Lifting Up the Poor

Matthew 22:27-8 - "Last of all, the woman died. In the resurrection, then, whose wife will she be?"

I have always had a problem with theologians whose main concerns were dogma or doctrine; asking questions such as "how exactly God can be three-in-one," or "how many angels can dance on the head of a pin," or "how exactly is Christ present in the Lord's Supper?" Especially when such thoughts are discussed by elite, white men who don't follow Jesus' actions, or have his concern for the poor and oppressed peoples of the world. This is what the Sadducees are doing here. Their concern is not for the men and definitely not for the woman. Their concern isn't even what happens in the after-life. No, their only concern is to trap Jesus. Thus, they ignore the misery and suffering right in front of them. If theology isn't done from a specific social location and/or doesn't include care or concern for poverty, homelessness, illness, or oppression, it's not worth much.

I say this as a reminder to me. In the fall, I will be a master's student at Iliff School of Theology in Denver. An online student. I'm not sure yet what I'll write my thesis on, but I'd like to do it on the passive oppression of disability and where God is in that situation. I have a disability, although you would never know it to look at me. I have systemic lupus erythematosus, better known as lupus. It makes me extremely light sensitive. The only way I was able to do my Master of Divinity was medication (gotta love prednisone) and having all the fluorescent lights covered to block the UV rays. And I still felt shitty much of the time.

I have been hanging out on 'disability twitter,' and let me tell you, it is eye-opening. Many businesses and universities fight accommodation requests as if their lives depended on rejecting them. They dehumanize people with disabilities by seeing them as problems to be solved or gotten rid of rather than seeing their shared humanity. When I was contemplating seminary, I decided I wanted to go somewhere that would accommodate me with pleasure. As such, I made a list of all the Presbyterian seminaries in acceptable locations, and called or emailed four of them. Two of them (McCormick and Louisville) immediately responded positively. Of the other two, one was grudging about it (well, if we have to), and the other never responded. If I had chosen to go to either of those seminaries, they would have had to accommodate me under the Americans with Disabilities Act. It's the law. Yet many companies and universities make it difficult, hoping that "those people," those problems will go elsewhere.

Our congress in 1990 had more compassion for those who need a little extra help because our society is set up for white, able-bodied men. In the Sadducees' question, there is no such compassion for those who are at a disadvantage, who are oppressed, who are poor. The Sadducees are only interested in scoring a point. Jesus, on the other hand, is all about empowering people. He's all about giving them, and us, a new way to see themselves and their world. "He has thrown down the mighty from their thrones, and lifted up the poor."

How will you lift up those experiencing poverty in your town today?