Grace Is No Judge Judy

by The Rev. Sue Montgomery

Matthew 20: 1-16

When anyone watches the Court TV program featuring Judge Judy it doesn’t take long to realize that if there is no documentation, neither the plaintiff nor the defendant has a case. Judge Judy follows the principle that if it isn’t documented, it didn’t happen. In her courtroom there is no wiggle room. She wants facts and truth. Anyone who is caught in a lie or who interrupts her as she speaks immediately loses their creditability and their case. She goes by the book. Facts are facts. Without documentation, the person presenting their case realizes very quickly that in Judge Judy’s courtroom there is no grace. Many a plaintiff or defendant leaves the courtroom crying out, “IT’S NOT FAIR!”

When our son was five years old Jay and I proudly watched him run in a school race. At the age of two this child had survived heart surgery and an aortic aneurysm. To us his running was a miracle. Although Joel finished the race last, his last place finish didn’t diminish our parental pride! Afterwards Joel burst into tears. With frustration in his voice his next words became imprinted in my mind for I knew I would hear them yet again, and again. Through his tears he said, “IT’S NOT FAIR. They give awards and blue ribbons for races and athletic events but they don’t give any awards for reading and spelling.” You see, Joel had been reading since the age of four. While there were blue ribbons for first place finishers in the race, there wasn’t even a pat on the back for the child who loved to read. The words coming out of his mouth and from his heart were his first introduction into how our culture prioritizes and values abilities.

When we look at the Gospel passage in Matthew again, we are looking at how a culture, a society values time, work, ability and labor. This passage is a difficult one. It is one that sometimes isn’t liked by people who interpret the scriptures literally. It is a difficult passage for union stewards and labor lawyers. If taken literally, this passage could cause a judge to walk away from the bench! It’s a passage that some would put aside and ignore. This morning I’m asking you to join me and wrestle with it for I think there is a lot to be gained from it.

The story begins when the laborers arrive at the gates. This is a traditional, cultural form of hiring recorded in the New Testament. Instead of interviews, resumes, personal information forms, the laborers simply line up outside the gates. As the vineyard owners needed laborers, they made a verbal agreement with each laborer and the work began. Here each laborer agrees to the same salary — one denarius. Some laborers worked ten hours, some eight, some four, some ONE — and at the end of the day, they were all paid the same.

Imagine the grumbling, the cry, “IT”S NOT FAIR!” I can picture Judge Judy saying something like: “You signed up for one denarius; you knew the agreement. In addition there’s no contract, no signature, no documentation — take your one denarius — and LIVE WITH IT.” Her judgment would be in favor of the owner of the vineyard. He chose to do what he did, equal payment for all; that was his privilege and his right. The owner of the vineyard clearly stated, “Friend, I am doing you no wrong; did you not agree with me for the usual daily wage?” Picture this friend looking at the owner and imagine his thoughts: “You’re no friend — IT’S NOT FAIR!”

Yes, in our eyes, it isn’t fair. Our culture has taught us a different value system. Work and labor deserve fair reimbursement and salaries. The parable doesn’t end here. Here comes the clincher, the difficult part. The owner of the vineyard says: “I choose to give to this last the same as I give to you. Am I not allowed to do what I choose to do with what belongs to me? Or are you envious because I AM GENEROUS? So the last will be first and the first will be last.”

This passage speaks to more than wages and labor. It also speaks loudly to our cultural understanding of abilities and how abilities are valued in our society. Our five year old son’s words, “IT’S NOT FAIR” not only hit the nail on the head, they also point to the need for our values to be transformed.

Over the years we’ve become a more educated nation as to what racism, ageism and sexism do to create unfairness and injustice. As a nation, we are working on these issues and we’ve a long way to go in dealing with them. However, I’d like to introduce you to another form of ism —ableism. This is a form of prejudice that fails to see the gifts we all have and have been given by God. Our practice of ableism cuts short all that God can do. Ableism functions like Judge Judy’s court — ability is documented production and outcomes. It measures brain function and places a value judgment on the person’s worth. There is no grace, there is no surprise, there is no joy in the acceptance and celebration of the variety of gifts each of us brings to the family of God.

Ableism denies God’s generosity and creates these eye-opening stories of people of faith. A young man with mental retardation came into my office. He was visibly upset. He said: “When I go bowling or into a restaurant, I’m treated like an adult. My money is good. I am a man. When I go to church, people there treat me like a baby. They tell me to keep my money. They don’t need it. They don’t want me to help wash dishes in the kitchen — they let the other men. I’m NOT A BABY, I’m NOT EVIL and I’m not DIRTY.” Here is a young man with a variety of gifts to give. The abilities are there; they just aren’t being understood or welcomed. Another pastor refused to allow a woman to make her profession of faith. Why? As long as she couldn’t recite the Lord’s Prayer or the 23rd Psalm from memory, she didn’t have enough wisdom or knowledge to join the church. When values were placed on academics her variety of gifts and the depth of her faith was missed altogether.

In the history of the church Martin Luther declared people who couldn’t HEAR the gospel couldn’t be saved. Fortunately, the church has learned there are a variety of ways to hear — the ability to hear comes through sign language and the written word. And yet, even with this awareness, 97 percent of the deaf community remains unchurched. Today’s church hasn’t grasped the need for persons who are deaf to be a part of God’s family. The vineyard for evangelism is deep and wide. For not only is the deaf community unchurched, 90 percent of the disability community is unchurched as well.

Why are these statistics so high? There are several reasons. One of the fundamental ones is that many people have negative reactions to disabilities. These attributes are deeply rooted in human nature. Human nature teaches us to be afraid of differences. In addition, many people of faith understand disability as the consequence of sin. I’d be a millionaire if I had a dollar for every time a person has asked me, “What did you do to yourself?” So many times disability is equated with sin. With such an equation comes the perceived need for prayer to heal, fix, forgive or cure the disability. When presented with the man born blind, even the disciples questioned who had sinned, the blind man or his parents.

In some cases there is a direct correlation between sin and injury. Domestic violence and high-speed automobile accidents contribute to the rising statistics of people with disabilities. A blanket statement, however, that all disability is the result of sin creates the cry, “IT’S NOT FAIR.” God does not will disability. God wills ability and everyone has abilities. Our value system, our prioritization of abilities, needs to be transformed.

When a family is faced with disability, all kinds of transformations take place. When deafness is present, the family learns sign language; when mobility is affected, homes are made accessible. Families are transformed by the presence of disability. The questions we need to ask are, “What is the church family doing? How is the church being transformed?” Sadly, many families are told explicitly or implicitly, “If your level of ability doesn’t conform to our standards, our buildings, our programs, go find another church.”

God’s transforming grace enables the church family to love as deeply and with as much commitment as families. Grace enables us to celebrate and nurture the gifts everyone brings to God’s family. Families have learned a basic truth that our church families have yet to discover. For whatever reason, whenever a church excludes one member of a family, the church excludes an entire family — sometimes even three generations. When a mother with a medically fragile child realized her church could not meet the ministry needs of a funeral if her son died, she knew she had to find a new church. Her church was inaccessible to her son’s wheeling buddies. As God’s transforming grace strengthens a family, so too can God’s grace transform the church family.

The Gospel writer of Matthew reminds us that grace comes from God. Transformation of our human nature, hearts and minds, can only come by grace. Such grace enables us to make room in our hearts for difference. God’s grace will allow us to not only value every ability, but more importantly, to find value, grace and ability in disability.

Twenty three years ago my work as a chaplain at a state facility for persons with mental retardation introduced me to a woman named Viola. She was 64 years of age and a person with spinal quadriplegia. Viola was dependent on others for every personal need. Due to her limited speech, in time she would teach me a whole new way to listen and understand how we communicate with one another. Her first words haunted me for days. She told me she wanted to die so she could “run, walk, talk with Jesus.” Tragically, someone had told her that her life would only have value when she was dead and in heaven. As our relationship developed I witnessed a marked change in Viola. Each time we’d meet I’d stress how valuable she was to me and how much I was growing to love her smile, her laugh, her eyes. She began to look forward to spending time with our family. She began to date my husband — I gladly told her she could have him! And then one day, she didn’t want him anymore; she wanted our son, the younger man!

Viola was a woman of faith. She became my spiritual mentor in that she kept me grounded in everything that was simple. She taught me in ever-new ways the spiritual gifts of thanksgiving, a relationship with God and the power of prayer. When Viola died at the age of 87, she had never joined a church. During her last night on earth her eyes looked at me for the last time. They reflected a profound trust and faith. Surprised by grace, in that moment I had a new, richer understanding of the scriptures: “The first shall be last, the last shall be first.” God saw her not for what she produced or accomplished; God saw her and rejoiced in her faith. Her spirit of thankfulness for life transformed the hearts of those who loved her. Her generosity glorified God’s generosity. “The first shall be last, the last shall be first.”

Ableism is one of the biggest barriers to our celebration of the variety of gifts we all bring to the church. We’ve established a hierarchy of ability. The greatest abilities receive the highest honors. This hierarchy puts us in our places. We place the brilliant on top, persons with a variety of abilities somewhere in the middle, persons with physical disabilities down a little further and people with mental illness on the very bottom. The values placed on ability have led people to say to my face, “If I had to live my life like you, I’d kill myself.” It’s sad that our society, our culture has allowed this destructive valuing of ability to exist.

Recently a baseball coach was indicted for a blatant form of ableism. As his team approached a playoff game, he offered 25 dollars to an eight-year-old pitcher to injure a teammate who was autistic. The coach’s plan was to remove the least able player from the team and assure his team a win.

Ableism is tragically seen in the statistics of those who survived Hurricane Katrina. Persons on life support in hospitals died. Persons on feeding tubes who lived in a nursing home died. Abandoned by the people who were entrusted with their care, they were left to face the floodwaters alone.

Ableism is a form of injustice that desperately needs God’s transformation. When God by grace transforms our hearts, we understand that not only is all of life valued, but we also understand that we need one another. Then and only then, will there be open hearts and doors for all God’s people.

Open hearts and doors are needed for all people. Openness occurs, grows and blossoms when our understanding of the gift of ability is transformed by grace. Then and only then will we be able to be surprised by grace and discover the depths of the gifts God has for each and every one of us.

We will always struggle with the question of what is fair — such is life. Faith teaches us that in all of life we belong to God and God is doing wondrous things in you and me — no matter who we are, what we can or cannot do. It is in what we do that God is honored, worshipped, glorified and enjoyed. We may continue to shout, “IT’S NOT FAIR.” Judge Judy’s courtroom will always focus on law.

From God’s perspective things look differently. God gives us grace. God’s grace isn’t something deserved or earned as our just due for services rendered. God’s gift is just that — a gift. When we allow ourselves to be transformed by grace, then we can see the Viola’s of the world as God sees them — people with a variety of gifts, good gifts.

When we leave God’s courtroom, the cry, “IT’S NOT FAIR!” isn’t one of despair. Instead it’s one of joy and awe. We don’t deserve God’s grace, we haven’t earned it, and yet, God is good, God is gracious, grace abounds. God is love. Who are we to judge God’s grace? Thanks be to God for God is no Judge Judy! To God be the Glory. Amen.