GOD’S CARE IS BIGGER THAN HUMAN ‘DESERVING’

Isaiah 58

3 “Why do we fast, but you do not see? Why humble ourselves, but you do not notice?” Look, you serve your own interest on your fast day,and oppress all your workers. 4 Look, you fast only to quarrel and to fight and to strike with a wicked fist. Such fasting as you do today will not make your voice heard on high. 5 Is such the fast that I choose, a day to humble oneself? Why humble ourselves, but you do not notice? Look, you serve your own interest on your fast day,and oppress all your workers. 4 Look, you fast only to quarrel and to fight and to strike with a wicked fist. Such fasting as you do today will not make your voice heard on high.

6 Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of injustice, to undo the thongs of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke? 7 Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, and bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked, to cover them, and not to hide yourself from your own kin?…

If you remove the yoke from among you, the pointing of the finger, the speaking of evil, 10 if you offer your food to the hungry and satisfy the needs of the afflicted, then your light shall rise in the darkness and your gloom be like the noonday. 11 The Lord will guide you continually, and satisfy your needs in parched places, and make your bones strong; and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water, whose waters never fail….

If you refrain from trampling the sabbath, from pursuing your own interests on my holy day; if you call the sabbath a delight and the holy day of the Lord honorable; if you honor it, not going your own ways, serving your own interests, or pursuing your own affairs; 14 then you shall take delight in the Lord, and I will make you ride upon the heights of the earth;

Micah 6:8

8 He has told you, O mortal, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you

but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?

Last week I argued that turning toward God, repentance, begins with treating our neighbor better. Such treatment can be small or large but intentional mindfulness and regard is the sine qua non of the Christian life. No one can claim they love God and fail to orient our lives toward seeing other people’s needs are as important as our own. We are all God’s children and we have an obligation to treat each other that way. Another day we can talk about our limits, our failures and the struggle to balance what we need with the needs of others. But today, go to the bottom line. No matter how inadequate or ineffective we might be, our responsibility is to care for others. It does not come naturally and requires focus and intentionality to keep walking toward such a life.

This passage was written to the people after the exile. It was incomprehensible that the chosen people would suffer so. They ask what is the point of religious life if this is the outcome. “Why do we fast, but you do not see? Why humble ourselves, but you do not notice?” Their belief and expectation was that as long as they did what was right (fast, perform the proper rituals—go to church, make a tithe), God would step in and reward them. God would relieve their suffering. Their cry is simple, we’ve done our part, you’re letting us down. God’s answers bluntly. You are not doing what I desire. You are acting in your self interest. You are ignoring your responsibility in the name of serving me.

This is a common predicament in real life. Linda Huffine described going to the pantry as a young girl to choose something to give to a food drive. She quickly chose the can of vegetables she liked least. Her mother intervened and asked her if she would want to eat what she was offering others. It is a question that we should all consider. The can of food is important but the motivation of the giver is the indicator of our desire to be faithful.

It is unfortunately easy to confuse performing properly with a desire to show regard. I have seen many couples in which harm has been done. There are always some offenders who immediately bring flowers, apologize and even beg for forgiveness. They want the conflict over. “Why can’t we go back to what we had?” They want to skip the hard work of reconciliation and in fact, often get indignant when the conflict remains. “I did everything I was supposed to do. I know I hurt him/her but I apologized.” The apology is necessary but not sufficient —and to suggest that it should be is dismissive—the very opposite of regard.

How many times have all of us nodded our heads as if we were listening when our minds were elsewhere? I had one woman tell me she had always described her husband as a good listener until she realized he was really sitting quietly waiting for her to finish. Big difference. It takes effort to really listen and a lot less so to appear to be listening. We can do all of the ‘right’ things and still miss the point. The spirit of the law is always more important than the letter of the law. As Michah succinctly put it: “He has told you, O mortal, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” Fasting and ritual humility—religious practices— are meaningless if we are not seeking to do justice.

Notice that this prophecy was directed to a people not just to individuals. It is a corporate call to confession. I’m pretty sure that in Isaiah’s time, there were many who fasted ‘with a true heart’. Not all were equally guilty of choosing form over substance—and certainly not to the same degree. But such caveats miss the point of the passage. This is a passage about accountability and responsibility far more than indictment and blame. God cares about oppressed and suffering people—and expects us to do likewise.

Whether in the Old Testament or the New, the message is plain: “The fast that I (God) choose: to loose the bonds of injustice, to undo the thongs of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke? 7 Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, and bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked, to cover them, and not to hide yourself from your own kin?’ (Isaiah 58) Or, in Jesus’ words (Matthew 25) ‘Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; 35 for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36 I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.’

Our country is in a huge debate over racial equity and white guilt. That is a political discussion that easily inflames but it is the wrong focus for Christians. For Christians, the reasons for inequity are vastly less important than the fact of inequity. Christians are in the business of caring—not the business of determining why or who is deserving. If we see a person with a broken leg, we have a responsibility to help. It doesn’t matter how the leg got broken. It could be self-inflicted, it could be at the hands of another or even as a direct result of our actions. Within our abilities we are expected to offer such help. It doesn’t matter if we have never been a part of ‘red lining’, there have been blatant inequities in the real estate world. There have been blatant inequities in the educational and vocational world. Justifying those inequities is sinful—mitigating them is our responsibility. Failing to struggle with that responsibility is sinful. Isaiah and Jesus do not mince words on this point.

Christians have a responsibility to right wrongs we had no direct part in. We all fall short of that standard. We are all guilty. Our responsibility is to offer the love we have been given. We need to remember God’s sense of what is good does not match our sense of what is fair. God expects us to address inequities wherever we find them. Our arguments about guilt and complicity do not change our responsibility to respond to injustice when we see it. Such arguments often amount to rationalizations to protect us from our responsibility to others. None of us in real life can be that mindful or accountable but we can confess our inability and our limitations. Such confession helps us to stay oriented and do what we can.

Finally this is not a great ‘should’. We do not follow this path in order to be called good or to claim obedience. We follow this path because of the promise that such a life leads to life. “If you remove the yoke from among you, the pointing of the finger, the speaking of evil, 10 if you offer your food to the hungry and satisfy the needs of the afflicted, then your light shall rise in the darkness and your gloom be like the noonday. 11 The Lord will guide you continually, and satisfy your needs in parched places, and make your bones strong; and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water, whose waters never fail….” It is the pathway to the abundant (that is a spiritual, not an economic adjective) life that Jesus promises. It is the place where we discover God.

One last note. Most of the inequities of this world are far bigger than our individual ability to respond. But we should still keep our focus on the path and confess when we do not. Confession helps us stay the course and confession gives us a way to discover grace.

LET IT BE SO.