Put God’s saving justice first, says Jesus (Matthew
6:33). It is a direct instruction for all would-be followers.
God’s saving justice is to be marked by communities of
people living lovingly and joyfully, offering their witness
in perseverance and hope for a new creation.
To live in such a way is to invite the attention of both
the weak and the powerful. The weak will look for the fruits
of justice; the powerful will seek to destroy through
betrayal, false accusation, oppression, persecution, and
ultimately annihilation. The just will have at their disposal
only the resources of love, faith, and hope, informed by
prayer and a longing for justice to prevail—and of
course the wonderment and joy of the resurrection of Jesus
Christ, whose witness God vindicated. This is the victory
that overcomes the world!
May 4
Saving Justice
Psalm 98; Acts 10:44-48; 1 John 5:1-6; John 15:9-17
The resurrection of Jesus Christ is the supreme moment of
wonderment and joy in history, when God has "made known
his saving power" and "revealed his saving justice
for all the world to see," as the psalmist writes. Love
is the energy of God’s justice, and joy is its mark.
Such love and joy should be the mark of our worship and
witness. Sadly, radical witness and the struggle for justice
are often marred by a lack of love, of joy, of rejoicing in
the gifts of God in creation. Joy marks creation’s
response to God.
John’s gospel was written for a sect-like community
within the early church. Facing persecution, and dealing with
betrayal from within and without, they were in danger of
becoming paranoid. Like many such groups they were suspicious
of the more institutional churches. John repeats again and
again the imperative for love (John 13:34-35; 14:21, 23;
15:10). Perhaps we feel, as Wes Howard-Brook has remarked,
"Enough. We get the message!" But alas the problem
is that we do not get the message, for if people kept
the commandment to love one another, what a different world
this would be!
Peter and others were in danger of making the gospel
exclusive, until the dream at Joppa and the visit of
Cornelius (Acts 10:1-48). Once they had put aside their
prejudices and accepted the commission, Peter and his
community discovered to their surprise that the joy of God,
which at Pentecost had burst upon them, should be poured on
Gentiles, too. It is love, with the accompaniment of joy,
that marks the faith that has overcome the world (1 John
5:1-6).
Reflection and Action
God’s justice is in a continual state of becoming,
and it is witnessed to by acts of worship offered daily in
faith and hope. Does your worship reflect love and joy and
hope in the saving justice of God? How?
May 11
Walk on the Knife Edge
Psalm 1; Acts 1:15-17, 21-26; 1 John 5:9-13; John
17:6-19
The early discipleship community was put at risk by
betrayal, and one of the first actions of the fledgling
church was to elect an apostle to replace Judas. Betrayal not
only jeopardizes the community, it destroys the one who
betrays (Acts 1:15-17). The action of the apostles in
strengthening their core community with the election of
Matthias is a tacit recognition of the nature of the struggle
ahead.
John’s gospel likewise pictures Jesus preparing the
community for the possibility of betrayal. He prays for unity
among the disciples—from whom, he discerns, a betrayer
will come (John 18). There is a realism about Jesus’
prayer. The discipleship community still needs to learn how
to love (John 15:9-17), because the pressures of the
world—the "System"—threaten to engulf the
truth.
Such realities are ours today. Many of us who are
beneficiaries of the systems that have one way or another
provided us with securities know how easy it is to be sucked
into supporting injustice and oppression, even if only by
doing nothing. An African proverb says that when an elephant
puts its foot on the tail of a mouse, the mouse will not
appreciate your neutrality!
We tend to offer prayer as a last resort; yet in both the
gospel and in Acts, prayer is seen as vital preparation for
the inevitability of betrayal, conflict, and confrontation
with the powers. Jesus prays that his disciples will be
sanctified in the truth, in order to empower them in their
commission to enter the world (John 17:18). This commitment
to right living, to justice, is to be an immersion so
complete that it will be "like a tree planted by streams
of water" (Psalm 1:3). The stream, or "living
water" (John 4:10), is Christ, whose own witness has
been validated by "the Spirit, the water, and the
blood" (1 John 5:8). We who walk on the "knife
edge" of remaining in the world but not being of it need
the unity and love for which Jesus prayed—and also the
life-giving Spirit given us in baptism.
Reflection and Action
Who among the people you know has experienced betrayal?
Where have you experienced pressures to betray or to allow
the truth to be compromised? How important to you is your
baptism?
May 18 Pentecost
Receive the First Fruits
Psalm 104:24-35; Acts 2:1-21; Romans 8:22-27;
John 15:26-27, 16:4-15
For the Middle Eastern farm worker, Pentecost marks the
first harvest of the year. For urban people who live
reliantly upon—but often unaware of—agricultural
labor, the precariousness of harvest is unknown. For those
who till, sow, and reap, first indications of good harvests
are a sign of hope. Psalm 104 is a celebration of the
fecundity of God’s creation, a poem of praise to a
creating God whose continuing creativity in the harvest and
much else reminds us of his commitment to renew the face of
the Earth.
Ecological disaster has always threatened humanity, and in
our own age human actions have put at risk the fragile
eco-systems upon which we all depend for life. Jesus
recognized the destructive power of evil in systems that kill
and destroy (John 16:1-4). His own life constantly
demonstrated the judgment of God. He promised that as his
witness on Earth ended, he would "send...from the Father
the Spirit of truth" (John 15:26) who "will show
the world how wrong it was" (John 16:8).
The gift of the Spirit is set alongside a dramatic, poetic
prophecy that speaks of "portents in the sky above, and
signs on the Earth below," of the sun turning to
darkness and "the moon into blood" (Acts 2:18-20):
pictures of the cosmos under threat. But the same prophecy
speaks of God pouring the Holy Spirit "on all humanity;
your young people shall see visions, your old people dream
dreams," and on the slaves and oppressed, too, the
liberating Spirit will fall. Our folly is not the last word.
Those of us "who have the first fruits of the
Spirit" are to act with persevering confidence (Romans
8:25).
Reflection and Action
Share with others a moment in your life when you have
wondered at creation. What steps are you taking to become
more ecologically aware? How do you celebrate God’s
goodness in continuing to provide for your needs?
May 25
Come Out Into Light
Psalm 29; Isaiah 6:1-8; Romans 8:12-17; John
3:1-17
"Whom shall I send? Who will go for us?" Well, I
suppose it depends who is asking! When Isaiah had his vision
in the temple, he was in no doubt that the "Lord seated
on a high and lofty throne" was asking the questions.
The psalmist speaks of God as lord of the storm—there
are few things more awesome than a storm—and describes
the storm as revealing the creative and saving power of God.
This God, the one who continues to act in creation and to
seek justice, is the one who calls.
Isaiah and the people of Judah faced political
uncertainty. War clouds were gathering. Uzziah, one of the
better monarchs, has died. Isaiah knows he is implicated in
the sins of his people who have become indifferent to their
faith and who have ceased to practice justice. Isaiah
experiences what it means to be "born from above"
(John 3:7). David Rensberger states that it means "not
so much to have a certain experience as to take a certain
action with a definite social and communal dimension."
Isaiah, and Nicodemus later, are challenged to recognize that
"light has come into the world, but people loved
darkness rather than light because their deeds were
evil" (John 3:19).
John is writing for a community under persecution and
threat of annihilation. Their salvation lies in choosing to
come out into the light (John 3:21). John reveals how God
loved the world: he gave his only Son (3:16). Love must be
reciprocated and received, and the communities who experience
that gift are called to shine as lights in the world.
Reflection and Action
Have you ever sensed the presence of God? What was it
like? Did you feel God wanted a particular response from you?
How is God calling you and your faith community to "come
out into the light"?
June 1
Challenge the Status Quo
Psalm 139:1-6, 13-18; 1 Samuel 3:1-20; 2
Corinthians 4:5-12; Mark 2:23-3:6
Hungry people have a right to food. Jesus picks corn on
the Sabbath to feed his hungry followers, just as his
ancestor David had taken bread from the sacred place. The
Pharisees accuse him of a violation of Jewish law.
Jesus’ response is scathing: "The Sabbath was made
for people, not people for the Sabbath." Jesus’ use
of the term Sabbath here connects with the idea of Jubilee,
of releasing from debt (see Leviticus 25).
The peasants of Galilee were subject to food regulations
by the Pharisees, whose agents told them when they could sow,
reap, and harvest as well as where they could sell their
goods. Jesus’ act of reaping was not in itself a serious
threat to the hegemony of the Pharisees, but rather a
powerful demonstration of the rights of all to just
conditions and adequate nourishment.
Jesus’ frequent sharing of food is both a protest and
a demonstration of solidarity. When Levi the tax collector
joins his discipleship group, Jesus hosts a party. The
religious lawyers again question, "Why does he eat with
tax collectors and sinners?" (Mark 2:16).
In the worldview of the Pharisees, sin was tied up with
taboos over gender, ethnicity, role, status, and class.
Jesus’ option for the sinners and outcast is a clear
declaration of God’s love for such people. In another
withering retort, he tells his critics, "It is not the
healthy who need the doctor, but the sick. I came to call not
the upright, but sinners" (Mark 2:17). Translated into
today’s language, Jesus says in effect, "If you are
rich you will think the status quo is healthy, but if you are
one of the marginalized, you will find that what I have to
say and do is ‘good news.’"
Reflection and Action
Who do you know in your locality who is hungry? How can
they be fed? When you give a party, who do you invite?
June 8
Bind the Strong Man!
Psalm 138; 1 Samuel 8:4-20; 2 Corinthians
4:13-5:1; Mark 3:20-35
Today’s gospel has been one of the defining moments
of my life. I remember reading in Sojourners several
years ago Ched Myers’ exposition of binding the strong
man, and seeing for the first time the real cost of following
Jesus. The impact of Jesus’ words and deeds on the
crowds was enormous, and often prevented him from even having
a meal. His relatives were worried sick, and they thought
Jesus was out of his mind.
No longer was Jesus the target of the local preachers
only—the elite have come down from Jerusalem prepared to
expose Jesus as a servant of Satan. Using the subversive tool
of parable, Jesus exposes the true situation: "How can
Satan cast out Satan?" he asks. "A divided kingdom
cannot stand."
Jesus describes his purpose in disturbing terms; he likens
himself to a thief breaking into a house and tying up the
occupiers before ransacking the goods. His physical entering
of the temple was a symbol of this determination to overthrow
the order that keeps people enslaved, disempowered, and
excluded through poverty and discrimination. Jesus’
healings and exorcisms were as much acts of witness against
the powers as moments of personal liberation.
Reflection and Action
Where are the "strong men" exerting their
influence today? Can you recall any example of where you have
seen people acting in the name of Jesus, the "stronger
one," and liberating others? Do we have the courage to
join Jesus?
June 15
The Old Order is Gone
Psalm 20; 1 Samuel 15:34-16:13; 2 Corinthians
5:6-17; Mark 4:26-34
It is hard to imagine what it would have been like to hear
the parable of the sower for the first time, particularly if
you were a tenant farmer in debt to a landlord. To keep and
feed his family, pay his tithes, and buy seed for the next
year’s harvest, a six-fold yield on the crop would just
about keep the debt collectors away. A 10-fold yield marked a
good year. Imagine them hearing about a harvest in which the
crop yields were 30-, 60-, even 100-fold (Mark 4:8). Jesus is
emphasizing again the theme of Jubilee, a reordering and
redistributing of the good things of the Earth so that all
humanity is able to live as God intends.
How will this reign of justice be established? Samuel
resisted the demands of the people for a king and saw the
potential for oppression (1 Samuel 8). Saul fulfilled this
prophecy, as did David whose succession promised hopes of
change (1 Samuel 16:1-13). Justice can only be established as
we refuse to consider anyone by human standards, and to
recognize that God’s intervention in the human story,
through Jesus, is a message of continuous Jubilee, a
perpetual year of favor from the Lord (Luke 4:19).
Today’s psalm is "for the king." If we are
to turn it into a prayer for God’s justice, we will need
to recognize the implicit critique of power that is
articulated in the words, "Some call on chariots, some
on horses, but we on the name of the Lord our God"
(Psalm 20:7). In the last analysis our only hope for justice
is that "in Christ there is a new creation."
Reflection and Action
Who are those that need to benefit from a reordering and
redistributing of the wealth of the Earth? How is your church
practicing Jubilee?
June 22
Crossing Boundaries
Psalm 9:9-20; 1 Samuel 17:1, 4-11, 19-23, 32-49;
2 Corinthians 6:1-13; Mark 4:35-41
Crossing boundaries—of gender, race, or
culture—is one of the most difficult activities in human
experience. Perhaps the most difficult boundary to cross is
that between injustice and justice. Mark tells the story of
Jesus trying to cross the lake Gennesaret from the Jewish
(albeit Galilean) side to the Gentile territory of the
Gerasenes (Mark 4:35-41). The boundary in this story is
between Jesus as prophet to the Jews, on one side, and to the
whole of humanity, as symbolized by the Gentile community
across the water. The cosmic forces of opposition are
expressed in the wind and the rain; the boat is almost
overwhelmed.
Any community that embarks seriously on bringing about
reconciliation needs to recognize the potential for
shipwreck! Paul, in his letters to Corinth, emphasizes the
difficulties Christians face in retaining their integrity,
and he speaks from his own experience. This part of
Paul’s letter is not a challenge to individuals
primarily, but to the whole community—which is in danger
of exchanging a commitment to justice, with its attendant
risks of persecution, for moral compromise with the governing
authorities. The law breaking that Paul has in mind here is
the law of God, which requires the pursuit of justice and
fidelity.
Reflection and Action
Where are the boundaries that need crossing in your life
and community? What keeps you from crossing them? Why are you
still frightened? Have you still no faith? Plan some simple
boundary-crossing activity.
June 29
Cry From the Deep
Psalm 130; 2 Samuel 1:1, 17-27; 2 Corinthians
8:7-15; Mark 5:21-43
Two people cry out in the gospel narrative: the president
of the synagogue, Jairus, whose daughter is dying, and the
woman who has suffered heavy bleeding for 12 years. Both have
to cross boundaries to make their request. The president fell
at his feet, recognizing Jesus’ authority, which given
previous encounters with Jewish leadership must have been a
tough decision. The woman has to break the double taboo of
addressing a man in public and risking the contamination of
Jesus because of her condition, which was seen as sinful
under Jewish religious law. But only the crossing of
boundaries empowers Jesus to heal.
A feature of Mark’s story of Jesus is the presence of
the crowd, always pressing, always threatening interruption.
In the middle of it all, Jesus attends to the woman, and only
then proceeds to the home of Jairus. Symbolism is rife in
these verses. "Sleep" is a euphemism for lack of
faith (Mark 13:36). "Twelve" signifies the number
of Israel’s tribes.
In the end this is a story about healing, but not just of
individuals. Jesus interrupts his journey to the home of the
privileged to heal one of the outcasts who emerges from the
crowd. As Ched Myers reminds us, "Only when the outcast
is restored to true ‘daughterhood’ can the daughter
of the synagogue be restored to life." Today we might
say that only when the marginalized have been restored to
their rightful place in humanity can the affluent world
discover its true vocation.
Reflection and Action
Where does the story of these two women touch your story?
Have you experienced being broken or marginalized? Who around
you is like this? How can your church or community bring
healing?
PETER B. PRICE is general secretary of the United Society
for the Propagation of the Gospel, an Anglican mission agency
based in London, and practices—with his wife, Dee—a
ministry of hospitality. Reflections on the complete, three-year
lectionary cycle can be found in the resource Living the Word,
available from Sojourners Resource Center (1-800-714-7474).
Read other articles by:
Price, Peter B.
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