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September 27th, 2009 Mark 9:38-50 "What does justice mean in the biblical sense and how do we
live it day to day, such as when we feel we've been wronged and want to defend
ourselves or in our deepest personal relationships?" Biblical
justice is like herding cats. What does that mean? Justice seems so clear a concept,
so plain a task, yet it is so difficult, even impossible, to do. In the Gospel of John, a disciple said to Jesus,
"Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we tried to stop
him because he was not following us." It's not right, not fair! Fix 'em, Jesus!
Make it right! But Jesus said, "Do not stop him...whoever is not against us is
for us. Truly I tell you, whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because you
bear the name of Christ will by no means lose the reward." Justice is making
things right for people - respecting other people's work and gifts. Philip
Wogaman, former pastor of the
community's guarantee of the conditions necessary for everybody to be a
participant in the common life of society.... If we are, finally, brothers and
sisters through the providence of God, then it is just to structure
institutions and laws in such a way that communal life is enhanced and individuals
are provided full opportunity for participation. Justice belongs to each of us and to all of us. It is a
moral imperative essential to enjoying intimate and loving relationship with
God. It is being awake to existing injustice, to acknowledge our participation in
it - even just through unjust social structures we had nothing to do with erecting. If any
of you put a stumbling block before one of these little ones who believe in me,
it would be better for you if a great millstone were hung around your neck and
you were thrown into the sea. If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off;
it is better for you to enter life maimed than to have two hands and to go to
hell, to the unquenchable fire. And if your foot causes you to stumble, cut it
off; it is better for you to enter life lame than to have two feet and to be
thrown into hell and if your eye causes you to stumble, tear it out; it is
better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes
and to be thrown into hell, where their worm never dies, and the fire is never
quenched. I don't
know quite what that means -- "their worm never dies" but it sounds really bad.
I do know Jesus was not teaching about Hell, but using popular and commonly-held
beliefs about Hell to emphasize how important this matter of justice was, its significance
in terms of our relationships with each other including the little ones and the
least of these. It also has great significance in terms of our relationship with
God. Micah 6:8
represents a summary of the message of ancient There is another
more radical, painful, and wrenching step:
biblical justice that is redistributive justice -- "finding out what
belongs to whom and returning it to them" (Walter Brueggemann, Sharon Parks, Thomas H. Groome, To Act Justly, Love Tenderly, Walk Humbly:
an Agenda for Ministers, Paulist Press, NY) Biblical redistributive justice recognizes that, through
history, some pretty dramatic inequalities have arisen in how wealth and access
to the benefits of societies are distributed. Biblical justice is about correcting
inequitable redistributions. It's like a very proper lady who goes into a tea shop.
She has brought with her a bag of cookies from home. She reads a book while
sipping her tea. The shop is quite crowded and soon a man sits down at her
table, orders tea, and smiles at her. As he sips his tea, she reaches out and takes
a cookie. To her amazement, he also takes a cookie -- one of her cookies! She
takes another, then so does he. She is shocked when he takes the last cookie, breaks
it in two and offers to share with her. She is so upset, she quickly finishes
and leaves. At the bus stop, she reaches into her purse for money to buy a ticket
only to discover her own unopened bag of cookies. (Brueggemann, To Act Justly)
Injustice is characterized by our eating
someone else's cookies and doing it so long we think they're ours. Justice is
a big concept with global implications, but what can each of us do in our daily
lives to act justly? We can insist that our church work for justice, that we
are actively involved in partnerships with other churches, government, and business
to effect changes in social policy and systemic structures. But we also need to
recognize that we as followers of Jesus, seekers for truth, must challenge and engage
what motivates and drives us. The heart of
the Gospel is the transformation of people's lives: new vision, new
perspectives, new birth, new mind, and new creation. Our faith calls us to
justice, to respond to the radical call to set our lives in sync with the vision
of life Jesus saw and taught - the " "Why do people in church seem like cheerful,
brainless tourists on a packaged tour of the Absolute? ... Does anyone have the
foggiest idea what sort of power we blithely invoke? Or, as I suspect, does no
one believe a word of it? ...We should all be wearing crash helmets." (Annie Dillard, Teaching a Stone to Talk)
But if we
do believe what our faith testifies, what can we do about it? Simply, this: live
our lives, love our gifts, embrace our story. Each of us is unique, different
from anyone else who has ever lived or who ever will live. Tradition tells us
that: God sends each person into this
world with a special message to deliver, with a special song to sing for others,
with a special act of love to bestow. No one else can speak my message,
or sing my song, or offer my act of love. These are entrusted only to
me. (John
Powell, Seasons of the Heart) I cannot
prove the validity of this idea, but I believe it to be true and its truth is reflected
in the traditional story of Rabbi Zushka who was dying and someone asked him
what he thought life beyond the grave would be like. The old man thought
for a long time, then he replied, "I don't really know. But one thing I
do know: when I get there I am not going to be asked, 'Why weren't you Moses?'
or 'Why weren't you David?' I am going to be asked, 'Why weren't you
Zushka?' To do
justice is to be that unique person God made you to be. To do justice is to to
bring God's life to light through us. In our differences, we share a call to
act for justice, to become people whose very lives just drip and ooze justice.
They overflow justice. We do justice because we can't do otherwise. The same
thing is true of We do
justice by sharing and confessing our own concerns as African-American theologian
and renowned preacher Howard Thurman shared his many years ago: My concern is for the life of the
world in these troubled times. I confess my own inner confusion as
I look out upon the world. There is food for all, yet many are
hungry. There are clothes enough for all,
yet many are in rags. There is room enough for all, yet
many are crowded. There are none who want war, yet
preparations for conflict abound. I confess my own share in the ills
of the times. I have shirked my own
responsibilities as a citizen. I have not been wise in casting my
ballot. I have left to others a real
interest in making a public opinion worthy of democracy. I have been concerned about my own
little job, my own little security, my own shelter, my own bread. I have not really cared about jobs
for others, security for others, shelter for others, bread for
others. I have not worked for peace. I want
peace, but I have (in effect) voted and worked for war. I have silenced my own voice that it
may not be heard on the side of any cause, however right, if it meant running
risks or damaging my own little reputation. Let Thy light burn in me that I may
from this moment on, take effective steps within my own powers, to live up to
the light and courageously to pay for the kind of world I so deeply desire. (For the Inward
Journey: the Writings of Howard
Thurman, selected by Anne Spencer Thurman ( So, what is
justice and how do we live it in our daily lives? Justice making things right - righteous! How will it be right? Can it ever be right? How many wrongs make a right? Small rights Correcting injustice where I see it In my life where it touches me Righting the wrongs I can How do I know what's right? I have to choose Then deal with those who disagree Justice receiving the consequences for
actions, for wrongs Justice relieved by grace A more invasive justice To sort out what belongs to whom And to return it to them (Brueggemann) It doesn't work to force
redistributive justice We each must want it -- want to try
it The power of giving The simpler our lifestyle The more we have to give More power More influence More time and energy freed up Relationship For what we value most The more we know ourselves from
within Transparent motives integrated action -- powerful Justice Dreaming Learning what you want discerning our wants In light of what is Ultimately important Using our power In partnership with God To make a difference Reframe Reshape Change the world Our dreams within God's dream (Jack Price, ©2009) |
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