Enlightened Self-Interest (Twelfth Sunday after Pentecost)
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Like all residents of Montgomery County, I have learned (sometimes the hard way!) to watch out for the speed cameras that can appear virtually anywhere. Sometimes, the County warns you that a speed camera might be there, but often they don’t.
And sometimes, I understand that there’s probably a good reason for the speed cameras. I see speed cameras in front of schools, and I realize that it’s a good idea to have them there for the safety of the kids. Sometimes, I know there are speed cameras along roads where everybody drives over the speed limit, so the speed cameras are there to remind people to pay attention to the driving laws. But sometimes, the speed cameras seem intentionally placed merely to enhance the revenue of Montgomery County, because they don’t already get enough money from us through income and property taxes!
In any event, I watch out for speed cameras. Sometimes, it may be because I’m aware of a legitimate safety issue, but oftentimes I need to confess that it’s simply from a sense of “enlightened self-interest”! I know the cameras are all over the place, and it’s a good idea to pay attention and drive the speed limit because I don’t want to get fined.
And maybe that’s part of the reason there are so many speed cameras. Sometimes, “enlightened self-interest” can promote doing what you’re supposed to do. It’s not an incorrect assumption. And it’s actually the kind of logic that we expect from our civil government.
But we don’t usually expect an appeal to enlightened self-interest in the Bible, or from Jesus himself. And yet, that’s what Jesus is doing in today’s Gospel reading!
Jesus is invited to a dinner and he notices how many of the guests are sitting themselves down in places of honor (whatever those places might have been in that culture.) And in commenting on this, Jesus essentially quotes to them the Proverb which is today’s first reading – when you’re invited to a dinner, sit down at the lowest place so that you won’t be embarrassed if the host comes along and tells you to go and sit someplace else! In fact, maybe you’ll be honored in front of everybody by being told to come and sit up higher! It’s simply an appeal to enlightened self-interest when you go to a dinner party.
It is, of course, the right thing to do (like obeying the speed limit). And it’s the polite and morally correct thing to do in order not to embarrass your host (like not blowing through speed cameras in front of schools). But it’s also simply enlightened self-interest (so you don’t get ticketed by your host.)
But then Jesus goes on. He talks about when YOU give a luncheon or a dinner. That is, when you’re the host sharing your food. And in those days, often these meals weren’t simply a few folks sitting with your family. These were often like block parties where a lot of people were gathering (as apparently was the case in this sabbath meal to which Jesus was invited.)
And Jesus says, don’t simply invite your rich neighbors or relatives who might invite you in return, but invite the poor and the needy around you. And of course, everybody knew that that was an important thing to do, or else many of those folks would go hungry. They knew it was the moral thing to do, because the Old Testament is full of calls to share your abundance and to care for the vulnerable in your midst. But even here, Jesus reminds people of “enlightened self-interest.” “You will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.” That is, God will bless you if you do this!
Notice here that this entirely carrot and no stick! There is no “you’ll go to hell if you don’t”, but there is a blessing coming to you for doing what you actually already know is the right thing. That blessing may simply be God’s approval of “well done, good and faithful servant”, but nevertheless, it’s an appeal to enlightened self-interest.
And that sounds kind of weird when we read it in the Bible, and especially from Jesus. After all, we’re more used to hearing Jesus encouraging people to live as children of the light, because it’s the right thing to do, or because it’s how people will know that we’re his disciples, or because we should strive for greater righteousness. All of those things are also true.
But apparently, Jesus knows that even on our best days, we sometimes also need the encouragement of enlightened self-interest to keep us on track. And after all, this is not even unique to Jesus in the Bible. That Proverb we read this morning isn’t particularly spiritual or moral, it’s simply good advice. And that’s the way many of the Proverbs are. Even though we read them as scripture and believe they’re inspired by God, most of them are simply good, practical advice that appeals to enlightened self-interest – kind of like “don’t put your hand on a hot stove or you’ll get burned.”
And whenever we come to this set of readings in the lectionary, I always feel like it’s a little strange that the appeal to do the right thing is enlightened self-interest. But sometimes, even when we try hard to be good and upstanding people, it helps to be reminded of enlightened self-interest to keep us doing the things we know are right and good.
And Jesus is a realist and knows this! And so rather than deny human nature, Jesus instead uses enlightened self-interest to encourage us to continue to do the right things, and perhaps also to remember that doing a good thing is still a good thing to do, even when it’s done for enlightened self-interest!
I mean, we have lots of great things we do to help others in our community, but we still remind both parents and kids that there are service hours in it for you if you do it! Most people do it for more than that, but sometimes friends have joined us just because they need the service hours – but it’s still a good and needful thing they’re doing…
And it’s also perhaps good to remember that recognizing our enlightened self-interest can encourage us to have some humility. After all, I really like to think that all of my good deeds are done because I’m a good and moral person. But even if I just think “well, God is smiling on me for doing this” or even “I feel good about myself for doing this”, then I’m also doing it partly for me, and it reminds me of why my “good deeds” don’t earn me a place in the kingdom of God – only God’s love and grace can do that.
So, even when you find yourself considering your enlightened self-interest in doing the right thing, Jesus encourages you to go ahead and do the right thing anyway! And just as Jesus doesn’t judge people for their enlightened self-interest, don’t judge others who might be doing the right thing for reasons you suspect may not be entirely pure.
But most of all, remember that doing the right thing doesn’t get you into the kingdom of heaven – it’s just an opportunity to live into and share the kingdom of heaven right now. And doing those things is worth it, even if you realize that you might be at least a little motivated by enlightened self-interest.
Amen.