The Bishop And The Lady
Stories
In Other Words ...
12 Short Stories Based On New Testament Parables
Parallel Passage: Luke 7:36-50
A Sinful Woman Forgiven
"Say, that's quite an enterprise so near to your church," the bishop kidded his host pastor. He was referring to an elegant looking massage parlor just about one block from the church building.
But the pastor didn't think it was all that humorous. "Well, it's technically just far enough from our building to be within the law, but we're not particularly thrilled about its location," he said. "It has been pretty well documented that the establishment does much more than simply offer massages to people. Our members get riled about it from time to time, but there's nothing we can do about it."
"Does it interfere with your worship service ... I mean, is it open on Sunday mornings? Or are your people afraid some of the guys might be patronizing the place?" the bishop asked, again with a bit of kidding tone in his voice.
"Well, no, it's just ... that the place is there, that's all," the pastor replied, just a wee bit defensively. "And the woman who runs the place -- she's known all over town as Princess -- she even pops into our church now and then ..."
"Maybe she wants your business," the bishop kidded.
"Yeah, right," the pastor quickly replied. "She came into the office a couple times and wanted to give the church some money."
"Did you accept it?" the bishop asked.
"No, not from her, with her reputation," the pastor exuded a bit of piety in that reply. He had picked up his bishop from the airport and they were headed into the parish hall for an informal potluck supper with other pastors from the area.
There was no particular program planned for the evening, just an informal session when local clergy could engage in casual and unplanned discussion with their bishop. He was scheduled to be at an important meeting the following day, but this evening was to be a time of pleasant conviviality with the clergy -- part of his "congregation." Bishop Hansen was both popular with the clergy and a bit of an enigma to them; popular because he was always open with them and ready to listen to them. He was a genuine pastoral bishop. But he caused brows to furrow at times because of his viewpoints on social matters. In that regard he was considerably ahead of most parishioners and of even some of the pastors. In his monthly pastoral letter he often took potshots at what he considered false piety.
Princess would not fit the stereotype image of a street prostitute. She was extraordinarily good looking, dressed well but conservatively, and she was gregarious. She liked to be around people. And, oh yes, she owned and operated the massage parlor near the church. And because of the proximity of her business to the church, she did occasionally pop into the church, as the host pastor explained to his bishop. Maybe she just wanted to talk to people she felt were "respectable." Who knows? Maybe she wanted to try for a glimmer of respectability herself.
But she would have to choose this evening to make one of those unwelcome visits to St. Mark's Church down the block. Perhaps business was slow this evening, but whatever the case, Princess noticed the cars and their clergy drivers, and decided to drop in for a pleasant chat with them. And when she did, her eye also quickly spotted Bishop Hansen. The casual dinner had been concluded, and a dozen or so pastors were engaged in conversation, some with each other, others with the bishop. But clergy eyes soon turned toward their bishop and his attentive new acquaintance.
Princess had the bishop's undivided attention for several minutes as they engaged in animated conversation. While no one interrupted, there were some furrowed brows. And whispers. "I wonder if the bishop knows who that gal is?" one pastor asked rather softly to another.
"Do you know?" the other asked with a wry smile on his face.
"Anyone who lives in this area knows about Princess," the first replied, without having to explain any more.
But finally some of the pastors did move over to the bishop, and by ignoring Princess they were able to break up the conversation without being too rude. Princess got the hint and backed off a bit. As she moved toward the door, one of the pastors asked the bishop in a low voice, "Do you know who that woman is?"
"Well," the bishop replied, "I would guess she's the one who runs the massage parlor that Don and I passed just up the block a bit. Yes, she told me who she is, her name is Princess."
Local Pastor Don suggested, "Why don't we get on with our discussion, since Princess has already taken part of the bishop's time? Are there some questions you would like to ask of Bishop Hansen to start things off?"
"Wait. Let's wait a minute before we start the questions," Bishop Hansen requested. "I think we ought to talk about Princess a bit more."
"Was your conversation confidential?" a pastor asked in jest. Everyone, including the bishop, got a laugh out of that, which also served to relax the group.
"No, it wasn't confidential," the bishop replied with a chuckle. "I'm sure she wouldn't mind my telling you word for word of our conversation. I'll tell you one thing, she was one of the most straightforward people I've met in a long time. She wasn't wearing a mask, trying to hide who she was. And her attention to me certainly was not like the attention I often get."
"Which is what?" someone wanted to know.
"Well, let's just say she wasn't trying to butter me up. She was genuine and real. She was who she is, and I appreciated that."
By now Princess had left the room unnoticed. One of the pastors offered, "I would be uncomfortable if she gave me
that much attention in front of my congregation -- particularly if they knew who she is and what she does for a living."
"Maybe we ought to be uncomfortable from time to time about the people we run into," the bishop responded after a pause. "What is our ministry about anyway? To whom are we speaking with the gospel message? Is the gospel supposed to be reserved mainly for the elite and the respectable and all the folks who have good jobs and wear nice clothes? Is the gospel just for the good old respectable American folks? You all knew the answer to that before I asked the question."
"Well," one pastor offered tentatively. "My congregation is made up mostly of respectable and upright people -- am I supposed to apologize for that?"
"No, no," the bishop replied. "You know better than that, Charles. You don't need to apologize for anyone who is in the Body of Christ. Maybe we need to apologize for many who aren't in the Body of Christ. And I don't feel I need to apologize for giving some attention to this woman. As a matter of fact, she gave me 10 one hundred dollar bills -- told me she wants it to help feed the hungry."
"And you accepted it, I assume ..." one pastor inquired.
"Of course I accepted it," the bishop answered -- "without apology."
"What's she trying to do, buy her way into heaven? I thought we got rid of that with Martin Luther and the Reformation," another commented.
"Well, now, take it easy you people," Bishop Hansen cautioned. "What is so wrong with her that she becomes the object of your scrutiny and criticism, huh? No doubt we've all read what possibly goes on in some of these massage parlors. And we know there's a lot of extra-marital sex going on elsewhere, too. But we also know what goes on in the board rooms and sales offices and households of alleged respectable people. The financial skulduggery that is motivated by greed, the illicit takeovers of companies so that greedy people can raid the pension funds. Come on, you and I can recite dozens of other illegal and immoral activities that go on right under our noses every day -- often by respectable church members."
"True, but that money she gave you still might be tainted," someone offered.
"Could be," the bishop agreed. "But how do you know the source of all the money your congregation receives -- in the offering plates? Trace it back two or three sources from your members who gave it, and it might have originated from the mafia or drug dealers. Who can say any money is pure?"
The bishop was on a roll. He continued, "I don't condone what that woman Princess is doing (if in fact she is) any more than the rest of you, but let's look at this a bit more closely. That establishment of hers is allegedly there for the purpose of satisfying one single desire, mostly of men I presume. And we religious people react with disgust and aloofness because of the sin of sexual misbehavior that we think is taking place there. And perhaps rightly so. But what about the multitude of other establishments -- different kinds of establishments -- that are respectable? The state-sanctioned establishments of lottery all over the country appeal to our sin of greed. Exclusive clubs appeal to our elitism. And on and on you can name them as well as I can."
He paused a bit to let some of his thoughts sink in. He hadn't intended to stretch this discourse out so long, but he wasn't ready to let it drop just yet either. Sometimes the bishop was able to do his best teaching when unplanned events or situations came up, such as the one this evening.
In a more pensive and philosophical mood he added, almost rhetorically, "I wonder why it is that religious people -- including Christians -- throughout the centuries have been much harsher in their criticism of people who commit sexual sins than those who are guilty of more respectable sins ..."
"Which are ...?" someone asked.
"Which are," the bishop continued, "Greed and avarice and envy and gluttony and pride, to name a few." He chuckled, then asked, "You know, I often wonder if anyone has ever been kicked out of the ministry for being envious ... would any of us have survived?"
"Well, that's stretching a point," someone started to say.
But the bishop wouldn't let go. "No, it's not stretching a point, it's not. Look, the point I'm trying to make is that sin is sin, whether it's the greed of an unscrupulous corporate executive, or ... or ... the activity of this lady -- where is she now, did she leave? -- who runs the massage parlor? Is her sin any worse than the sin of greed? Or the sin of envy? How many pastors here tonight have been even a tiny bit envious of another pastor who may be serving in a more 'elite' parish? Is she more sinful than that? Or is she more sinful than one who has an excess of pride?"
"I think sexual misbehavior -- or sin -- is inclined to have more of a social impact than ..." one pastor started to say.
But the bishop headed him off at the pass. "Now wait. The sin of greed that drives a multi-millionaire to take over a corporation and raid its pension fund has a social impact on hundreds and sometimes thousands of people, people who have worked for 30 or 40 years and suddenly have no pension when they retire. That's a social impact. I don't deny the social impact of sexual sins, but that doesn't make it worse than all the rest of the sins that are equally condemned in scripture."
"Well, maybe the sins of that massage parlor, if they are there, are simply more visible to the public," someone conjectured.
"Yes, I guess that's a big part of it, isn't it?" the bishop commented. He continued, "A few months ago I was leading an adult class in one of our congregations and this same kind of question came up. A woman responded in the same way, saying that sins of sexual behavior -- whether it be prostitution or some other extra-marital affair -- those sins are more public, and therefore they appear to be more serious. And the part that irritates me is that Christians throughout the generations have been quick to condemn those who are guilty of sexual sins -- I'm not speaking here of criminal behavior such as rape or abuse which must be condemned -- I'm speaking of sexual misbehavior between consenting adults ... where was I? ... we've been quick to condemn those people. But we are often silent about the people within our midst who
openly commit sins of greed and pride and envy and gossip, which sins are roundly condemned in Holy Scripture. And I still say, to my knowledge, no one has ever been kicked out of the ministry -- defrocked! -- for being greedy or envious or proud. Or fat, for that matter!"
"What are you suggesting or concluding from all of this?" one pastor asked.
"Oh, I haven't concluded anything from it," the bishop replied. "I'm just thinking out loud I guess. I think we need to consider sin as sin, and not follow the traditional gradations of sin that places sexual sins in an especially bad category. And as for suggestions, why shouldn't we give some time and attention to the lady who runs this massage parlor? And many others whom we consider to be so 'sinful.' Is she really worse than the rest of us? Maybe she is crying out for attention so that she too can confess her sins and ask for forgiveness."
"And go right on running the massage parlor," the host pastor stated.
"Well, maybe so," the bishop replied. Then after a pause he continued. "You know, I would guess there are people in this congregation who work for the state lottery. The lottery is gambling, and I consider gambling a sin. And those folks who make their living working for the lottery most likely contribute to the church from their earnings. And most likely they attend worship and confess their sins and hear the words of absolution ... and go back on Monday morning working for the lottery, the sanctified gambling operation of the state. Same thing, isn't it?"
Later that evening as the host pastor Don drove his bishop to his motel, they again passed the massage parlor. Bishop Hansen looked towards the establishment and said, "Goodnight, Princess." After a few moments of silence he said, "Maybe she'll show up at your church for worship some Sunday morning."
"Maybe she will," Don replied.
A Sinful Woman Forgiven
"Say, that's quite an enterprise so near to your church," the bishop kidded his host pastor. He was referring to an elegant looking massage parlor just about one block from the church building.
But the pastor didn't think it was all that humorous. "Well, it's technically just far enough from our building to be within the law, but we're not particularly thrilled about its location," he said. "It has been pretty well documented that the establishment does much more than simply offer massages to people. Our members get riled about it from time to time, but there's nothing we can do about it."
"Does it interfere with your worship service ... I mean, is it open on Sunday mornings? Or are your people afraid some of the guys might be patronizing the place?" the bishop asked, again with a bit of kidding tone in his voice.
"Well, no, it's just ... that the place is there, that's all," the pastor replied, just a wee bit defensively. "And the woman who runs the place -- she's known all over town as Princess -- she even pops into our church now and then ..."
"Maybe she wants your business," the bishop kidded.
"Yeah, right," the pastor quickly replied. "She came into the office a couple times and wanted to give the church some money."
"Did you accept it?" the bishop asked.
"No, not from her, with her reputation," the pastor exuded a bit of piety in that reply. He had picked up his bishop from the airport and they were headed into the parish hall for an informal potluck supper with other pastors from the area.
There was no particular program planned for the evening, just an informal session when local clergy could engage in casual and unplanned discussion with their bishop. He was scheduled to be at an important meeting the following day, but this evening was to be a time of pleasant conviviality with the clergy -- part of his "congregation." Bishop Hansen was both popular with the clergy and a bit of an enigma to them; popular because he was always open with them and ready to listen to them. He was a genuine pastoral bishop. But he caused brows to furrow at times because of his viewpoints on social matters. In that regard he was considerably ahead of most parishioners and of even some of the pastors. In his monthly pastoral letter he often took potshots at what he considered false piety.
Princess would not fit the stereotype image of a street prostitute. She was extraordinarily good looking, dressed well but conservatively, and she was gregarious. She liked to be around people. And, oh yes, she owned and operated the massage parlor near the church. And because of the proximity of her business to the church, she did occasionally pop into the church, as the host pastor explained to his bishop. Maybe she just wanted to talk to people she felt were "respectable." Who knows? Maybe she wanted to try for a glimmer of respectability herself.
But she would have to choose this evening to make one of those unwelcome visits to St. Mark's Church down the block. Perhaps business was slow this evening, but whatever the case, Princess noticed the cars and their clergy drivers, and decided to drop in for a pleasant chat with them. And when she did, her eye also quickly spotted Bishop Hansen. The casual dinner had been concluded, and a dozen or so pastors were engaged in conversation, some with each other, others with the bishop. But clergy eyes soon turned toward their bishop and his attentive new acquaintance.
Princess had the bishop's undivided attention for several minutes as they engaged in animated conversation. While no one interrupted, there were some furrowed brows. And whispers. "I wonder if the bishop knows who that gal is?" one pastor asked rather softly to another.
"Do you know?" the other asked with a wry smile on his face.
"Anyone who lives in this area knows about Princess," the first replied, without having to explain any more.
But finally some of the pastors did move over to the bishop, and by ignoring Princess they were able to break up the conversation without being too rude. Princess got the hint and backed off a bit. As she moved toward the door, one of the pastors asked the bishop in a low voice, "Do you know who that woman is?"
"Well," the bishop replied, "I would guess she's the one who runs the massage parlor that Don and I passed just up the block a bit. Yes, she told me who she is, her name is Princess."
Local Pastor Don suggested, "Why don't we get on with our discussion, since Princess has already taken part of the bishop's time? Are there some questions you would like to ask of Bishop Hansen to start things off?"
"Wait. Let's wait a minute before we start the questions," Bishop Hansen requested. "I think we ought to talk about Princess a bit more."
"Was your conversation confidential?" a pastor asked in jest. Everyone, including the bishop, got a laugh out of that, which also served to relax the group.
"No, it wasn't confidential," the bishop replied with a chuckle. "I'm sure she wouldn't mind my telling you word for word of our conversation. I'll tell you one thing, she was one of the most straightforward people I've met in a long time. She wasn't wearing a mask, trying to hide who she was. And her attention to me certainly was not like the attention I often get."
"Which is what?" someone wanted to know.
"Well, let's just say she wasn't trying to butter me up. She was genuine and real. She was who she is, and I appreciated that."
By now Princess had left the room unnoticed. One of the pastors offered, "I would be uncomfortable if she gave me
that much attention in front of my congregation -- particularly if they knew who she is and what she does for a living."
"Maybe we ought to be uncomfortable from time to time about the people we run into," the bishop responded after a pause. "What is our ministry about anyway? To whom are we speaking with the gospel message? Is the gospel supposed to be reserved mainly for the elite and the respectable and all the folks who have good jobs and wear nice clothes? Is the gospel just for the good old respectable American folks? You all knew the answer to that before I asked the question."
"Well," one pastor offered tentatively. "My congregation is made up mostly of respectable and upright people -- am I supposed to apologize for that?"
"No, no," the bishop replied. "You know better than that, Charles. You don't need to apologize for anyone who is in the Body of Christ. Maybe we need to apologize for many who aren't in the Body of Christ. And I don't feel I need to apologize for giving some attention to this woman. As a matter of fact, she gave me 10 one hundred dollar bills -- told me she wants it to help feed the hungry."
"And you accepted it, I assume ..." one pastor inquired.
"Of course I accepted it," the bishop answered -- "without apology."
"What's she trying to do, buy her way into heaven? I thought we got rid of that with Martin Luther and the Reformation," another commented.
"Well, now, take it easy you people," Bishop Hansen cautioned. "What is so wrong with her that she becomes the object of your scrutiny and criticism, huh? No doubt we've all read what possibly goes on in some of these massage parlors. And we know there's a lot of extra-marital sex going on elsewhere, too. But we also know what goes on in the board rooms and sales offices and households of alleged respectable people. The financial skulduggery that is motivated by greed, the illicit takeovers of companies so that greedy people can raid the pension funds. Come on, you and I can recite dozens of other illegal and immoral activities that go on right under our noses every day -- often by respectable church members."
"True, but that money she gave you still might be tainted," someone offered.
"Could be," the bishop agreed. "But how do you know the source of all the money your congregation receives -- in the offering plates? Trace it back two or three sources from your members who gave it, and it might have originated from the mafia or drug dealers. Who can say any money is pure?"
The bishop was on a roll. He continued, "I don't condone what that woman Princess is doing (if in fact she is) any more than the rest of you, but let's look at this a bit more closely. That establishment of hers is allegedly there for the purpose of satisfying one single desire, mostly of men I presume. And we religious people react with disgust and aloofness because of the sin of sexual misbehavior that we think is taking place there. And perhaps rightly so. But what about the multitude of other establishments -- different kinds of establishments -- that are respectable? The state-sanctioned establishments of lottery all over the country appeal to our sin of greed. Exclusive clubs appeal to our elitism. And on and on you can name them as well as I can."
He paused a bit to let some of his thoughts sink in. He hadn't intended to stretch this discourse out so long, but he wasn't ready to let it drop just yet either. Sometimes the bishop was able to do his best teaching when unplanned events or situations came up, such as the one this evening.
In a more pensive and philosophical mood he added, almost rhetorically, "I wonder why it is that religious people -- including Christians -- throughout the centuries have been much harsher in their criticism of people who commit sexual sins than those who are guilty of more respectable sins ..."
"Which are ...?" someone asked.
"Which are," the bishop continued, "Greed and avarice and envy and gluttony and pride, to name a few." He chuckled, then asked, "You know, I often wonder if anyone has ever been kicked out of the ministry for being envious ... would any of us have survived?"
"Well, that's stretching a point," someone started to say.
But the bishop wouldn't let go. "No, it's not stretching a point, it's not. Look, the point I'm trying to make is that sin is sin, whether it's the greed of an unscrupulous corporate executive, or ... or ... the activity of this lady -- where is she now, did she leave? -- who runs the massage parlor? Is her sin any worse than the sin of greed? Or the sin of envy? How many pastors here tonight have been even a tiny bit envious of another pastor who may be serving in a more 'elite' parish? Is she more sinful than that? Or is she more sinful than one who has an excess of pride?"
"I think sexual misbehavior -- or sin -- is inclined to have more of a social impact than ..." one pastor started to say.
But the bishop headed him off at the pass. "Now wait. The sin of greed that drives a multi-millionaire to take over a corporation and raid its pension fund has a social impact on hundreds and sometimes thousands of people, people who have worked for 30 or 40 years and suddenly have no pension when they retire. That's a social impact. I don't deny the social impact of sexual sins, but that doesn't make it worse than all the rest of the sins that are equally condemned in scripture."
"Well, maybe the sins of that massage parlor, if they are there, are simply more visible to the public," someone conjectured.
"Yes, I guess that's a big part of it, isn't it?" the bishop commented. He continued, "A few months ago I was leading an adult class in one of our congregations and this same kind of question came up. A woman responded in the same way, saying that sins of sexual behavior -- whether it be prostitution or some other extra-marital affair -- those sins are more public, and therefore they appear to be more serious. And the part that irritates me is that Christians throughout the generations have been quick to condemn those who are guilty of sexual sins -- I'm not speaking here of criminal behavior such as rape or abuse which must be condemned -- I'm speaking of sexual misbehavior between consenting adults ... where was I? ... we've been quick to condemn those people. But we are often silent about the people within our midst who
openly commit sins of greed and pride and envy and gossip, which sins are roundly condemned in Holy Scripture. And I still say, to my knowledge, no one has ever been kicked out of the ministry -- defrocked! -- for being greedy or envious or proud. Or fat, for that matter!"
"What are you suggesting or concluding from all of this?" one pastor asked.
"Oh, I haven't concluded anything from it," the bishop replied. "I'm just thinking out loud I guess. I think we need to consider sin as sin, and not follow the traditional gradations of sin that places sexual sins in an especially bad category. And as for suggestions, why shouldn't we give some time and attention to the lady who runs this massage parlor? And many others whom we consider to be so 'sinful.' Is she really worse than the rest of us? Maybe she is crying out for attention so that she too can confess her sins and ask for forgiveness."
"And go right on running the massage parlor," the host pastor stated.
"Well, maybe so," the bishop replied. Then after a pause he continued. "You know, I would guess there are people in this congregation who work for the state lottery. The lottery is gambling, and I consider gambling a sin. And those folks who make their living working for the lottery most likely contribute to the church from their earnings. And most likely they attend worship and confess their sins and hear the words of absolution ... and go back on Monday morning working for the lottery, the sanctified gambling operation of the state. Same thing, isn't it?"
Later that evening as the host pastor Don drove his bishop to his motel, they again passed the massage parlor. Bishop Hansen looked towards the establishment and said, "Goodnight, Princess." After a few moments of silence he said, "Maybe she'll show up at your church for worship some Sunday morning."
"Maybe she will," Don replied.
