The Dignity of Work

Matthew 20: 1-16

Jesus said, “The kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. After agreeing with the laborers for the usual daily wage, he sent them into his vineyard. When he went out about nine o’clock, he saw others standing idle in the marketplace; and he said to them, ‘You also go into the vineyard, and I will pay you whatever is right.’ So they went. When he went out again about noon and about three o’clock, he did the same. And about five o’clock he went out and found others standing around; and he said to them, ‘Why are you standing here idle all day?’ They said to him, ‘Because no one has hired us.’ He said to them, ‘You also go into the vineyard.’ When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his manager, ‘Call the laborers and give them their pay, beginning with the last and then going to the first.’ When those hired about five o’clock came, each of them received the usual daily wage. Now when the first came, they thought they would receive more; but each of them also received the usual daily wage. And when they received it, they grumbled against the landowner, saying, ‘These last worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat.’ But he replied to one of them, ‘Friend, I am doing you no wrong; did you not agree with me for the usual daily wage? Take what belongs to you and go; I choose to give to this last the same as I give to you. Am I not allowed to do what I choose 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.”

Aparigraha – Nonpossessiveness

You might think that based on the yama chosen above that I would like to discuss the Nonpossessiveness of the Landowner.  Certainly, he was very giving with his money.  Not clinging to it like a miser or doling it out based on the work performed.  He instead in this story choses to treat everyone as an equal and pay all the same for their contribution. Perhaps he was feeling a bit like Oprah, “You get a day’s pay and you get a day’s pay!” His reasons are unimportant, his financial detachment is obvious.

But what about the workers? I wonder if any of them felt like I do right now.  I’m tired. I’m grieving. I’m busy. I’m spent. Today I arrive at 5 o’clock. But I still want to help. My contribution may not be as big as someone that is fresh and vibrant in the morning.  But is it any less valuable?  Isn’t there something to be said for the dignity of work, no matter how big or small?  We all contribute. We all move this world forward.  It doesn’t matter if you are the President of the United States or a beggar on the street corner, we all have something to contribute to this world. Our challenge is much like the day workers in the story.  Find our Aparigraha, Nonpossessiveness, and understand that there is dignity in the contribution of each person no matter how big or how small.

-Namaste

 

PHOTO CREDIT: Fusco, Paul, photographer. "[Migrant pea pickers (woman and child), Delano, California.] 1966. Look Magazine Photograph Collection, Prints and Photographs Collection, Library of Congress.

 

Loaves and Fishes - a Living Metaphor of the Yamas

Now when Jesus heard this, he withdrew from there in a boat to a deserted place by himself. But when the crowds heard it, they followed him on foot from the towns. When he went ashore, he saw a great crowd; and he had compassion for them and cured their sick. When it was evening, the disciples came to him and said, "This is a deserted place, and the hour is now late; send the crowds away so that they may go into the villages and buy food for themselves." Jesus said to them, "They need not go away; you give them something to eat." They replied, "We have nothing here but five loaves and two fish." And he said, "Bring them here to me." Then he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven, and blessed and broke the loaves, and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. And all ate and were filled; and they took up what was left over of the broken pieces, twelve baskets full. And those who ate were about five thousand men, besides women and children. -Matthew 14:13-21

One could preach from a Christian perspective for hours on this gospel reading.  Could it be that this is a foreshadowing story of the last supper, or the beginning of the church? Or is it about the multiplication of faith from so few to so many? Or about the Excessiveness or Possessiveness of the crowd’s desire for Jesus? Jesus doesn’t react to this in a negative or violent way but with compassion, nonviolence, and love.  He teaches them by example how to lead with love in an understated yet truthful way.  They respond to his gift of a meal in nonexcess, nonstealing, and nonposseiveness. They share and there is more than enough for all.  This story is a living metaphor or parable of living in community with others, or in yoga philosophy the Yamas.

To be clear Yamas are the five ethical rules of life for how we live outwardly towards the world and the Niyamas are the five ethical rules of life about our inward life.  I remember which is which because the word niyama contains the letter “I” so these are about me not you.

1.    1 Ahimsa or nonharming/ nonviolence is the equivalent to the yoga Hippocratic Oath.  It means do no harm.  We see this in the story of the loaves and fishes in that Jesus could have sent everyone away to fend for themselves, to find their own meal.  But he does not. Even though it is implied that he needed space, he sacrifices himself and his comfort to the greater good of the crowd. All are fed.

2.     2.Satya or Truthfulness is “being real rather than nice.” * Jesus is very real in the beginning of this passage when we find him taking a break in a boat away from the crowd. The reality of his life must have been exhausting, I take comfort in his example of taking time for yourself, to meditate or talk to God.  But the continued truthfulness beyond this moment is that Jesus is compassionate.  He is here to heal and feed. He lives his truth in a real way.

3.      3. Asteya or Nonstealing may be part of the lesson to the great crowd.   Jesus heals or cures them and feeds them.  They start off in a place that feels frenzied.   But through the compassion of Jesus and perhaps the afterglow of a great meal, they come to a place of calm, order, and love for their fellow man.  All eat, none steal or take too much. Contentment rules.

4.      4. Brahmacharya or Nonexcess shows up in the end.  They have baskets full of food left over. But we do not know if they ate to excess. We only know that there was plenty for all. Perhaps they did eat to excess and in doing so there was a shift in thinking to sharing or nonexcess, we are not told about this time while they were eating and what happened. But the results are clear there was much left, a sign that nonexcess what present in this meal.

5.      5. Aparigraha or Nonpossessiveness pairs well with both nonstealing and nonexcess in this gospel. We can assume that no one possessed more than they needed in the end. We know what they started with and what they ended with.  But how those to places are connected is not discussed.  I would like to suggest that it was through the understanding of these three Yamas that the beginning and end are connected: no one stole, no one ate to excess, and no one coveted more than they needed.  One could view this as a miracle, or that all had some food and shared, the result is the same. People moved from a chaotic state of need to a calm state of giving, they moved into their yamas, a place that Jesus lives always.

This living metaphor still teaches us today.  These ethical rules of life as stated in the Yamas and Niyamas or Ten Commandments still stand up to the testament of time. 

Namaste

 

Picture from https://www.spiritofthescripture.com/id3408-why-the-miracle-of-feeding-the-5000-with-five-loaves-and-two-fish.html

*The Yamas & Niyamas by Deborah Adele