A letter from Debbie and Harry Horne in Peru
November 17, 2008
Dear Sisters and Brothers,
Greetings in the name of our Lord Jesus. When we think of writing a newsletter like this one, we don’t usually conclude that the best topic is an academic exercise. Nevertheless, that’s where we begin, with a parable in Matthew 20:1-15. In the parable, some workers work all day. Some work a half day. Some work only the last part of the day. All receive the same pay, a surprising and perhaps even shocking conclusion to the story.
European and North American scholars have had a lot of trouble interpreting this parable. To begin with, I think it is a bit difficult for them to identify with unemployed workers standing in the village square waiting for someone to hire them so that they will have something at the end of the day to buy food for the family. That seemed to delay the recognition of the mercy involved in paying each worker a denarius at the end of the day. A denarius was not only standard pay at the time, it was the amount needed to buy what was necessary for the survival of the family for a day.
In Peru, some of our students have approached the parable from a particular location, Chosica, on the outskirts of Lima. You can’t say about Chosica, “If people aren’t working, it’s because they don’t really want to work” and expect that everyone around you will agree. Unemployment, especially among youth, is very high. There aren’t a lot of jobs in Chosica itself, and when young people apply for a job in central Lima, they can hardly expect to find that a family member, friend, or other contact has already opened the door for them. Many do find work, but it’s not easy.
Giovanni is closest to the camera in this photograph of Harry's classrooom.
One of our students, Giovanni, who lives in Chosica, found a job as a “cobrador” on a bus. The cobrador calls out where the bus is headed. He helps people on and off and is responsible for collecting fares. When I think about what it would be like to stand up on a bus doing that all day, it ranks right up there in my experience with cleaning out chicken pens and raking leaves. Now, there is nothing wrong with honest work. I have been paid for cleaning out a chicken coop, and I’ve raked a lot of leaves. But thinking about standing up on a lurching bus all day, day after day, month after month, year after year does not constitute an uplifting moment in my day. (Thanks again for supporting me in doing something I love.)
Samuel is on our left in this photograph of two UBL students.
Samuel is another of our students. He has been involved in pastoral ministry in Chosica and is now in Costa Rica finishing up his studies. His thesis topic was this parable. The surprise ending to this parable has Samuel, and Giovanni, and others rethinking justice in relation to employment. “You work. You get paid for the work you do.” That is just. It is fair. From Chosica’s perspective, it is time to ask additional questions.
In the process of asking more questions, we may need to take a fresh look at some Old Testament laws that are designed to create a just community. In that just community, every member does what he or she needs to do to make it a community where even the vulnerable have a chance at life. This is considered a fulfillment of the Hebrew word sedeq, which is often translated justice. In the ancient agricultural society of Old Testament Israel, the practice of sedeq required leaving the gleanings of the harvest for the widows and orphans to gather.
In a society where the majority of people live on and farm their own land, that insures that even the most vulnerable have a chance at life. Yet, what does it mean in a society where most of the population does not own land to grow food? What happens when there are too many people and gleaning won’t feed all the vulnerable? That was increasingly true for the first century Palestine in which Jesus told the parable. Was the owner in the parable demonstrating sedeq when he paid each worker enough to give that worker’s family a chance at life?
This is an interesting place to be reflecting on Bible passages with our students! I’m looking forward to reading Samuel’s thesis when he gets back from Costa Rica. In the meantime, may the Lord continue to bless you all in your ministries where you are.
Shalom,
Debbie and Harry Horne
P.S. If you'd like to help support scholarships for our students, contributions from individuals may be sent to Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) Individual Remittance Processing, PO Box 643700, Pittsburgh, PA 15264-3700. Contributions from churches should be sent to the normal receiving site or: Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) Church Remittance Processing, PO Box 643678, Pittsburgh, PA 15264-3678. Write the title ("Latin American Biblical University in Peru") and the ECO number (E052331) on the subject line of the check. To give online, visit the donation page.
The 2008 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 275
