If you remove the yoke from among you, the pointing of the finger, the speaking of evil, 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 noon day. The Lord will guide you continually and satisfy your needs in parched places. (Isaiah 58:9b-11a)
Isaiah was a prophet addressing the people of Israel when they returned to Jerusalem after nearly 50 years in exile. He prophesied about God’s promise of renewal and his demand that we live justly. These returnees felt superior to those who had remained and had a deep-seated fear of foreigners. They were obsessed with ethnic and linguistic purity (see Nehemiah 13:23-29), which led to conflicts over religious observances. They practiced widespread predation and enslavement of the vulnerable (see Nehemiah 5:1-2).
Isaiah told them that if they wanted to find favor with God, they needed to engage in massive reform. They needed to be a society that recognizes the intrinsic worth of every individual. In Bread for the Journey, Henri Nouwwen says: “only when we fully claim that God loves us in an unconditional way and looks at ‘those other persons’ as equally loved can we begin to understand that the great variety in humanity is an expression of the immense richness of God’s heart.” Further, we are not called to save the world, to solve all problems, and to help everyone. We need to continually call on God to help us see clearly what we are called to do and to strengthen us so that we might live out that call with trust that he will lead us to where we are meant to be.
Some would like to remind us that the ideals of freedom and justice that are written in books are trampled underfoot in everyday practice. When we reach out with all our energy to the marginalized in our own community and far away, we will discover that our petty disagreements, fruitless debates, and paralyzing rivalries will gradually vanish. The church will be renewed when we shift our attention from ourselves to those who need our care.
Dear God, Give me the courage to live and work for a new heaven and a new earth as Jesus did. Give me the freedom to be critical when I see evil and to offer praises when I see good. Most of all, make me faithful to the vision you have given me so that wherever I go and whomever I meet, I can be a sign of your all-renewing love. Amen (Henri J.M. Nouwen)
