Mistreatment and Death

Matthew 22:6 - "The rest seized his slaves, mistreated them, and killed them."

Here's the problem with only doing a verse at a time. I didn't look ahead and now this verse is an orphan. Some of those invited were merely unconcerned, but others were more violent in their reaction. The word translated 'mistreated' can range from insult to mockery to assault. Luke uses it to describe how Jesus was treated by the Roman guards. It wouldn't be going to far to say they were tortured before they were killed, if we were to think about these slaves as human, which they did not.

When I read this passage I immediately thought of Dr. King. I also thought of Bree Newsome. I learned recently that when she climbed that flagpole to take the traitor flag down, the Sheriff ordered his men to tase her. Immediately recognizing that it would hill her, her partner, James Tyson grabbed the pole and told the deputies they would have to kill him too. Yes, he is white. No, they did not tase her.

Racism and the unaccountable hatred of Black people have never gone away. It breaks my heart that those who speak up and speak out become targets themselves. WTF is wrong with us that we cannot see that everyone is better off when all have enough and when all are treated with respect and dignity? Some of us have so twisted Jesus' invitation to mean the exact opposite of what is written. Or, worse, they "spiritualize" it. AND they individualize Jesus' message completely forgetting, if they ever knew, that Jesus was talking with and to communities. Claiming, as some do, that Jesus will approve of guns, capitalism, or Republicanism as currently practiced, is a lie straight from the pit of hell. A small group of senators and congresspeople are letting 45 get away with his corruption and that of his family, slowly taking away the social safety net that many rely on in order to give that money to the rich, and treating the concerns of their constituents, especially women and peoples of color, as irrelevant. If they could get away with killing more of us, they wouldn't hesitate to do so.

And in this season of Lent, I need to repent of my former ignorance of these hatreds, as well as delaying action when I did learn about them. As penance, I am working against the death-dealing policies of the Republicans and for the life-giving policies of Jesus - setting the prisoner free, feeding the hungry, slaking the thirst of the thirsty, taking care of the orphan and widow, binding up the wounds of those who are hurt, and working against the injustice of the laws this administration has been enacting. I have joined the Ohio Poor People's Campaign and will be working with them to end the injustices being perpetrated on my white sisters and Black brothers and sisters. Won't you join me?

Come to the table. All is ready.