There are so many things that could be said today as we reflect on the crucifixion of Jesus, but I thought I would give the word to one of our partners overseas. The following reflection is from Dr Kiran Martin from ASHA in India - one of the organisations we work with in that great part of the world.
Dear friends,
As Easter draws nigh and reminds us of the wonderful gift of God to us – His Son Jesus, who has blessed us, forgiven us, redeemed us, transformed us, I have been reflecting on these words from the Lord’s prayer: ‘Thy Kingdom come on earth, as it is in heaven.’ What did Jesus really mean when he taught us to pray this way? My sincere hope is that my thoughts will encourage you, challenge you and bless you.
What is God’s dream for this earth? The dream of God includes a social and political vision of a world of justice and peace in which human beings do not hurt or destroy, oppress or exploit one another. Micah 4:4 says, They will all sit under their own vines and under their own fig trees and no one shall make them afraid. In Isaiah 2:4 we read, They will beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks, nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore. ‘Shalom’ means much more than absence of war. It means well-being in a comprehensive sense. It includes freedom from oppression, anxiety and fear, and the presence of health, prosperity and security. ‘Shalom’ thus includes a social vision, the dream of a world in which such well-being belongs to everybody.
In the Old Testament, the prophets attacked the domination system of the day. They indicted the elites for their exploitation of the poor. They were bearers and spokespersons of the dream of God. You trample the head of the poor into the dust of the earth, and push the afflicted out of the way. You oppress the poor and crush the needy, you buy the poor for silver and the needy for a pair of sandals. (Amos 2:7, 4:1, 5:11, 8:4, 8:6). About the elite’s acquisition of land from peasants, Micah said, They covet fields and seize them, houses and take them away. They oppress householder and house, people and their inheritance. (Micah 2:2).
What then did God want? Speaking on God’s behalf, Amos said in 5:21, I hate, I despise your religious festivals. I take no delight in your solemn assemblies. But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.
This passion for social justice is a protest against systemic evil, against injustice built into the oppressive social structures of the system itself. This systemic evil is perhaps the single greatest cause of human suffering. The issue is not the goodness or wickedness of elite individuals. Elites can be good people. The issue is rather a system in which some people sleep on beds made of ivory while others end up being sold for the price of a pair of sandals. Thus the passion for social justice does not focus on individual change but on structural change.
This dream of God blazed forth again in Jesus. Many of his sayings as well as his actions challenged the dominant system of his day. His criticisms of the wealthy were an indictment of the social class at the top of the domination system. His criticism of the Pharisees and scribes was because they saw the social order through elite lenses.
The teachings and behaviour of Jesus reflect an alternative social vision. He rejected the sharp social boundaries of the established social order. In his teachings, he did away with distinctions between righteous and sinner, rich and poor, men and women, Pharisees and outcasts. In his behaviour, he crossed the social boundaries of purity, gender and class.
For Jesus, compassion was more than virtue for an individual. For Jesus, the compassion of God stood against the dominant system of his day. Jesus taught us to pray ‘Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.’ Jesus’ hearers knew about other kingdoms like Herod’s and Caesar’s. The kingdom of God is what the world would be like if God were king, rather than Herod or Caesar. In such a world, the poor would be fortunate, the mighty put down from their thrones, and domination systems would be replaced by God’s domination-free order. The dream of God is that His kingdom be established on earth.
Of course, the Bible is not just about social justice and the shape of society. Individuals mattered to Jesus. The Bible affirms the infinite value of the individual person. Compassion for individuals and passion for a just society go hand in hand. Because individuals matter to God, political structures matter to God, for political structures impact the lives of individuals to an exceptional degree.
Thus the dream of God combines a compassion for the individual with a passionate concern for a just society. This leads to a very different way of seeing human life in community. It leads to seeing the impact of social structures on people’s lives. It leads to seeing that the suffering of the poor is not due to individual failure. It leads to anger towards the systemic sources of human suffering. It leads to minimizing social boundaries, whatever the basis for drawing them (status, wealth, gender etc).
Today, after having spent over twenty years of my life in the slums, perhaps I have had a glimpse of the dream of God coming true. Some of the poorest communities in the world are seeking peace through justice, generosity and mutual concern. Together, we have become bound to justice, and are not free of our duties to our neighbours. The poor are treated with dignity and respect, the oppressed and exploited are defended and are empowered to live full and meaningful lives. There is a complete refusal to respect economic, class or social barriers. Joyful, worshipping communities of the poor and the outcasts are experiencing Gods forgiveness and blessing, healing and restoration. The social and spiritual landscape of these communities is being reshaped.
The church as the community of Jesus is called to incarnate this great life-giving, nourishing, inclusive vision of Jesus. Can we be committed to living by a different imperative, the dream of God, the Kingdom of God on earth?
May this season fill your hearts with joy and gladness, and bring you many blessings from our loving God.
Dr. Kiran Martin
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Thank you for reminding me that it’s not just about our own selfish concerns, but people in community! That’s what God wants to see…