What does the word “righteous” mean? Marie and I searched the on-line dictionaries we could find, and it seems to mean “virtuous, adhering to the law”. The term probably arose in the Judaic tradition and was used in Jesus’ time to denote one who followed the Hebrew Law. Contemporary considerations include a certain amount of social justice: What Would Jesus Do? Readings for the upcoming weekend deal with our human dilemma of “how good is good enough?”
The prophet JEREMIAH was, well, weird. Here in 28:5-9 he converses with the remnant of the Israelite people after the Babylonian conquest, through their prophet Hananiah. Jeremiah contends that Hananiah has been preaching with rose-colored glasses about the quick restoration of the Temple/nation. “When the words of that prophet come true, then it will be known that the Lord has truly sent that prophet.” (So there!) This Babylonian conquest and ensuing Exile has been given by YHWH–says Jeremiah–to get the people to repent and get righteous. Again? This message urges the hearers (us?) to get radically involved with God, heart, mind, soul and strength.
St. Paul, in the Letter to the ROMANS 6:12-23, foreshadows contemporary psychoanalysis by reminding us that we’re all slaves to SOMEthing. We know a little about addictions and compulsions, whether or not they play a part in our actions toward others. Now Paul is calling us to be obsessed with Christ, putting aside our fatal attractions and accepting the grace-filled life-giving gift of being made right with God and Creation. Hopefully we behave as we do, not out of duty or fear of a heavenly policeman, but rather because our lives and attendant attitudes have been enriched by the daily Presence of Christ.
The Gospel is that of MATTHEW 10:40-42–Jesus continues his training of the two-by-two teams he’s about to send out to the cities & towns. He says to us that you’ll reap the rewards of what you sow, even to the investment of a cup of cold water. (NB–in an arid and rocky land, there are few sources of cool water; also that it’s a risk to give away what could be your own last sip…) The fear of the immigrant, the homeless or the stranger can drive this whole mission down the tubes–as it so often does today. We’re leery of talking about righteousness because it may offend the hearers.
So am I righteous? I usually feel pretty imperfect, so Christ has his work cut out for him. What’s worse, I LIKE my un-righteous behavior! I solicit your prayers…
In the process of unfolding, Horace Brown King
Please join me every Tuesday to wrestle with God as we examine scriptural lessons to be read on the upcoming weekend: at horacebrownking.com
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