORD for His grace to prepare you for Christ's coming.

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