It’s been a while since I’ve been motivated to write anything here. But the events of this year, the last few days in particular, seem to have opened my brain a little and made me want to write some things down.
I like to rant. A lot. If you know me personally or follow me on facebook at all, you know that when something gets under my skin, I’m going to go off on a rant about it. The primaries and caucuses in particular have really got me going. And now the horrible stories out of Orlando have me talking about guns and gun violence and human rights and all that.
And for the most part, my friends and fans just let me rant, knowing that my heart is in the right place and that I will do what I can to make the world a better place with my actions and votes once I’m done ranting.
But almost every time, without fail, someone, usually several someones, feels the need to remind me that “this world isn’t our home” and “God’s kingdom isn’t an earthly one” and as a Christian I should “concern” myself “with heavenly things, not earthly ones”.
To which I invariably say “I know” and let it pass. But what I really want to do is get off on a rant.
Well-meaning Christians say this, implying that our ‘work’ is ‘more important’ than laws or elections and so on, that our work is for ‘souls in heaven’ not ‘presidents in offices’. They point to verses like John 15:19 (If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you…) and Romans 12:2 (Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.) and Philippians 3:20 (But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ).
And yes, the Bible does say that, in those isolated verses (and others) taken out of their textual and historical context.
But I don’t think they mean that when we become Christians we just shrug off all the issues of the world that we live in. If that’s what God wanted, then why are we still here? Why not just zap us to heaven as soon as we become believers?
But here we are. And here we remain. And in spite of numerous people saying as Christians we are “not of this world”, we are. We are of this world. And we have a duty to it, more than just telling people about the Gospel.
And that is one of Justice.
The Hebrew word most often translated as “justice” is mishpat. At its root, it carries the meaning of “to treat equitably”. But in use, it carries a connotation of giving people their due or ‘rights’. For example, the support for the priests in Deuteronomy 18 is their mishpat. The word comes up again when it talks about caring for widows and orphans and leaving the corners of your field for the poor. It’s their right, it’s what is due to them.
But why justice? Why is that our job? Aren’t we just supposed to save souls and that’s it?
Uh…. no. Why? Because it’s not what God wants. In spite of those ‘not of this world’ verses taken out of context, the broader story of how God wants us to live in this world is He wants us to defend the vulnerable.
Leviticus 19:18. Love your neighbor as yourself. Jesus expands on this in the parable of The Good Samaritan.
But did you notice in the story? The Samaritan isn’t the good guy. I mean, yes, he does the right thing when the ‘righteous’ do not, but the Samaritans were not ‘good’ people. They were ‘half-breeds’ that worshipped the wrong way in the wrong place. They were not only outcasts, they were the lowest of the low.
And what the Samaritan doesn’t do is as important as what he DOES do. He doesn’t ask the victim what he did wrong, or what temple he went to, he didn’t even ask if the victim was a Jewish man or a Roman or from some other place. That information isn’t even given in the story. Jesus just describes him as “a man”.
The Samaritan doesn’t concern himself with the victim’s spiritual needs. He doesn’t tend to his ‘soul’. He gives him his mishpat. His due. And what he is due at that moment is health care.
And it’s not just the Good Samaritan story where Jesus teaches this. Over and over when Jesus is asked “How can I get to heaven?” (or some variant) he always ALWAYS answers “Love God, love people”. He never says “pray this prayer” or “save that soul” or “go on that mission trip and baptize 20 people”. Love God, love people. Period. And when asked for an example, Jesus doesn’t say “if you love them, save their souls” or “if you love them, invite them to church” or “if you love them, stay out of politics”, the examples he gives – in word and deed, are the outcasts, the downtrodden, and yes, the sinful. Samaritans, servants, lepers, adultresses.
We need to do the same. With our words, our actions, our votes, our time, our money. There is way more to the Christian life than “saving souls” and just biding our time waiting for heaven. In fact, I would say heaven is not the point.
Let me say that again:
Heaven is not the point. Our citizenship may be heaven, eventually, but right here, right now, it’s HERE. HERE is the point. Loving people is the point. And that means giving them their mishpat. Not as part of a mission to get them into heaven, not to get their butt in a pew on Sunday morning, you just DO IT. Love God, Love People. The end.
And we do that by working HERE. By doing good HERE. Now. Not because we want to get them into heaven, not to get ourselves into heaven, but because it’s what we’re supposed to do. With out time, our money, our votes, our voices, our keyboards, our facebook accounts.
Rant over. Carry on.
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