The kingdom of this world is like a man who goes off to war. He fights for his homeland, but soon his enemies capture him. They strip him and beat him, leaving him half-dead, a prisoner in a large prisoner of war camp, filled with thousand of others.
The prison camp is like a small, chaotic city. It has its own economy. But instead of money, cigarettes are the currency. The camp has its own hierarchy. At the top is the officer in charge, and below him, the guards under his command. But the captors also use inmates, collaborators, to help them run the camp.
The longer this man is there, the more he sees different inmates approaching prison life in different ways. It doesn’t take him long to learn that if he blindly obeys his captors, life is much easier for him. And so many inmates become collaborators with the enemy. They obey the guards and their rules without question.
Even worse, some prisoners go above and beyond. They ingratiate themselves with the guards. They do them little favors, such as shining their boots and cleaning their uniforms. They betray other prisoners. They keep the guards posted about what is going on among the prisoners.
Of course, these behaviors bring those prisoners many rewards. They get the easier work-details, extra food, and less scrutiny from the guards. They even get into positions of authority and get extra cigarettes.
For those who adopted the values of this prisoner of war camp, life on the outside might as well not even exist. After all, it doesn’t even seem real anymore. And so those who had forgotten about the real world, who acted as if it wasn’t real, had the easiest time in the prison camp.
One night, this man composed a poem in his head. It’s was about life as it existed in the prison camp.
- Blessed are the realists. For theirs is the key to life in this prison camp.
- Blessed are the ones who have learned to look out for themselves. For they are warm, well-fed, and comfortable.
- Blessed are the ones whom others fear, who have learned to intimidate. For others don’t mess with them.
- Blessed are you when the guards speak well of you, joke with you, and praise you. For then, great is your reward–right now in the prison camp.
Is the pastor’s parable beginning to make some sense? We, the disciples of Jesus, are the prisoners. We are here, living in a place that isn’t our true home, whose culture isn’t our culture, whose values aren’t our values.
But even more, for us, this world goes way beyond a prison camp. It’s an upside-down world where evil is called “good” and good is called “evil.” This world praises and rewards what our eternal Father detests, and it detests what our Father loves.
A set of beatitudes for this world might be something like this:
- Blessed are the pushy and arrogant, for others get out of their way.
- Blessed are those who’ve learned to put themselves first, while managing to look as if they’re doing the opposite. For they are the ones who receive greater authority.
- Blessed are those who dedicate their lives to their appetites, who live by “more, fancier, and better!” For they are the ones whom others admire.
- Blessed are the impure in heart, who are proud of their impurity and flaunt it, for they knock down our boundaries. We owe them our gratitude.
- Blessed are you when the world sees you as no threat at all, when it likes you and praises you. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward–right here and right now.
And if you doubt these are the world’s real values, look at what happened when somebody came into this prison, and taught and lived differently. Who was more “poor in spirit” than Jesus? He left the glory of heaven and took on the form of a servant. Who mourned more deeply than Jesus at what He saw around Him? Who hungered and thirsted for righteousness more than He? Who cared little about pleasing the powerful? Yet, Jesus had all the time in the world for the downtrodden, guilt-ridden, and grieving. Who was purer in heart than Jesus? Who was gentler or more merciful than He? Only Jesus is the perfect fulfillment of the Beatitudes we heard in our Gospel reading.
And what did it get Him? It got Him ridicule and scorn. The world made an example of Jesus. They tried and found Him guilty. The world spit on Him, whipped Him, and beat Him. The world crucified Him to death. And good riddance, they thought! Isn’t that how He wanted it? “Blessed are the meek,” hah! Thank goodness that’s the end of that.
Except that wasn’t the end. On the third day, Jesus rose from the dead. He went into heaven and seated Himself at the right hand of God the Father Almighty. From there, on the Last Day, He will come again to judge the living and the dead.
That’s what Jesus has done. He taught and showed us that our everyday reality isn’t normal. His life shows us that we live in an upside-down world. But now, from the seat of power over all creation, He is gathering His forces for D-day.
On that day, D-day, the Last Day, this upside-down world will find itself turned upside down. Jesus will return. The barbed wire will be gone for good. This world will disappear with a roar. Its culture and values will be but a forgotten memory.
It’s then that we’ll be on the outside–but this time, body and soul! We will rejoin all the saints who have gone before us, but this time with our bodies. We’ll see our fathers, mothers, grandfathers, and grandmothers, the saints whom we know, with perfect and complete bodies. We will see them as never before!
The prisoner of war camp is gone forever. For we will be in God’s kingdom! In God’s kingdom, the Lamb who was slain rules, not the officer in charge of the prison camp! Kingdom values will have replaced the upside-down, prison camp values. In God’s kingdom, those who are rewarded are those who have been loyal to the homeland. Those who are praised are those who didn’t become collaborators but, instead, remembered and lived in their true, baptismal identity.
Eternity with God is a world where good is not called “evil,” but is known by its real name: “good.” In eternity, the one who dies with the most toys doesn’t win; he’s dead. In eternity, the one who wins the rat race isn’t a winner; he’s a rat.
In our true home, the King has overthrown all treachery, selfishness, intimidation, and perversion. Those living in their Christ-given righteousness from baptism, who hated sins, who mourned over them, who hungered and thirsted for the different world of eternity, will finally receive it at the last.
Above all, in God’s eternal kingdom, you don’t claw your way in by pushing others aside. You don’t get there by stepping on others. You don’t have to earn a place, fight for a spot, or prove that you belong. There, you don’t have to spend your time watching your back, because it’s not needed. For Jesus says, “Stop being afraid, little flock, for your Father is pleased to give you the kingdom” (Luke 12:32). It’s a gift, and it’s yours.
And if all that’s true, if D-Day and the kingdom are on the way, then why wouldn’t that make all the difference, even now? If you have loved ones who are now in eternity, if the time is drawing near for your weeping to turn into dancing, then why wouldn’t that make all the difference, even now?
How misguided are most of us in living our lives. We live as if this prison camp is our true reality. Most of us live to get what we want, and to avoid what we don’t. Most of us live to enjoy pleasure, and to avoid pain. But when that rules our lives, we forget our true reality, our eternal reality!
By faith, your purpose in life is not to delight and breathe in the prisoner of war camp of this world. Instead, you prepare for the kingdom, for eternity. You are always preparing for eternity. You live out the truth that God’s kingdom is on the way. Even more, you are so sure of this eternal reality that it even changes how you live here, in the prisoner or war camp of this world.
That’s even the main purpose of coming to church. For here, through Word and Sacrament, God brings you and others into His kingdom. Here, God keeps reminding you of who you are, of your real values, and where you belong. Here, God keeps reminding you of what’s real and what’s not, of what will soon be gone and what will last, even into eternity.
When that takes place, then no matter what work detail you get, no matter what the camp tries to do to you–every so often, the prison guards will catch a glimpse of joy that nothing can erase. And every so often, especially on days like today, All Saints’ Day, they’ll even catch you singing your way into eternity.
Yes, today, we are but living in the prison camp of this world. But our real home is with all the saints in eternity. And All Saint’s Day reminds us of this every year. Amen.
