Scripture: Matthew 9:10-11
As Jesus sat down to eat in Matthew’s house, many tax collectors and sinners joined Jesus and his disciples at the table. But when the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?”
Thought for the Day: In recent months, I have been deeply troubled by some voices in Christianity who have attempted to dismiss or even denounce the language of Social Justice. Some have gone as far as saying that there is no hint of it within scripture. I don’t know what scripture they are reading, because both the Old Testament and New Testament are dripping with stories, declarations and prophetic proclamations on Social Justice. And though the word “social” does not appear alongside the word justice in scripture, justice is always social or communal. So much of scripture is confronting, whether directly or in creative commentary, systems and groups and even governments. The confrontation was intended to call out the injustice against groups like the poor, widows, orphans and foreigners. They might have called out individuals, but for the most part, their words were against a structure that upheld or even approved of the injustice. Even when Jesus sat down with sinners and tax collectors (or other marginalized people), he was confronting a system that had blamed these people for their problems. In the first century, there were those among the Jews (not all of them) who blamed the Roman occupation on certain groups. In fact, they went as far as suggesting that the Roman occupation was God’s punishment upon Judaism for being too kind and welcoming of these sinners. Jesus, teaching through table fellowship, was suggesting a whole different ordering of the world. These people were not to be blamed, but to be the recipients of our compassion. They were not to be the cultural scapegoats, but recognized as those who needed to know the welcoming power of God’s grace. Social Justice is Jesus Justice. It is calling out structures and systems that do not seek, first and foremost, the needs of the most vulnerable. People may try to dismiss the language of Justice within scripture, but I believe they are doing so to protect the very systems the prophets and Jesus came to confront.
Prayer: Give strength to my voice, O Righteous and Just God. Provide me the courage to call out injustice, even when the changes you desire might cause some personal discomfort. In the name of your revelation, Jesus Christ. Amen.
