Tomoe and Seibei in "The Twilight Samurai"
“Two Surprising Virtues”
Ecclesiastes 2
Richard M. Wright
Church of the Nations
10th Sunday of Pentecost (C)
Marry her you dummy!
“The Twilight Samurai” or <Tasogare Seibei>. A very good movie from eight years ago. Won twelve Japanese Academy Awards. Set in Japan during the nineteenth century the movie tells the story of Seibei Iguchi played by Hiroyuki Sanada. He is a samurai but now works as an accountant in a food warehouse. His wife became sick and died. He mother is old and losing her memory. He has two daughters. They are poor but have a home and enough to eat.
But somehow Seibei is happy. Mostly. He is lonely and his daughters need someone who will be a mother to them.
Everything changes when Tomoe comes back to town. She was in a bad marriage and is now divorced. She and Seibei were close friends as children. Tomoe spends time at the Iguchi home. Teaches his daughters how to sew helps them practice calligraphy takes them to a festival in the village.
Her brother Iinuma asks Seibei to marry her. He knows she loves him. But he says no. Because he is poor and she comes from a wealthy family. He does not want to her share his poverty. And Tomoe stops coming.
I want to reach into the story grab this man by the shirt and shout What’s wrong with you? Are you crazy? Marry her you dummy!
The person who made this movie could be the same person who wrote the book of Ecclesiastes from which our Bible reading comes.
Completely useless! says the Teacher? Preacher? Professor? Completely useless. Everything is useless.
The book of Ecclesiastes is one of the strangest books in the Bible. We almost never read from the book of Ecclesiastes in the Christian calendar. This reading one time every three years. And chapter three once a year on Christmas. We do not read it hear it study it very often in the life of the Christian church. But in my opinion this book is one of the most important. Especially for the world in which we live today.
Most scholars believe it was written between four fifty and three fifty BC. During the time of the Persian Empire. A time of economic activity and opportunity. Business finance and commerce. Population moving from the country into the city. People making large amounts of money. Sometimes losing money. The growing problems of corruption abuse of power and bad leadership. Nobody seems to care about the poor or know what to do for them. People working all the time but not sure why. People have lots of knowledge but not sure it makes a difference. Society becoming less about family and community and more about the individual.
Does this sound familiar?
The writer of Ecclesiastes looks at the world at people at life and makes at least four main points:
- Nobody knows the future – you do not know what will happen tomorrow.
- Money and knowledge and power – none of these guarantee what will happen.
- Nobody knows and nobody can change what God is doing.
- Everybody dies.
The book of Ecclesiastes almost was not included in the Bible. Many teachers and scholars believe its message is very negative. Everybody dies. No one knows. Nothing we do is certain. I was fortunate to take a seminar on the book of Ecclesiastes with William Brown who is one of the top Ecclesiastes scholars in the nation. He transformed our understanding of this strange book that nobody reads. The book of Ecclesiastes in fact offers hope. It proclaims good news for human beings who live in a crazy and uncertain world.
I do not have time to share with you everything the book of Ecclesiastes teaches. This spring I taught a Bible study on this book for University Baptist Church. More than six hours. And that did not cover everything. We do not have six hours.
Of all the things the book of Ecclesiastes teaches there are two that are especially important. Two virtues.
From our Bible reading chapter two. There is nothing better for human beings than to eat and drink and find joy in their work. And I see that this comes from the hand of God. In chapter three. And I know that there is nothing better than to enjoy (or rejoice) and to do good in his life. And for every person to drink and eat and see good in his work. This is a gift of God. In chapters five and eight almost the same thing. In chapter nine. Go eat your food with joy. Drink wine with a good heart. God is already pleased with what you do. Enjoy life with the wife that you love all the days of your life.
Joy. Joy in our “daily bread” as we pray during Communion. Joy in what we drink. Joy with our friends and family. Even – and this is shocking and perhaps especially important – joy in our work. Not work so that when you are done you can enjoy life. But see the joy in your work. Because all these things are a gift from God. Receive with thanks to God the joy that God gives in each moment. In the small ordinary beautiful moments of life. Good food and drink. Good friends. Family. Our work.
Seibei somehow sees good in his work at the warehouse. Joy when he goes fishing with his good friend Iinume. He certain sees great joy with his children. But he does not receive the joy that Tomoe offers. Until later.
That is part of what Jesus talks about in the other Bible reading from the book of Luke. This rich farmer who saves and stores everything he has. But he does not share it. He does not enjoy it with others. He does not save treasure in heaven that nothing and no one can ever take away no matter what happens tomorrow.
The other virtue that Ecclesiastes proclaims is reverence.
Chapter three. Whatever God does lasts forever. Nothing can be added or taken from it. God has done this so that everyone will stand in reverence before him. Also chapters five and seven. In chapter eight Even if sinners do evil and hundred times and live long lives it will be better with those who fear(?) God because they stand in reverence before him. And at the very end of the book chapter twelve. The end of the matter. Everything has been heard. Fear(? reverence?) God and keep his commandments. That is the whole duty of everyone.
Reverence. English Bibles often translate this Hebrew word yara’ as fear or awe but I prefer reverence. Not fear as in be afraid of God. But more than respect. To have reverence is to recognize that we are human. We are finite. We are not perfect. We are not God. So on the one hand we are not arrogant. We do not talk or think or act like we are God. And on the other hand we are patient with ourselves. We do not worry. Because we trust God. And reverence is a virtue – who or what we are – that in turn shapes how we live.
Joy. Receive with gratitude the moments of joy that God places into the present.
Reverence. God is God. We are not. Know that. Respect that. Live that.
