Psalm 119:18 - Open my eyes, that I may perceive the wonder of your law.
Psalm 119 is all about the Law. It praises the Law's perfection while asking for the grace to be able to follow it completely. The Torah is still the center of Jewish life (if I'm wrong, correct me). This request to be able to perceive the wonder of the law is almost like asking to see God. The desire to follow the Torah is the desire to please God.
Most of us have heard about the ten commandments. They form the basis of the Torah, but they are not the entire law. One of the best expositions of the Law is in John Calvin's Institutes. He reminds us that we are to avoid doing the things proscribed, but also we are to make our actions intentionally life-giving, to promote the flourishing of life in others around us. Not only are we not to kill people physically, but we're to make sure they have enough. Not only are we not to steal, but we're also to make sure no one has the need to steal. The commandments are about how to live in community and encourage the flourishing of life at the same time.
Justice, especially economic justice, is a cornerstone of both Testaments. Not only personal justice, but communal justice, systemic justice. If you doubt this, read the Jubilee laws as well as the harvesting laws. The Jubilee laws state that every 50 years, everything goes back to the starting point: debts are abolished, slaves are freed, land that was sold is returned to the original owner. This was to ensure that everyone was provided for and that land remained in its original owner's possession intact so that it could continue to provide for families.
The harvesting laws dictated that the edges of fields and vineyards were to be left unharvested so that those with no other means of support (temporarily - Jubilee) could harvest enough to not starve. The point of both laws was that the community survival depended on individual survival. The community was important. When community members are cared for - physically, mentally, and spiritually - everyone flourishes.
We have forgotten this lesson as a society. We routinely treat people experiencing poverty, homelessness, chronic illness, disability, or addiction as if they're entirely responsible for their situation - as if simply by having these problems, they become less than human. We mock them, tell them to get a job - many homeless and poor people have jobs! - and we criminalize their situations in a thousand ways, ensuring their chances of getting out are slim. All so that we do not have to look at those verses about Jubilee and harvesting; so we don't have to face our participation in systemic injustice; so we don't have to change.
Because if we do look at the situation, we recognize our need for change. All change starts with education. No matter how old you are, it's never too late to learn how systemic racism, poverty, sexism, ableism, heteronormativity work. In fact, it's our job as citizens of a democracy to understand how they work so that we can be informed participants. This may seem like I have come far away from where I started, but what is education? The opening of our eyes. We vote for people who will help determine what our lives together, as a community, look like. When we vote selfishly or only with our feelings rather than our minds, we end up with a government composed of like individuals - selfish and only concerned with feelings rather than facts. Recognizing our responsibility as outlined in the Jubliee laws and the harvesting laws can help us to create a society that is just for all its citizens and people living and working here.
Tomorrow, we'll talk about problems with charity. For today:How is God calling me to change in this coming year? Where is Jesus urging me to get out of my comfort zone?
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