Whose side is God on?
Commentary
(Dr. Mark A. Powell is currently Associate Professor of New Testament Studies at Trinity Lutheran Seminary in Columbus, Ohio. He is a popular speaker at churches and conferences and has written numerous books, articles, and essays.)
Whose side is God on?
We may think it a foolish question. God is always fair. God shows no partiality. God doesn't take sides.
Wrong. In the Bible, God does take sides. Again and again, God is on the side of the poor. A friend of mine puts it this way: I have two sons, one older, larger, and stronger than the other. If I look out the window and see this older boy beating up on his little brother, I dash outside immediately and ... I take sides! It's not because I love the little one more. It's not even because I think the younger boy is "right" and the older one "wrong." Who knows? Maybe little brother was cheating or name calling or otherwise behaving badly. I don't take time to find out before I intervene. I take sides immediately, because in our house, big kids aren't allowed to beat up on little ones. Ever, for any reason. I side with the little kid because he's little. Period.
God must view our world in some such fashion. Sure, God loves rich and poor alike. And God knows the poor are just as likely to misbehave. God doesn't take the side of the poor because they're better than the rich. Be they saints or sinners, God sides with the poor. If need be, God will even side with poor sinners against rich saints. Why? Because they're poor. Period.
Proverbs 22:1-2, 8-9, 22-23
These brief couplets contain several messages for those who count themselves among "the rich."
First, don't be so sure! True riches are better measured by the honor of a good name than by numbers in a bank account. Remember your Shakespeare? "Who steals my purse steals trash ... but he who filches from me my good name robs me of that which not enriches him, and makes me poor indeed" (Othello, Act 3, Scene 3, 155-161).
Second, God made the poor as well as the rich and takes a personal interest in their welfare. Those who are unjust to the poor incur God's wrath, and those who are generous, God's blessing.
Third, few crimes could be worse than to "rob the poor" (v. 22). Think of it. Stealing is always wrong. But to rob ... the poor! The thought becomes a symbol of injustice at its most perverse extreme, rather like kicking a crutch from under an elderly woman or guiding a blind man into traffic. Not just wrong, but cruel.
Of course, we're not just talking about filching coins from a beggar's cup. How do we rob the poor? Read the newspaper. See if it's happening in your community.
James 2:1-10 (11-13) 14-17
Now the message is directed squarely toward Christians. James not only speaks against discrimination that favors the rich over the poor, but specifically against such favoritism as it is shown in the church. Such precision moves the sermon from generic prophetic critique to "meddling." The idea does not become controversial until it hits home. To ensure that it does, James illustrates his homily with stark references that require little explanation.
The latter part of the text does not argue against Paul's concept of justification by grace through faith, but against misunderstandings of it. Paul would agree completely that faith without works is not genuine and, therefore, cannot save. "In Christ Jesus," he avers, "the only thing that counts is faith working through love" (Galatians 5:6). This, of course, is also the viewpoint of Jesus (Matthew 7:21). James, Paul, and Jesus all stand opposed to what Bonhoeffer denounced as "cheap grace." They likewise unite against any understanding of faith as an idea rather than an activity, as something to which we assent rather than as something that we live.
James goes further, insisting that the poor in the world are actually "rich in faith," chosen by God to be heirs of the kingdom (v. 5). This is not a spiritual blessing of poverty (as though it were a good thing) or a blanket promise of salvation to people who are poor for that reason alone. The kingdom is for those who love God (also v. 5). Still, those who are poor with regard to things of this world are less likely to be distracted by things that keep people from loving God. This is in line with prophetic lifting up of "the anawim," those who hope in God because they have no hope in this world. The thought is also expressed often in the Synoptic Gospels, especially Luke (see 8:14; 12:21; 16:13).
Mark 7:24-37
The Gospel lesson also demonstrates God's concern for the marginalized. Previously, Jesus did not hesitate to go with an important Jewish man whose daughter needed assistance (Mark 5:21-24). But will he do the same for a socially insignificant Gentile woman? Today, when we hear this story, we may be shocked that Jesus initially hesitates. Original audiences would have been shocked by his eventual assent. The woman does not deserve such help, as even she admits. The latter acknowledgment is what makes her truly remarkable, almost unique in Gospel accounts. The analogy between dogs and crumbs admittedly toes the line between humility and humiliation, but her point here is not simply to demean or disparage herself. Rather, she recognizes that she has no right to claim anything from God (no one does), yet she makes bold to hope for what comes without merit.
Perhaps Jesus' initial hesitation was only a ruse, to tease out this confession of humble faith. Or, perhaps (since Mark's Jesus is fully human), Jesus himself is still discovering the extent of God's mercy. It could be that even he does not yet envision his mission as being to Gentiles, whom he has for the most part avoided. The mysterious way in which she comes to Jesus when he did not want anyone to know where he was suggests that she may have been sent to him by God, to assist him in realizing the full implications of what he himself has said about all things being clean (7:14-23). The concept of Jesus learning is foreign to most Christians today, but it is biblical (see Luke 2:52; Hebrews 5:8). The point would not be that Jesus was wrong. Rather, as the divine Son, he remains always willing to do God's will, but as a human being, he does not always immediately know what God's will is (Mark 14:36).
In any case, the event marks a turning point in the Gospel story. Immediately after this encounter, Jesus embarks on his first full-fledged missionary work among Gentiles (of the Decapolis). The healing of the deaf-mute parallels the story in Mark 1:21-28 that marked the beginning of his ministry among the Jews. Neither ethnic nor economic status will exclude anyone from the reign of God manifested through Jesus.
FIRST LESSON FOCUS
By James A. Nestingen
Proverbs 22:1-2, 8-9, 22-23
Wise, witty, insightful, sometimes evident beyond any need of statement, occasionally riddled with ancient prejudice, often penetrating, the proverbs are an illustrator's delight. Drawn from close observation, they illuminate human relations in such a way that the parallels pop all over.
A good name, to begin with (22:1), has an even closer correlation with riches now than it did in ancient times. Credit cards, embossed with the bearer's name, signature, and the numerical equivalents, open the mouth of a cornucopia. Of course, if money gets detached from the name, it won't be good for very long. But just that fact underscores the truth of the proverb. A college graduate flooded with open credit who doesn't learn its limits positively will learn them with economic bondslavery. There's a freedom in a good name, bondage in a bad one.
Nothing brings home faster the ultimate irrelevance of social classes (22:2) than matters of birth and death. Whether it's a Lamaze practiced, doctor attended, Muzak surrounded event in the birthing room of a health care facility or a woman on her back in a hovel waiting desperately for a midwife while wondering who will cook supper, the procedure is very much the same. Similarly, nothing brings people together like common calamity. People who pass each other blindly day after day meet as though for the first time and commonly exclaim as to how much they have in common, as though it were a great surprise.
The proverbs in 22:8-9 set a contrast a little more ominous. The Creator has suspended creaturely life in a vastly complex web of overlapping layers of dependence. In such a web, injustice echoes through the layers until it comes back against its perpetrator; generosity multiples its blessings the same way. It's not always one to one, injustice to punishment or generosity to blessing, but close enough. "The bigger they come ..." we say, or "Good deeds are their own reward...."
In the rolling boil of history, rich or poor tumble over one another often enough to occasionally exchange identity (22:22-23). The generation that grew up in the great American Depression, without two nickels to rub together, became one of the richest in world history. Their parents, who knew something of the boom of the 1920s, and now their own children and children's children learned or are learning that privilege doesn't last forever.
The good Lord has ways of tending the balance. Given God's continuing interest in the poor, given the webbing, it makes sense to be careful with those who have less. A false step, a sudden turn and the lesson could be taught by hard experiences.
Whose side is God on?
We may think it a foolish question. God is always fair. God shows no partiality. God doesn't take sides.
Wrong. In the Bible, God does take sides. Again and again, God is on the side of the poor. A friend of mine puts it this way: I have two sons, one older, larger, and stronger than the other. If I look out the window and see this older boy beating up on his little brother, I dash outside immediately and ... I take sides! It's not because I love the little one more. It's not even because I think the younger boy is "right" and the older one "wrong." Who knows? Maybe little brother was cheating or name calling or otherwise behaving badly. I don't take time to find out before I intervene. I take sides immediately, because in our house, big kids aren't allowed to beat up on little ones. Ever, for any reason. I side with the little kid because he's little. Period.
God must view our world in some such fashion. Sure, God loves rich and poor alike. And God knows the poor are just as likely to misbehave. God doesn't take the side of the poor because they're better than the rich. Be they saints or sinners, God sides with the poor. If need be, God will even side with poor sinners against rich saints. Why? Because they're poor. Period.
Proverbs 22:1-2, 8-9, 22-23
These brief couplets contain several messages for those who count themselves among "the rich."
First, don't be so sure! True riches are better measured by the honor of a good name than by numbers in a bank account. Remember your Shakespeare? "Who steals my purse steals trash ... but he who filches from me my good name robs me of that which not enriches him, and makes me poor indeed" (Othello, Act 3, Scene 3, 155-161).
Second, God made the poor as well as the rich and takes a personal interest in their welfare. Those who are unjust to the poor incur God's wrath, and those who are generous, God's blessing.
Third, few crimes could be worse than to "rob the poor" (v. 22). Think of it. Stealing is always wrong. But to rob ... the poor! The thought becomes a symbol of injustice at its most perverse extreme, rather like kicking a crutch from under an elderly woman or guiding a blind man into traffic. Not just wrong, but cruel.
Of course, we're not just talking about filching coins from a beggar's cup. How do we rob the poor? Read the newspaper. See if it's happening in your community.
James 2:1-10 (11-13) 14-17
Now the message is directed squarely toward Christians. James not only speaks against discrimination that favors the rich over the poor, but specifically against such favoritism as it is shown in the church. Such precision moves the sermon from generic prophetic critique to "meddling." The idea does not become controversial until it hits home. To ensure that it does, James illustrates his homily with stark references that require little explanation.
The latter part of the text does not argue against Paul's concept of justification by grace through faith, but against misunderstandings of it. Paul would agree completely that faith without works is not genuine and, therefore, cannot save. "In Christ Jesus," he avers, "the only thing that counts is faith working through love" (Galatians 5:6). This, of course, is also the viewpoint of Jesus (Matthew 7:21). James, Paul, and Jesus all stand opposed to what Bonhoeffer denounced as "cheap grace." They likewise unite against any understanding of faith as an idea rather than an activity, as something to which we assent rather than as something that we live.
James goes further, insisting that the poor in the world are actually "rich in faith," chosen by God to be heirs of the kingdom (v. 5). This is not a spiritual blessing of poverty (as though it were a good thing) or a blanket promise of salvation to people who are poor for that reason alone. The kingdom is for those who love God (also v. 5). Still, those who are poor with regard to things of this world are less likely to be distracted by things that keep people from loving God. This is in line with prophetic lifting up of "the anawim," those who hope in God because they have no hope in this world. The thought is also expressed often in the Synoptic Gospels, especially Luke (see 8:14; 12:21; 16:13).
Mark 7:24-37
The Gospel lesson also demonstrates God's concern for the marginalized. Previously, Jesus did not hesitate to go with an important Jewish man whose daughter needed assistance (Mark 5:21-24). But will he do the same for a socially insignificant Gentile woman? Today, when we hear this story, we may be shocked that Jesus initially hesitates. Original audiences would have been shocked by his eventual assent. The woman does not deserve such help, as even she admits. The latter acknowledgment is what makes her truly remarkable, almost unique in Gospel accounts. The analogy between dogs and crumbs admittedly toes the line between humility and humiliation, but her point here is not simply to demean or disparage herself. Rather, she recognizes that she has no right to claim anything from God (no one does), yet she makes bold to hope for what comes without merit.
Perhaps Jesus' initial hesitation was only a ruse, to tease out this confession of humble faith. Or, perhaps (since Mark's Jesus is fully human), Jesus himself is still discovering the extent of God's mercy. It could be that even he does not yet envision his mission as being to Gentiles, whom he has for the most part avoided. The mysterious way in which she comes to Jesus when he did not want anyone to know where he was suggests that she may have been sent to him by God, to assist him in realizing the full implications of what he himself has said about all things being clean (7:14-23). The concept of Jesus learning is foreign to most Christians today, but it is biblical (see Luke 2:52; Hebrews 5:8). The point would not be that Jesus was wrong. Rather, as the divine Son, he remains always willing to do God's will, but as a human being, he does not always immediately know what God's will is (Mark 14:36).
In any case, the event marks a turning point in the Gospel story. Immediately after this encounter, Jesus embarks on his first full-fledged missionary work among Gentiles (of the Decapolis). The healing of the deaf-mute parallels the story in Mark 1:21-28 that marked the beginning of his ministry among the Jews. Neither ethnic nor economic status will exclude anyone from the reign of God manifested through Jesus.
FIRST LESSON FOCUS
By James A. Nestingen
Proverbs 22:1-2, 8-9, 22-23
Wise, witty, insightful, sometimes evident beyond any need of statement, occasionally riddled with ancient prejudice, often penetrating, the proverbs are an illustrator's delight. Drawn from close observation, they illuminate human relations in such a way that the parallels pop all over.
A good name, to begin with (22:1), has an even closer correlation with riches now than it did in ancient times. Credit cards, embossed with the bearer's name, signature, and the numerical equivalents, open the mouth of a cornucopia. Of course, if money gets detached from the name, it won't be good for very long. But just that fact underscores the truth of the proverb. A college graduate flooded with open credit who doesn't learn its limits positively will learn them with economic bondslavery. There's a freedom in a good name, bondage in a bad one.
Nothing brings home faster the ultimate irrelevance of social classes (22:2) than matters of birth and death. Whether it's a Lamaze practiced, doctor attended, Muzak surrounded event in the birthing room of a health care facility or a woman on her back in a hovel waiting desperately for a midwife while wondering who will cook supper, the procedure is very much the same. Similarly, nothing brings people together like common calamity. People who pass each other blindly day after day meet as though for the first time and commonly exclaim as to how much they have in common, as though it were a great surprise.
The proverbs in 22:8-9 set a contrast a little more ominous. The Creator has suspended creaturely life in a vastly complex web of overlapping layers of dependence. In such a web, injustice echoes through the layers until it comes back against its perpetrator; generosity multiples its blessings the same way. It's not always one to one, injustice to punishment or generosity to blessing, but close enough. "The bigger they come ..." we say, or "Good deeds are their own reward...."
In the rolling boil of history, rich or poor tumble over one another often enough to occasionally exchange identity (22:22-23). The generation that grew up in the great American Depression, without two nickels to rub together, became one of the richest in world history. Their parents, who knew something of the boom of the 1920s, and now their own children and children's children learned or are learning that privilege doesn't last forever.
The good Lord has ways of tending the balance. Given God's continuing interest in the poor, given the webbing, it makes sense to be careful with those who have less. A false step, a sudden turn and the lesson could be taught by hard experiences.
