For the first time in weeks I ascended the grassy knoll where my garden plot lays in a mangled state of death. The only thing alive is a hardened rosemary bush, which is turning into a small tree. As a token gesture to myself, I pulled up the old dead tomato plants and ran the dry dirt through my fingers...it's gonna need some serious work before planting this fall. At least there is nothing growing so I don't have to weed.
Last night I had a delightful conversation with David's mom. Both his parents were in town helping move furniture, but just as they were leaving their pickup truck died. While Dave and Bill installed a new alternator Betty and I sipped loose leaf Chamomile Mint tea and discussed the problems of the world, specifically, my problem with the modern concept of land ownership, economic subterfuge/modern day slavery, creditors, responsibility of the individual, and then we landed on the topic of lending with interest. I remember somewhere in the Old Testament scriptures God warning the Jews not to lend with interest:
(Duet. 23:19) “You shall not charge interest to your brother—interest on money or food or anything that is lent out at interest..."
It made me wonder why does God give this command? Is it just one of the old Jewish laws that we no longer obey because we're, as Christians, "free from the law"? Or is it an issue of spiritual consequence. This thought occurred to me: interest is the legalization of love. Love cannot be legalized (ie. put in a box). If so it ceases to exist. God is love. God cannot be legalized (put in a box). Therefore charging interest on loans is not part of God's nature/will, which is why he gave us that command. I probably made some pretty giant logical leaps here, but let me try to explain. When there is an exchange between a person in need and a person with means there is a potential for selfless love to exist between both parties. Say a man with means gives a poor farmer $1,000 to help repair a crop. When the poor farmer harvests his crop he gives the man with means the $1,000, but out of gratitude he also adds 200lbs of grain as a gift of thanksgiving. This is a beautiful picture of two people acting in love towards each other. However, the legalist within wants fairness, control, replicability and franchizability. We want to be able to replicate this exchange of love in a controlled environment. We give love boundaries so all can participate fairly and under the control of a supervisor. It is very much possible for this desire to be rooted in good intentions, but legalizing love is not possible and to do so is to kill the spirit of it. To me the interest on a loan is exactly that; turning a potentially loving gift or a dance between two people, into a stark system of managed risk.
I confess that I am a giant hypocrite. My business (Real Estate) completely centers around the practice of loaning with interest. I am trapped by my habit of convenience. I wish I could do away with this interest-on-loans based economy, but I would also have to do away with all the conveniences it provides me. The ol saying of Jesus, "give to Ceasar what is Ceasars" comes to mind...I would also add, "and if you don't want to play Ceasars game be prepared for the consequences." I suppose I could start off by paying my own massive debts.
I'll end with a quote from Mother Teresa, "...what we desire is not a class struggle but a class encounter, in which the rich save the poor and the poor save the rich."
