“May We Be Sources of Justice and Goodness” by Colleen O’Sullivan
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| Prophet Amos, Interpretation by Gustav Doré, 19th century, Public Domain, Wikimedia Commons |
When Jesus came to the territory of the Gadarenes, two demoniacs who were coming from the tombs met him. They were so savage that no one could travel by that road. Some distance away, a herd of many swine was feeding. The demons pleaded with him, "If you drive us out, send us into the herd of swine." And he said to them, "Go then!" (Matthew 8:28, 3-32a)
Piety
Lord, help us to hear and take to heart the words you gave Amos to proclaim. May our worship and prayer lead us to work for justice and goodness.
Study
Bethel appears many times in the Old Testament. Back in 1934 an American archaeologist, William F. Albright, undertook a dig at a site about 12 miles north of Jerusalem. There he unearthed the ancient village of Bethel. He discovered that when Amos left Tekoa, his home in Judah, in the 8th century B.C., Bethel was experiencing boom times.
So along comes this simple shepherd/grower of sycamore fig trees to the “big city.” He’s a stranger. He’s not from the Northern Kingdom where we find Bethel. Amos has no credentials. He isn’t a member of any school of prophets. He isn’t a professional. Amos claims this, in and of itself, makes him the real deal. God, he says, grabbed him up from his daily life and laid a message on his heart to proclaim to the inhabitants of Bethel.
The message Amos proclaimed probably wasn’t very palatable. Times were good; people in Bethel were prospering. They could afford lavish sacrifices. And along comes this upstart telling them that God isn’t impressed. God doesn’t care how melodious their singing or how costly their offerings or how elaborate their religious rituals. What God desires is their hearts. Burnt offerings are only the beginning. Worship and offerings must issue forth in justice surging like water and goodness flowing like an unfailing stream. The Hebrew word used for justice here is mishpat.
Throughout the Old Testament, when this particular word is used, it’s often associated with treating people equitably, in particular widows, immigrants, orphans, and the poor, who frequently don’t get a fair shake.
In today’s Gospel reading, we find Jesus going where others were mortally afraid to travel, so fearful were the stories about these two demon-possessed men. Jesus, we know, worships in the synagogue and has a deep connection to his Father through prayer. As a result of Jesus’ relationship to the Father, he reaches out to those regarded as untouchable by others. Biblical justice is often about helping those the rest of the world seems to have discarded and forgotten. He casts out the demons, so these men can finally rest, sending the demons into a herd of pigs, which jump off a cliff. This area was a Gentile area, and the pigs were the livelihood of the inhabitants. They want Jesus to leave and never return. The whole story of the pigs seems secondary to the real point: Jesus would go to any length to help a person in need. That’s what God wanted to see in Bethel and what God hopes to see in us today.
Action
Amos wasn’t famous or even well-known. He must have been a prayerful person to have heard that voice telling him to leave his home, go to another kingdom and proclaim God’s word to strangers who had no idea who in the world Amos was. He was faithful to what God asked him to do. How is God asking you to promote justice and goodness?
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