29th Sunday: Utopia and Dystopia

 
A future dominated by zombies has become a favorite storyline. Dystopic stories have become a mainstay of movies and television. Why is our vision of the future so dystopic? My grandfather, who was a child of the 19 ^th Century, used to tell my dad that every generation gets better. In the world of progress, we keep moving ahead. Better inventions, diseases that are conquered, a rising tide lifting all boats. In some ways that is true, but, nonetheless, the ongoing tension between optimism and pessimism persists. Jesus concludes the parable of the unrighteous judge today by wondering if there will be any faith on earth when he returns. Utopia, dystopia and the Kingdom of Heaven are all wound up together in the modern mind.
 
The Kingdom of Heaven, Utopia and dystopia
The Kingdom of Heaven is coming, but not here yet. The Lord’s Kingdom is not for this world. Still, some great figures have pondered over the possibility of bringing the kingdom to earth. Utopia (1516), a book by St. Thomas More, was written as an exercise in political thought. He actually coined the term ‘utopia’ meaning ‘nowhere.’ That is to say, perfection is not of this world, although we can still think about it. Like Plato and his Republic before him, St. Thomas wondered what an earthly kingdom would look like. Henry VIII’s police state kingdom turned out to be a nightmare for St. Thomas and many others.
 
The Republic is a fifth century work of philosophy considering an ideal government. More’s book, political philosophy in its own right, is not exactly a story although it has concrete characters and an island name ‘Utopia.’ The society More describes on the island is, in some sense, a perfect place. More’s England also is an island, and the reader of his book is supposed to wrestle with the comparison of England’s government with the ideal government of Utopia. More’s book asks, among other considerations, whether the king should control all of Utopia’s resources or should they be owned by the people of Utopia. Sound familiar? Utopia provides carefully elaborated details of the social, political, economic, and religious dimensions of a fully functioning, imaginary society Following More’s philosophical musings on the nature of the ideal government, others followed his example by writing their satires of their contemporaries. Jonathan Swift satirized his own time in Gulliver’s Travels (1726) and Voltaire wrote Candide (1759).
 
At some point, More’s idea was turned from utopia to dystopia. A dystopia is a future world that is frightening. It has all the same features as More’s story with attention to the dystopian government, economy and manner of life. Aldous Huxley wrote the dystopian Brave New World in 1931 that featured a human world relying on assembly lines for procreation. George Orwell’s 1984 written in 1949 featured a slightly amped up future of a Stalinist Big Brother. Modern cable shows and movies have taken the dystopian future to new levels of storytelling. The Handmaid’s Tale, a novel by Margaret Atwood, was a hit in the last year or so and imagined a world where women are subjugated by men. The Walking Dead featured a world where humans fight for control against zombies. The Man in the High Castle imagines a world where the Nazis and Japanese won World War II. Dystopian literature and films are, as they have always been, satires of present problems and possibilities. Dystopia is not a hopeful place, but it is, however, a biblical place.
 
Will there be any Faith on earth?
The gospel from Luke today is about a dystopian future. Jesus concludes his parable with a statement about the end of life,

“Nevertheless, when the Son of man comes, will he find faith on earth?” (Luke 18:8b)

 There are many passages in scripture about the end times. The Book of Revelation is a prophetic treatment of that Judeo-Christian concern. When we read this parable, it is through the lens of Jesus’ talking about the final judgment. The vindication the old women seeks isn’t something a human judge has to offer. The description of the unjust judge is about God and our vindication at the end of life.
 
All the gospels are concerned with the end. The Gospel according to Matthew says

“Jesus said to them in reply, “See that no one deceives you. For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and they will deceive many. You will hear of wars and reports of wars; see that you are not alarmed, for these things must happen, but it will not yet be the end. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; there will be famines and earthquakes from place to place. All these are the beginning of the labor pains.  Then they will hand you over to persecution, and they will kill you. You will be hated by all nations because of my name.   And then many will be led into sin; they will betray and hate one another.   Many false prophets will arise and deceive many; and because of the increase of evildoing, the love of many will grow cold. But the one who perseveres to the end will be saved.  And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached throughout the world as a witness to all nations, ^* and then the end will come.” Mt. 24:4-14

Evildoing will increase, the hearts of many will grow cold and one nation will rise against another nation. St. Paul warned the Thessalonians [i] about the “lawless one” and the “great apostasy” that was an important part of his preaching. The coming end gave an urgency to the Gospel.  
 
Do not grow weary
Jesus counsels us that we are not to grow weary or lose heart as discouragements come our way. [ii]  William Butler Yeats wrote in Easter 1916, “Too long a sacrifice Can make a stone of the heart. O when may it suffice?” The Lord urges us not to give up in the midst of evil. He then tells the story about the unjust judge and the violent widow.

The Judge “Though I neither fear God nor regard man, yet because this widow bothers me, I will vindicate her, or she will wear me out by her continual coming.” (Luke 18:4b-5)

 The Widow: God is particularly protective of widows and orphans. Exodus 22:21-24 emphasizes the duty owed to widows and the most vulnerable:

“You shall not wrong a stranger or oppress him, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt. You shall not afflict any widow or orphan. If you do afflict them, and they cry out to me, I will surely hear their cry; and my wrath will burn, and I will kill you with the sword, and your wives shall become widows and your children fatherless.”

 The judge is not a good man because he doesn’t keep the law and is unconcerned about widows, a matter of great concern to Judaism. The unjust God represents God. Jesus is reasoning from the lesser example to the greater. For instance, ‘if the horrible judge will give in to the widow, how much more so will God hear the widow!
 
Don’t give in to discouragement!
So that’s where the story stops and Jesus drives his point home:

And the Lord said, “Hear what the unrighteous judge says. And will not God vindicate his elect, who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long over them? I tell you, he will vindicate them speedily. (Luke 18:6-8a)

Last week, we heard the story about the Samaritan leper who was healed. He gave thanks to God and worshipped the Lord. Jesus this week talks about discouragement. The two stories don’t cancel each other out. Be grateful in order to battle discouragement.