In the last post I talked about how Mark 10 discusses taking from oneself and giving to others as a sort of "pre-requisite" to following Jesus. It might be that the most definitive thing we can say about God is that he cares deeply for the oppressed. And, if we care about God, our response has to be to care for the oppressed.
"God is with the poor, and God is with us if we are with the poor." (Bono)
And while this quotation seems to capture the issue, it might also completely miss the point. The point being: God is with us if we become the poor, or if we find ways to reconcile the rich and the poor; to make them one in the same; to erase them.
But, the duty is not our own. Today, being inspired by a discussion in class, will revolve around the Book of James...
First off, one of the most significant themes in James is the need to rely on God. There's a challenge we face as humans: we think we have power, and we think we know how to use it. We think we can nail things down, in fact its because of this that Himself was nailed down.
But James has a different message. He urges us to be patient with God, as he will be the one who exercises the power.
James 4:13-5:11
Those who pursue wealth should not be too confident in tomorrow. They assume that God will provide them safe travel, they assume that their life is long enough, they have goals that are inspired by their own will. They boast, then, in themselves.
Those who have no need to pursue wealth, the rich, allow their wealth to store up. Their food rots, their clothes are eaten with moth, and their gold rusts. Their richness is unused and wasted, and yet they oppress those who work their land. They have the means to be fair, and yet they keep what they do not need and those around them need so much.
Those who have no hope of wealth, the poor, the peasant class, must be patient. God is like the seeds that they plant, that while nothing visible is happening, life is imminent. The Lord of the Army of Angels, the real commander-in-chief, is coming to slaughter the fat and the rich.
Here's where it gets sad for us.
We're the fat and the rich that are doomed to be slaughtered.
We were born into richness, we do not have to pursue it. We are the 1% of the world that has the chance of a college degree, we are the 1% of the world that own a computer. Our nation has 13% of the world's population and 60% of its resources. If we must differentiate the rich from the poor, we are without a doubt the rich. Doomed for slaughter.
We do not need hope, for we are perfectly happy with what we have and not really willing to do anything about it. We might not be able to escape our richness if we wanted to.
We are not Israel, we are Babylon. We are not God's chosen people, we are God's unrelenting foe. We aim the Beast's flames instead of cutting off its head.
It's only when we know this truth that we can begin to shape what it looks like to be a Christian...
I am lamb, but destined to be a lamb-chop. You are what you eat.
