A Rotten Banana
AM Psalm 119:49-72 • PM Psalm 49, [53]
Ecclus. 28:14-26 • Rev. 12:1-6 • Luke 11:37-52
Today in Luke’s gospel we read:
...a Pharisee invited Jesus to dine with him; so he went in and took his place at the table. The Pharisee was amazed to see that Jesus did not first wash before dinner.
I know a child who regularly tells his Sunday School teachers, “I don’t like going to church.” He grins and wishes out loud that he had magic powers to make the church building disappear. Oh, how he giggles (and all the children with him) when asked, “What’s something good God gives us?” He can barely contain his excitement before he blurts out: “Rotten bananas!” And the crowd goes wild.
I love this kid.
This morning I’m thinking about him and the other children who laugh when confronted with a disgusting idea. We think rotten bananas are funny as a concept, as a punchline. In reality, I cannot eat an overly ripe banana and an actual rotten, seeping banana sliding under a blackened peel makes me gag. If my little Sunday School buddy brought in a real rotten banana and dropped that in front of the kids, I wouldn’t be laughing.
I would be, quote, ‘amazed’ at such outlandish behavior.
And the poor, foolish Pharisee who got Jesus to come over for dinner is exactly in that same boat of ‘amazement.’ He can’t help but feel the feels when he sees someone put food in his mouth with dirty hands.
Of course, Jesus being Jesus, can’t help but turn the whole moment of ‘amazement’ on its head. Seeing respected teachers upset about personal hygiene and law-abiding leaders play favorites while neglecting the basic needs of others got Jesus riled up. He starts handing out a whole lot of rotten bananas saying stuff like:
You fools! Woe to you…you neglect justice and the love of God.
We all have our triggers of amazement and buttons of disgust.
So maybe today if (when) you get disgusted/offended/irritated by someone (you know who I’m talking about)—you can pause and consider a couple of options:
Am I going to wash my hands and walk away?
Am I going to throw a rotten banana or two?
Or am I going to practice at something else?
Maybe give justice and God’s love a try?
Written by Troy Schremmer
Troy, who lives in Fayetteville with his wife Jonny and their son Huck, works with preschool age children as an enrichment teacher in music and movement. He also sings songs at our public library and volunteers as a teacher-helper in Children’s Sunday School.