The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor. [Luke 4:18-19, NRSV]
In Luke's gospel, these are the first words Jesus uses to describe his ministry. They occur after the story of his temptation. Some people view these words solely from a spiritual perspective but I think the political and social implications of them are crystal clear: Jesus sought to bring about a new kingdom, a new way of being in and relating to the world. This is what made the Pharisees so nervous and why they considered Jesus to be so dangerous.
Robert Goss, in his book "Jesus Acted Up," makes a similar observation. He writes, "Jesus used the symbol of God's reign [kingdom] to speak of liberating activity of God among people. The symbol of God's reign was the organizing symbol of his message and his practices. For Jesus, God's reign was socially provocative and politically explosive. It was socially provocative in that its coming belongs to the least, those like children, the destitute, the persecuted, and outcasts. God's reign was also politically explosive. Jesus practiced liberation in his siding with the humiliated and oppressed of Jewish society. He gave them hope and the courage to resist the domination of first century Palestine."
Perhaps we need to read the gospels again through the lens of social and political action. Yes, its true that the central focus of the gospels is Jesus death on the cross for our sins. However, I believe we can also read in many of Jesus' teachings a call to action. We're not simply supposed to wait around for Jesus to return. We're supposed to be visible signs of God's Kingdom here and now. Political and social action are not an option for people of faith. We are called to be liberators of those who are held captive by unjust economic policies. We are called to give sight to those who have been blinded by their greed and selfish ambition. We are called to speak up for the oppressed, the destitute, the persecuted and the outcasts. What word of good news is God asking you to speak today?
1 comments:
"Political and social action are not an option..."
How true! We were created as the Earth's keepers and it seems that many believers have got so wrapped up in their own problems, they've let the world grow wild. (I include myself in this number.) Here in the US, we're seeing where this leads; the allegedly most devout nation on the planet is reaping much of the misery it failed to weed out.
For some reason, I've been stuck in Luke 19 lately. Every time I re-read it I find what amounts to another slap upside the head. And when I read your message here, I immediately thought about the parable of the ten minas. When the master gave his servants the money, he said, "Put it to work until I come back."
Yes, we must get busy with what we've been given. The Master's coming and performance reviews will happen. There's no excuse for not having done all we can to help others in His name.
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