Rebuilders

It is time to proclaim to my people and to give them a message from God. 

“Don't speak quietly, but use megaphones and outdoor speakers! 

Inform My people of their wrongs, for it is time for them to repent!

“Everyday I listen to them and they pray to me, as if they were a people who were holy and loving and that hasn't ignored the commands of God.  Every day they praise me, declaring, "Praise you Jesus!  We love you, our Father! There is no one else but You!  Holy is the Lord!"  How excited they are to be in my presence, to honor me with their words and give me their songs!  They raise their hands in worship and close their eyes, emotions elated.

“And then they turn to me in anguish and cry out--

‘Why are our prayers not being answered?

  We ask for healing, but we still live in our diseases.

  We ask for sanity, but we still struggle with our minds.

  We ask for purity, but we still fail you daily.

  Haven't you noticed our praise?

  Haven't you seen our commitment to you?

  Haven't you paid attention to our faith?’

“But you don't understand what true worship is.

Worship is not just what you do in public,

Nor is it songs you sing in private.

The true worshiper brings me with them in their actions to others

The true lover of God treats the needy with equality and mercy.

“On Sunday you receive communion, you pray for your needs, and you take a day of rest, but you make demands of food service workers.  You want rest and so you demand labor!

On Monday you enact your ritual of morning devotion, but you scream at your children to fulfill your petty demands!

On Wednesday you go to a Bible study, but you mock the homeless man on the street!

On Thursday you sing songs of praise with a recording, but you insist your employees work hard for you for minimum wage!

On Saturday you bow your head for your friends in need, but ignore the letters and calls for enacting charity!

“Is this the worship I desire? 

For one to seek to be in my presence, but ignore the needy who are constantly in their presence?

You are lords, you are gods

You have god-like resources in your hands.

How do you think I will listen to you, if you will not listen to the cries of the needy?

“The worship I desire is that of humility, of surrender, of giving to the needy.

I hear you say, "But I give!  I give so much that it pains me!  I give so much money that I fear I shall myself become impoverished!"

Where did I ever say, "Give to the congregations of people that are already wealthy?" 

In what Scripture do you read, "Surrender your wealth to the rich?"

Did my servant not say, "Tell the people to stop bringing their wealth, for we have enough"?

Did I not say, "Sell your possessions and give to the poor"?

Didn't you note that my people collected an offering so that the resources might be distributed to the needy?

I never asked for cathedrals!

I never demanded opulent sanctuaries!

I never commanded my servants to act like the unrighteous wealthy!

“Here is the worship I demand:

To work to stop injustice

To release people from their oppressions

To give respect to the lowly and outcast

To speak kindly to the needy

To give good food to the hungry, not leftovers

To welcome the homeless into your homes, not run down shelters

To give appropriate, warm clothing to the needy, not your cast offs from dinner parties

“Stop treating your brothers on the street like shit!

Stop disrespecting your sisters in shelters!

Stop distancing yourself from those who haven't showered!

Stop being those who create the outcast-- but rather eradicate the outcast from among yourselves!

“If you do this, if you give respect and resources and love to the needy among you,

Then I will raise you from your bed

Then I will deliver you from your anguish

Then I will eradicate the fear that destroys you”

Then the Lord will be known among you, and not hypocrisy

Then the righteousness of God will surround you

And protect you

And nurture you.

Then you will cry out to Him and He will answer

Then you will truly be in the presence of God, and not just a sham

But first you must remove from yourself those who point at the needy and call them unworthy.

You must surrender your shameless wealth from among you.

You must establish justice in your churches--

And more than that, humility.

The humility of giving to those who are not grateful

The humility of surrendering time when it seems not to help

The humility of listening to those who seem to be able to teach you nothing

The humility of honoring those who cannot honor back.

Then in the midst of this dark time, your light will shine to the heavens.

And the depression you are covered in will be transformed into joy.

God will guide you into the right way

And in the midst of terror, God will melt away your fear.

God will give strength to your bones and breath to your lungs.

And the ancient foundations

The building of Christ himself

Will be restored

And you will be called the Repairer

The rebuilder of the Temple

The revival of the Spirit of God.

                                               -Paraphrase of Isaiah 58

A Prophetic Parable

Once there was a good Christian man.  He would read his Bible daily, praise God every Sunday and he treated his family well.  He had a small business which was not doing great, but pretty well.  He was able to make his family comfortable and take them on a vacation every year.

Every day he would walk to his office from his house.  One day, as he was walking to his office, he saw a man in disheveled, dirty clothes, holding a sign which said, “Homeless—anything will help.”  The disheveled man looked, pleading with the Christian with his eyes.  

The Christian turned his head, saying to himself, “He needs to get a job instead of bothering good people on the street.”  

The next day the Christian saw a filthy woman holding a sign which said, “Pregnant and homeless, please help.”  She asked him, “Could you spare a few dollars so I could get a motel room?” 

He replied, “Isn’t there a shelter you could go to?”  She said that there were no shelters for single women.  He said, "I'm sorry, I can't help you."

The next day the Christian saw a man with brown skin and unkempt hair sitting on the sidewalk with one leg missing.  The man asked with a deep accent, “Could you please assist me in any way?”  

The Christian became upset with all of these interruptions of his pleasant morning meditation, and he yelled, “Can’t you people just leave me alone?  Why don’t you just go back where you came from?”

 As he walked into his office on that third day, the Christian had a heart attack and died.  The angels picked him up and delivered him immediately to the Father for judgment.  

The Father looked down at him and said, “I sent you three of my angels, to see how you would respond to them.  I have brought them here to witness to your action.”  

The first angel, no longer disheveled, but wearing white robes said, “This Christian refused to help me.”  

The second angel, no longer dirty, said, “He told me to find a shelter, but offered no help.”  

The third angel, with his leg fully intact, said, “This Christian told me to go back where I came from.  So I am here.  He refused to help me.”  

The Father looked at the man and judged: “You have done evil to your brothers and sisters.  I gave you many blessings, and you refused to help those in need.  You will be punished eternally.”

As the enforcement officers came to take the Christian away, he called to the Father, “But Lord, Lord—what about my family?  Shouldn’t they be given a chance?  Please send one of these angels to them to explain to them their sin so they can repent.”  

The Father replied, “Do they not read my Word daily?  If they ignore the one who has been risen from the dead, they will not listen to an angel.”

-Based on Luke 1619-29 and Tolstoy's story, "Where Love Is, God Is"

Top 10 Oppressions Our Society Performs

Top 10 Oppressions as expressed by the First Century Prophets

10. Not paying temporary laborers at the end of the day⁶⁷

9. Treating the wealthy as more important than the poor among God’s people⁶⁸

8. Investing wealth, saving for the future instead of giving it to the poor⁶⁹

7. Ignoring the poor in need you see⁷⁰

6. Keeping our excess when others are in need⁷¹

5. Denying shelter to the homeless

4. Denying food to the hungry

3. Denying healing to the sick

2. Denying companionship to the isolated⁷²

1. Treating the poor as outcasts, unworthy of equality⁷³

Most of these oppressions are sins of greed.  In our society today, "greed is good" and selfishness provides benefit.  However, in the community of Jesus, greed is the worst of all evils, miserliness sends you to hell faster than almost any other sin.  Clearly, the majority of the church today has a different perspective than the first century church.

Many people talk about the harshness of the law and how different the New Testament is.  But in the area of giving to the poor, meeting the needs of the needy, there is a perfect continuity.  It is the responsibility of the wealthy to share with the needy.  Whether it be for the reason of the deliverance from oppression one has experienced, or because of love for another in need, the result is the same.

Notes

67. James 5:1-5

68. James 2:1-9

69. Luke 12:16-33

70. Luke 16:19-25 ; I John 3:16-17

71. I Corinthians 8:13-15; Luke 3:11

72. Matthew 25:31-46.  I didn’t include the prison statement, because visiting people in prison meant something different in the first century than today.  In the first century, family and friends had to supply food and water for the imprisoned, and so visiting wasn’t just a social connection, but a matter of survival. This is not to say that prison ministry isn’t important—it is essential.  But it would also mean visiting those in nursing homes and those who cannot leave their homes for a variety of reasons.

73. Romans 12:16

Did Jesus Beat Up the Rich?

It must be admitted, as we saw in the last post, Jesus was a little tough on the rich.  And it did seem to be a little sweeping.  Why did Jesus and James seem to be so hard on this particular social class?  I mean, did they do something so wrong?  And to thoroughly condemn them seems to be a bit excessive. 

            There is a definitive reason for this that can be described in four points:

1. God commands the wealthy to use their wealth for the poor

This is a consistent ethic throughout the Scripture, as we have seen above.  There are three main sections of Hebrew Scripture: The Law, The Prophets and the Writings.  The Law commands loans and alms to be given to the poor.63  The Prophets command the poor to be assisted or God would not bless them.64  The Writings speak of the dangers that happen to the wealthy if they do not give to the poor. 65  This is not a minor theme, nor is it easily ignored.  This does not mean that the majority of Bible teachers do not have on their blinders, looking only at their theological focus, but it is clearly at the heart of loving one’s neighbor in the OT.

2. Jesus is prophetically commanding an ethic of love

Jesus is not so much establishing a new law, as he is interpreting the Mosaic Law through the rose-colored lens of acting for the benefit of everyone.⁶⁶  And Jesus’ ethic is not based in the realm of emotions, but in bold action.  Part of this action, an aspect that Jesus repeats a few times, is the need of the wealthy to give of what they have to the poor.  Jesus isn’t erasing the old Law and simply writing his own over the stone tablets—he is simply re-commanding what is already a part of God’s ethic.  This is so much so that Abraham, in one of Jesus’ parables, stated that the wealthy giving to the poor was so clearly commanded in “Moses and the Prophets:” that it should be obvious to everyone.⁶⁷

3. The wealthy only occasionally give to the poor

The command of God was not being obeyed by the wealthy.  Surely, some wealthy gave the occasional alms, and a few would assist their poor relatives.  But the heart of the command was being ignored.  Beggars lined the street, and many poor languished and suffered for their poverty.  All the while, the wealthy not only ignored them, but they condemned them.  “They must be judged by God.”  “Repent and get right with God and you will have what you need!”  Instead of the poor being assisted by the wealthy, they were ostracized by them.

4. The wealthy are judged by God

Jesus makes it clear that there are wealthy who are righteous, a part of God’s people.  But these are the wealthy who surrender their wealth, not keeping it for themselves.⁶⁸  The wealthy are to remember that their wealth is not their own, but loaned to them by their Banker, God.  When God gave them the loan, He said, “You are to give any excess you have to the poor and needy—do not keep it for yourself.”  But the wealthy ignored their Banker and used the money for themselves.  The Banker kept an eye on the accounts, until finally an accounting day came—and the Banker took back everything he had given, and more.  The wealthy are not God’s favorites.  They have been blessed by God, but that blessing comes with a condition—use the blessing for the benefit of those who most need it. ⁶⁹

Jesus was not interested in "beating up" the wealthy.  Rather, he was calling them to repent of keeping their wealth for their own power, but instead to give it to those who need it the most.  He is not saying this because he dislikes wealthy people, but because he loves them and he wants to see them have all the blessings of God.  When Jesus said that he came to "seek and save the lost" it was in the context of him convincing a wealthy man to surrender his wealth to the poor. 70

Wealth (just like fame and power) is not actually a blessing for Christians, but in reality a test.  It is a test to see if one would use the wealth as God sees fit, or would use it as the world sees fit—to increase one’s power, comfort or wealth, or to surrender it to those who need it most.  C.S. Lewis passed the test (he gave the majority of his wealth to charity, choosing to live on a limited income).  Rick Warrens passed the test (he gives more than 90% of his wealth to charity, going to the poorest in the world).  Mother Theresa famously passed the test, surrendering her life for the poor.

            I mention these exceptions, although they are rare.  The far majority of Christians who face this hardest of all tests fail miserably.  They make excuses why they should use their wealth for themselves.  They make excuses not to give to the poor.  In this way, the wealthy have become disfavored and rejected by God.  And so Jesus and James and others in the New Testament have harsh words to say to them.  Because their wealth they spend on themselves is not a sign of God’s blessing, but rather of their disobedience and arrogance.  Of their failure.

Notes

63. e.g. Deuteronomy 15:4-11

64. e.g. Jeremiah 5:28-29

65. e.g. Psalm 41:1-3; Proverbs 21:13

66. This is the point of the “You have heard it said” section of the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5.  Each law or interpretation of the law is re-interpreted by the command “Love your neighbor as yourself.”  Then Jesus wraps up by saying that only the leaders who obey the love command are to be listened to, the rest are false prophets (Matthew 7:12-23).

67. Luke 16:19-31, esp. v. 29

68. Mark 10:21-25; Luke 19:1-10.  It is interesting that Job and Abraham are often given as examples of people who were wealthy but named righteous before God.  It is clear in Scripture that part of the reason they were righteous is because they generously gave to the poor and immigrants. Genesis 18:2-8; Job 29:11-16.

69. Luke 16 is the primary focus for this understanding.  In the parable of the unrighteous steward, Jesus interprets as a person using money that was not his own to make friends of the poor so he would be helped when he was poorer than they.  Jesus also in that chapter, uses the example of the rich man who didn’t help Lazarus, a destitute beggar at the rich man’s gates, and so was brutally punished in the afterlife.

70. Luke 19:1-10

Accomplishing the Impossible

Looking at him, Jesus felt a love for him and said to him, "One thing you lack: go and sell all you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me." But at these words he was saddened, and he went away grieving, for he was one who owned much property.

 And Jesus, looking around, said to His disciples, "How hard it will be for those who are wealthy to enter the kingdom of God!" The disciples were amazed at His words. But Jesus answered again and said to them, "Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."

A conversation between an ancient Hebrew prophet and a Hebrew seeker

Scene: A cave at the top of a Himalayan peak.  Fog drifts across part of the snow-covered mountain behind it.  Before the cave is a ledge which drops down to unknown depths.  A SWAMI , who looks remarkably like Jesus, is sitting, cross-legged at the opening of the cave, his eyes closed.  A few of his disciples—PETER and JOHN sit behind him, trying to be cross-legged as well, but having difficulty mastering the position.  As they scuffle and fight with each other, the SWAMI sits in perfect peace, ignoring their difficulties.

            A young YUPPIE appears, climbing up the ledge.  He is dressed in a three-piece stylish business suit, clearly very expensive, black shoes shined and the owner of a three-hundred dollar haircut.  He is carrying a cell phone and a briefcase.  He struggles up the ledge, throwing his briefcase up first, then finally climbing up the ledge.  Exhausted, he crawls over to the SWAMI and collapses.  The SWAMI doesn’t move a muscle, but PETER and JOHN stare at the man, shocked.

YUPPIE:  (Breathing hard)  Oh Great… and Knowledgeable… Good… and Holy Swami!  I have traveled over many days and suffered many travails…

SWAMI:  (Not yet opening his eyes.  Speaking in a bored voice.) Who are you trying to impress?

YUPPIE: But Good Swami, I have traveled thousands of miles….

SWAMI: In your private jet plane, flying into Kathmandu.

YUPPIE:  And I climbed this mountain…

SWAMI: The rented helicopter dropped you off on the ledge over there.

YUPPIE: Look, Good Swami, I came all the way from the United States to talk to you, and the least you could do is listen!

SWAMI:  (Opens one eye) There is no one good but God.  If you want to address me, “hey you” will do.  (Closes his eye)

YUPPIE: (Taken aback)  But Swa…  But I have come this way to ask you a question.

SWAMI: Just one?

YUPPIE: Yes, just one.

SWAMI:  I’ll try to fit it into my schedule.

(Silence for a moment)

YUPPIE: Can I ask?

SWAMI: (Sighs and opens his eyes.) Shoot.  Try your best.

YUPPIE: Great Swami…

SWAMI: Get to the point, okay?

YUPPIE: (Wind taken out of his sails.) Um, okay.  How can I obtain eternal life?

SWAMI: Eternal life?

YUPPIE: Yes.

SWAMI: Life with God?

YUPPIE: Yes.

SWAMI: Resurrection from the dead?

YUPPIE: Yes…

SWAMI: Inheritance in God’s kingdom?

YUPPIE: Yes!

SWAMI:   Peace, security and every good thing?

YUPPIE: Yes, yes, YES!

SWAMI:  Have you gone to others to ask them this question?

YUPPIE: Yes, I have gone to a thousand teachers, a hundred professors, a dozen philosophers and a faith healer.

SWAMI: And what did they tell you?

YUPPIE: They told me to obey the commandments.

SWAMI: The commandments of God, eh?  What commandments did they mention?

YUPPIE: The usual.  Don’t murder, don’t steal, don’t commit adultery, don’t cheat, honor your father and mother.  You know, the normal list everyone gives.

SWAMI: Sounds good.  Go for it.  (Closes his eyes again.)

YUPPIE: (Exasperated) But… but.  (Explodes) IS THAT IT?!  (SWAMI doesn’t respond.)  That can’t be it!  I’ve been doing that all my life!  It’s just too easy.  I know there must be something more.  Swami, isn’t there?  (SWAMI opens his eyes.)  Please, Swami, isn’t there something you haven’t been telling me? I just feel that something is missing.  In obeying the commands, I still seem so distant from God.  Isn't there something else?

SWAMI: (Has new respect for YUPPIE, and looks at him intently.)  If you want to be sure of your salvation, then listen carefully: (YUPPIE leans in to listen) Take your cell phone, and your computers and your plane and your house—sorry, houses— and your stocks and sell it all.  Turn it into hard, cold cash.  Then, give it away to all the beggars in your home town.  Then come back and follow me.  (Closes his eyes.)

YUPPIE: (Eyes downcast) Um, Swami?

SWAMI: (Calmly) Yes?

YUPPIE: How can I follow you?

SWAMI: (An eyebrow goes up.)  What do you mean?

YUPPIE: I mean… well… you aren’t, uh, going anywhere.

SWAMI: Oh, that.  Well, I’ll be travelling down to Kathmandu.

YUPPIE: Ah.

SWAMI: And my disciples will follow me.

YUPPIE: I see.

SWAMI: And I’ll be killed there, you see. (PETER and JOHN jump up, eyes wide.)

YUPPIE: Yes, yes, that’s fine.  Just wondering.  I do have just a couple more questions.

SWAMI: (Opening both eyes, slightly irritated.)  You know, you said that you would just ask me one question and I have been so gracious as to answer three.  And now you are demanding more?  You are becoming annoying.

YUPPIE: I just need a couple things clarified.

SWAMI:  I don’t see how much more clear I can make it.  Here, try this for size:  Sell your possessions and give to the poor, then come and follow me.

YUPPIE: I think I got the gist of that, but I was just wondering… just to clarify…

SWAMI: Yes, what is it?

YUPPIE: Well, perhaps I could just keep the physical things, but not be overly attached to them.  You know, like share them with others—my friends perhaps.  And I won’t worry so much if I lose them.

SWAMI:  (Irritated) Which part of “Sell your possessions” did you not understand?  That should be clear, I think.  If you really want to not be “overly attached” to your possessions, there’s only one solution—get rid of them.  That should do it, I think.

YUPPIE: But I worked hard for these possessions!  I made the right decisions, I struggled to get where I am.  Why should I give my own stuff to anyone?

SWAMI: You worked, yes.  But the wealth you received came from God.  Others work just as hard as you, and harder, but do not have as much as you do.  Your wealth is a gift.  A loan, actually, and God is seeing what you will do with what you have received.  And God’s command is this: “Stop spending your excess wealth on yourself and those who love you.  Give it to the poor, and I will take that wealth and give it back to you a hundredfold in the final day.” 

YUPPIE: But the poor!  They don’t deserve that money!  They’ll just waste it all on drugs and alcohol…

SWAMI: While you waste it on real estate and stock speculations.  No difference, really.  Besides, how many poor do you really know? 

YUPPIE: Well, I see the guys holding signs on the streets…

SWAMI: How many of them have you met?  Even talked to?

YUPPIE: I talked to some of them…

SWAMI: And how many of them did you listen to?  How many of them did you take the time to hear their stories, to find out who they really are?  How many of them did you spend a day with to see their normal activities?  How do you know what they would do with the money if they had it?

YUPPIE:  Well, statistically…

SWAMI: Statistically!  Means and averages are the idols of the modern age—that which we hide behind to avoid doing what is right.  If you want to know who someone is, plug them into a category, and suddenly you know their whole life story, thanks to the modern miracle of Probability!  No one exists until they are a blip on the National Per Capita Production chart!  No one has a need until their needs are polled, assumed, measured and churned out on the meat grinder of reality!  What does any of that have to do with real life?  What does it have to do with real people? The next time you walk your street, look at the man collapsed in the alley north of you.  He does drink, but his dream is to own a truck and tools in order to have a landscaping business.  He already has a couple customers to prove his ability, but he just needs a hand up and he will have a whole new life.  You know that filthy girl who you ran into downtown last year, whom you assumed was drunk or high?  Actually, she has a medication which she cannot afford, which makes her well, if not completely independent.  She has never had more than a beer her whole life, and has never taken illegal drugs.  Everyone just assumes she had because she hangs out silently in AA meetings for the warmth and coffee in the morning.  If you worship statistics so much, here is one—no more than 50 percent of the homeless people in your town are regular users of alcohol or illegal drugs.  And yet you want to reject the whole lot of them, to ignore God’s commands, to throw away your salvation—why?  Because of your assumption.  Because of your judgment.

YUPPIE: (Shamefaced)  I don’t know what to say…

SWAMI: (Outraged.)  Say nothing!  You came all this way to find out the truth.  And in finding the truth, you throw it back in my face.  Accept simply this: “Sell your possessions and give to the poor.  Then come and follow me.”  That’s your answer.  Take it or leave it.

YUPPIE: (Silently, reluctantly, picks up briefcase and carries it and himself over the ledge again.)

(There is a brief silence as PETER and JOHN get over their shock at the statements of their teacher.  This also allows us to pause before the conclusion of our short play. It’s good to take a break from the action for a moment, isn’t it?)

PETER: Master, weren’t you hard on him?

SWAMI: It may seem so, but I was doing him a favor.  He is a good kid.

JOHN: You didn’t make him sound so good.

PETER: Yeah, you told him off.

SWAMI:  (Smiles) I was treating him as a disciple.  Didn’t you recognize my tone?  If he was going to break with the wealth that was choking away his life, he would have to have a wake-up call. 

PETER: You certainly treated him a lot harsher than you did us.

SWAMI: Do you realize how difficult it is for a wealthy person to have eternal life?  It is impossible.

PETER: What do you mean?  Impossible?  But the wealthy have the leisure to study righteousness.  The wealthy have the leisure to pray when they want.  The wealthy can give huge amounts to the needy.

SWAMI:  You do not understand them, do you?  Yes, they have the opportunity, but they don’t take them.  The wealthy allow their wealth to take over their whole lives.  They could pray, but they look to the caring of their riches, instead, for in that they find their salvation.  They could study righteousness, but they study the texts that assist them in increasing their wealth.  They could give to the poor, but they have become so attached to their wealth, that they dare not part from it.  Their wealth becomes their god.  Wealth is their security, the source of their pleasure, the basis of their health and well-being, the means of living in their society.  The only way for them to truly be obedient to God is to get rid of it and give it to God’s program of assisting the poor.

JOHN: But, if it is so difficult for the wealthy, what about us?  What about anyone?

SWAMI: Yes, God’s eternal life is impossible for just about anyone—especially the wealthy.  But God is in the business of accomplishing the impossible.  Come, let us pray for this young man.