Even THOSE People!?

As the last throes of Summer flip into the mellowness of Autumn, the weekly scripture readings continue to encourage the developing Christian Community.  Some of us need to hear that we’ll not always be victims of The System; others need to be confronted with the social inequity so rampant in our headlines.  We could hear the coming week’s passages as admonitions to a holier individual life– or we could see them (more usefully, I think) as reminders to the Whole People of God that YHWH has high hopes for the visibility of The Church.

From the Hebrew Wisdom we read selected verses from Chapter 22 of the Book of Proverbs  “The rich and the poor have this in common: the Lord is the Maker of them all.” (v.2); “Those who are generous are blessed, for they share their bread with the poor.” (v.9); “Do not rob the poor because they are poor, or crush the afflicted at the gate;” (v.22).  Stephen C. Johnson says, “Biblical wisdom is concerned not merely with the moral character of the individual, but with the formation of a wise community rooted in the peace and justice of God.” (FEASTING ON THE WORD, B 4, p.27)   How does our theological claim intersect with the world in which we live?

Some very good thinkers have claimed that the Letter of James is counter to the Faith so emphasized by Paul.  The value of this epistle is to remind the Church that holiness must be lived out, that it’s more than an intellectual exercise.  The second chapter holds our feet to the fire as we welcome ALL, not just Our Own Kind, or those who can do us favors.  James seems to tell us that our Faith naturally spawns acts of mercy and kindness…even to THOSE people!

Mark’s Gospel remembrance continues to puzzle us (7:24-37).  Jesus was “out of the office” (he thought) on the Syrian seashore.  But one of the local women, not Jewish, recognized that here could be a healing for her demon-possessed daughter.  Jesus seems reluctant to share God’s power with an “infidel”: “Let the children be fed first, for it is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the dogs.” !!!(v.27)  Yet the woman begged even crumbs–and the daughter was healed!  Don’t spend too much time trying to establish Jesus’  motives or make excuses for him:  the bottom line is that one of Those People were touched by Grace and included within the Family!

So the readings are prophetic:  they confront the idolized shortcomings of the prevailing social order, and they offer hope and inclusion to “the huddled masses yearning to breathe free”.  God is envisioned as the redeemer, the advocate for those who cannot secure their own defense.  Followers of Jesus, bolstered by the presence of the Holy Spirit, are emboldened to shelter the storm-tossed by including them as equals in this unfolding Kingdom.

God Bless Us, Every One                       Horace Brown King