The Preacher and the IRS agent – Part Deux

by Christine on February 25, 2009

Alex Sims at Com m on Grounds Online starts with an intriguing story:

A Preacher and an IRS Agent both had a flight from Denver to DC. They were flying Southwest Airlines, which uses open seating: passengers board and choose their seats in the order they check in.

He relates how the Preacher flying to speak at a Bible Conference has his secretary check him in online. He wisely chooses a seat far from the crowds, but soon realizes the plane will be full. Reluctantly he moves his briefcase to let a woman sit by him, plugs in his iPod and starts studying his speaking notes. Boarding later, the IRS agent, overweight, harried and despised (are you getting the gist?) takes a middle seat between a nursing mother and a businessman. Realizing he won’t be able to pull out his paper work, he thoughtfully engages a seatmate in an enthusiastic conversation about football. By the end of the flight, the Preacher is prepared for his talk and feels satisfied, while the IRS agent has made a seatmate friend and walks off the plane having….

“determined that Jay Cutler would win the 2009 MVP.”

Alex closes his blog entry with the question, “Which man better understood the Gospel?” This story is posted as part of a series: Living the Christian Story: Engaging Culture.

As I live the Christian story and seek to engage culture it’s easy for me to one day be the Preacher and feel convicted of my “I’m better then you” attitude and then become the IRS agent, making temporary friendships wherever I go. I miss the mark on both accounts. Neither the Preacher nor the IRS agent understands the gospel and its implications. The gospel is not merely social action, nor is it just personal testimony, apologetics or the results of evangelism. As Mark Dever says in his book, The Gospel & Personal Evangelism, the gospel includes…

telling people the wonderful truth about God, the great news about Jesus Christ. When we understand this, then obedience to the call to evangelize can become certain and joyful. Understanding this increases evangelism as it moves from being a guilt-driven burden to a joyful privilege.

As I live the Christian story, my prayer is to engage culture – a culture of evangelism.

Photo credit: Zoagli

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Trappermark 02.25.09 at 5:21 pm: Mr. Sims's post is obviously meant to evoke the parable of the Good Samaritan, with the Preacher as the self-righteous Pharisee or scribe, and the IRS agent as the despised Samaritan.

You reject Mr. Sims's (implied) answer to his question because it did not fit a soteriological definition of the gospel. Yet the irony is that his (implied) answer sounds more like Jesus's than yours!

Perhaps the problem comes from Mr. Sims asking "which one understood the gospel better?" For many in the Reformed camp, that triggers a systematic theological, soteriological definition. But Jesus didn't ask "which of the three understood the gospel best?" He asked, "Which of the three proved to be a neighbor?" That might have been a better final question for Mr. Sims as well (with the substitution of "two" for "three" of course!)

This raises another question however. Does Jesus' parable have nothing to do with the gospel? Was he just preaching VeggieTales moralism until Paul (and Mark Dever could come along and tell us what the gospel really is?
chrisdat 02.25.09 at 6:55 pm: Thanks for your comment. Agreed – I think Alex Sims was deftly starting a conversation by phrasing his question "which one understood the gospel better?" and I appreciate his conversation starter.
As a conversation starter, I decided to take it in the direction of "what does it mean to be a neighbor?" and it's implications, "what does it mean to love your neighbor." My answer is loving our neighbor in deed, the IRS agent – and loving our neighbor in word – proclaiming the kingdom of God. I stand by my answer, however inadequately worded:)
Trappermark 02.25.09 at 7:08 pm: Thanks for the clarification, Chris. Sorry for misinterpreting you as "word only" in your critique.

I'm still hoping that someone (either here or at Common Grounds) will want to engage my question concerning how Jesus, in this and many similar parables, doesn't seem to be addressing the same concerns as Paul (at least, the Paul that I heard about in my Reformed systematics classes). That is, Jesus seems content to teach that we should be a loving neighbor, hardly a "salvation by faith alone thru grace alone" presentation. I'm not trying to pit Jesus vs. Paul here. I just like to press issues that come up when we look at what the biblical text actually says rather than what we want it to say.
chrisdat 02.25.09 at 7:22 pm: I'm headed over to Common Grounds now to see what kind of trouble you are stirring up:) My answer – Jesus taught about the coming Kingdom.
Trappermark 02.25.09 at 7:32 pm: Could you clarify what you mean by "coming Kingdom"? I know you're not a dispensationalist! In my dispy days, that would have meant "this is about the way Jews should act in the future millennial restored Jewish kingdom," but I'm pretty sure that's now what you mean.

I read the New Testament idea of Kingdom as an "already/not-yet" proclamation. It is already here (that's what Jesus was announcing), but it is not yet all that it will be (in the consummation of all things). Because it has been inaugurated, we should begin to live in kingdom ways. So being a good neighbor is a part of the "good news" (gospel) Jesus proclaimed. I don't mean at all that we are "saved by works," just that I see the gospel as including and affecting a whole lot more than just "saving my soul."

Interesting discussion. I've got to try to ignore it a bit so I can get something else done that I've promised for you!
G L 02.25.09 at 10:30 pm: Mark notes the implicit allusion to the Parable of the Good Samaritan.

Chris, given your comment at CGO and your remarks here, am I correct in inferring that you think the hero of Jesus' parable about the Good Samaritan failed? When Jesus told His parable about the Samaritan vis-a-vis religious types, the Samaritan loved the victim and cared for him. Not a word about evangelism.

It's odd that you stand where Jesus does not in his parable.

The point of Alex's parable is that UNDERSTANDING the gospel means engaging people instead of being aloof from them. You're hijacking Alex's parable to serve another cause, the importance of articulating the gospel to lost (and found). I highly appreciate the cause and participate. But that appreciation of and participation in articulating the Gospel to lots of people in my life doesn't mean I need take a parable about engagement vs. aloof exclusion and change it into the cause.

Again, Jesus' parable of the Good Samaritan doesn't fit what you've articulated here. You're pulling in other Scripture. Why can't you just let the parable be the parable?
chrisdat 02.25.09 at 10:50 pm: Already/not yet – I'm with you on that. Jesus was proclaiming the kingdom may have been a better way of stating it.
Now get to work – I'm waiting……:)
chrisdat 02.26.09 at 1:21 am: My intent is not to read into Jesus' parable, Mark makes that implication – not me. Neither do I mean to disagree with Alex (he never stated what he was saying, only posed a question). My intent was to take his question and think further.
Your right – I did take Alex's parable (not scripture) in a new direction. Call it a riff. Engaging people, loving them, caring about them and sharing the gospel with them is something I've been thinking a lot about lately. Thinking outloud so I really appreciate your participation and you make some excellent points, particularly about trying to make scripture prove our point. I agree!

The Preacher and the IRS agent – Part Deux

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