So who's in charge, here? (Luke 20)

African politicians often come to power by castigating the cronyism, nepotism, and favoritism of the party currently in power. After winning office, however, they are immediately barraged by demands from their own tribe for exactly those kinds of favors. Civil office is seen as a way to farm taxes. To enrich self and kin. There's an old term that needs to come back into vogue: rent seeking -- the use of government power for personal advantage.

In Chapter 20, Luke presents a series of sparring matches between Jesus and the leaders of Israel. He stood outside the system, owed nothing to the system, and spoke his mind freely about the system. The Soviet Union's doom was sealed in the 1970s, when The Gulag Archipelago was printed. Pirated copies made their way back to the nomenclatura, the bureaucrats who made the system work, mostly for themselves. People who live on the work of others offer a number of noble-sounding reasons for their actions.[1] Soviet bureaucrats discovered that, in the eyes of the world, they were the destructive villains of their society, rather than the heroic builders of a new order. Demoralization set in, along with a disgust for the status quo.

The Bible speaks of civic leadership as a ministerial responsibility. Legitimate government does not exist to serve its own ends, but a higher cause. Let's let Jesus put this concept into one of His vivid word pictures:

Luk 20:9 İsa sözüne devam ederek halka şu benzetmeyi anlattı: "Adamın biri bağ dikti, bunu bağcılara kiralayıp uzun süre yolculuğa çıktı.
Luk 20:10 Mevsimi gelince, bağın ürününden payına düşeni vermeleri için bağcılara bir köle yolladı. Ama bağcılar köleyi dövüp eli boş gönderdiler.
Luk 20:11 Bağ sahibi başka bir köle daha yolladı. Bağcılar onu da dövdüler, aşağılayıp eli boş gönderdiler.
Luk 20:12 Adam bir üçüncüsünü yolladı, bağcılar onu da yaralayıp kovdular.
Luk 20:13 "Bağın sahibi, 'Ne yapacağım?' dedi. 'Sevgili oğlumu göndereyim. Belki onu sayarlar.'
Luk 20:14 "Ama bağcılar onu görünce aralarında şöyle konuştular: 'Mirasçı budur; onu öldürelim de miras bize kalsın.'
Luk 20:15 Böylece, onu bağdan dışarı atıp öldürdüler. "Bu durumda bağın sahibi onlara ne yapacak?
Luk 20:16 Gelip o bağcıları yok edecek, bağı da başkalarına verecek." Halk bunu duyunca, "Tanrı korusun!" dedi.
Luk 20:17 İsa gözlerinin içine bakarak şöyle dedi: "Öyleyse Kutsal Yazılar'daki şu sözün anlamı nedir? 'Yapıcıların reddettiği taş, İşte köşenin baş taşı oldu.'

And, a few words:

• miras -- the inheritance. Legacy.
  
• mirasçı -- The inheritor / heir. In Turkish, çı is the "agent ending," like -er in English. For example, a fish is balık. A fisherman is balıkçı.

The leaders of Israel had almost reached the point where they could cast aside any pretences of serving the greater good. One final challenge to their authority had just appeared, one final prophet who truly threatened their credibility. Get rid of Him, and their cozy gig would go un unimpeded. However, as Jesus warned them, and us, there are limits to God's patience.

Have a blessed Good Friday, everyone.

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[1] In America, expansions of government power and reductions of family liberty are "for the children."