The Gospel - Matthew 22:34-46
Homily by the Rev. Dr. David Smith
The Bottom Line
Have you run into any bureaucracies lately?
Not long ago, I had to call a national denomination office
to secure some information. I called one morning around 9:30, and got a
recording telling me the offices weren't opened. So, I called back the following day, and got another recording
telling me no one was available to answer the phone, to call back latter. Instead, I decided to dial direct to the
particular division at the National Headquarters.
When I did that, I got another recording by the person I was
trying to reach telling me that he wasn't in his office at the moment and for
me to leave a message and he would call back.
I did that and also followed with another attempt to another division
that might be able to get me the information I needed. Yet another recording came on with the same
message.
To his credit, the man did call me back the following
day. However the news was not
good. He was not the person I needed to
talk to and couldn't get me what I wanted, but at least he gave me the name and
number of the correct office. Well, you
guessed it – I called the number and got another recording.
The joys of bureaucracies...the absolute thrill of wading
through red tape, trying to figure out who's in charge of what, how information
is passed on or over...what rules apply and what rules don't apply. We all look for avenues of convenience and
speed, trying to give ourselves more time to do what we want, and in the midst
of doing so, have a great knack for creating more red tape. The latest oxymoron I've heard is
"Simplified Tax Code."
Well, the same must have been true in Jesus day,
because he was most interested in cutting through red tape and complex laws.
