Seek good, not evil, that you may live!
During the 8th century BC, the Northern kingdom of Israel enjoyed unprecedented economic prosperity under King Jeroboam II. But, this wealth was concentrated in the hands of the powerful elite, leading to exploitation, corruption and injustice. Wealthy landowners used corrupt business practices to seize land from impoverished farmers, often through debt slavery. The courts, which were meant to be a source of justice, pronounced judgment in favour of the powerful and the rich. “We can buy up the poor for money, and the needy for a pair of sandals, and get a price even for the sweeping of the wheat” (Amos 8:6). Give attention to the words, ‘buy up the poor’ and ‘get a price.’ Even the ‘sweeping of the worthless chaff and dust’ was monetised. The prophet Amos emerged as a powerful critic of injustice. Amos’ voice was not just against individual acts of greed, but it challenged a systemic failure – a system built on power, greed and exploitation, fundamentally opposed to God’s will. The judges and religious leaders turned a blind eye or actively participated in this exploitation. Israel had great patterns of devotion through lavish festivals and rituals, yet they ignored the core covenantal demand for justice.
Almost
in the same period, Judah, under the reigns of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah a
prosperous urban elite thrived while an increasingly desperate rural populace
suffered. Caught up between the rising Assyrian Empire and existing regional
powers, military campaigns demanded immense resources, and the costs of warfare
and tribute to foreign powers became an unbearable burden for the agrarian
sector. Land acquisition for the sake of the returning military personnel was viewed
as a means of reward or social advancement. Often these were, in fact,
assimilated into the landowning elite, intensifying pressure on small farmers.
The Mosaic Law clearly points to the sacredness of land as God’s gift and the
protection of the vulnerable from perpetual indebtedness and landlessness. But
the rich, according to Micah, were “eating the flesh of the poor” (Micah 3:3).
Both
Micah and Amos reminded that true worship was inseparable from social and
economic justice, and compassion for the oppressed. In this light, standing for
justice and peace is not just a socio-political approach; it is a spiritual
act.
In the
Roman-controlled Galilee of Jesus’ time, a tenant farmer’s debt was often paid
in agricultural produce, like grain and oil. Large landowners would employ a
steward to manage their estates and collect these debts. In the parable in the
Gospel today, the steward was dishonest in his duty. When he knew that he was
not going to be a steward anymore, he shrewdly manipulated his master’s
accounts, he was doing great good for the debtors, but to ensure his future security.
The steward understood that the oil’s commission was excessive, and its
cancellation would generate immense gratitude from the debtor. The wheat’s
commission, while smaller, was also significant. It seems that the steward’s
actions were not simply a reduction of the core debt, but rather a total cancellation
of an additional fee, the steward’s personal commission.
In the
Gospel passage, we hear Jesus saying, “Use money to win you friends.” It is
something strange. But, see, after the end of the parable, we see that the Pharisees,
who were lovers of money, scoffed at him. Jesus’ parable about the dishonest steward, in
fact, makes a cynical observation about the world’s ways. Verse 15 says further
that what is exalted by men is abominable to the Lord. In chapter 22:25-27, speaking
on authority, Jesus would say, “The rulers of this world lord it over them, and
those in authority call themselves benefactors,” as though doing great favour
for those whom they rule, but Jesus says, “you should not be like that. Similarly,
Jesus’ words, “make friends for yourselves by the means of unrighteous wealth” could
be seen as a verbal irony, saying that you should not be like that. Even the ‘prudence
of the serpent’ mentioned in Matthew 10:16 does not encourage wickedness and
cunningness.
The
Rich Fool, in Luke 12:13-21, was also planning for his pleasurable future. The
steward, facing a great shame, uses his managerial power to secure his own future.
Jesus was clear in his messages that one cannot serve two masters - God and
money, “whoever is dishonest with a very little is also dishonest with much.”
At the end of the parable, we have the parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus
(Luke 16:19-31), telling us what happens to someone who turns heartless with
wealth. His failure to be a good steward of his wealth leads to his eternal
ruin. The end of the rich man acts as a clear and direct conclusion to the
teaching begun with the dishonest manager, showing the tragic consequences of
even those who secure their future.
The
powerful often have a noble or even a divine face, because the system
sanctifies them to maintain itself. There may be unfair labour conditions,
lobbying for self-serving laws, and the evacuation of people in the name of
development. See the global investments for war and ammunitions in the name of
security. All these appear to be noble purposes and good for the public; a cry
for justice may be termed a revolt. Their so-called ‘humanitarian service’ is
often a strategic tool, a calculated investment that primarily benefits themselves.
Like the dishonest servant in the parable, they use many resources to build a
network of favours and goodwill that ultimately perpetuating an unfair and
self-serving system. They become unquestionable and sanctified. The label of
humanitarian goodwill permits compromises on more fundamental responsibilities,
like paying fair wages, ensuring safe working conditions, or protecting the
environment.
The
systemic injustice condemned by the prophet Amos in ancient Israel has a
parallel to the economic imbalance caused by the accumulation of wealth in the
hands of a few, even in our time. Both situations are rooted in a concentration
of power and resources that leads to the exploitation of the vulnerable and a
breakdown of social justice. In Amos’s time, the wealthy elite were faithful
religious, performing rituals and sacrifices, while simultaneously trampling on
the poor and denying them justice. The grand façade of religiosity and piety
itself stood as a powerful symbol of exploitation and injustice. The master who
praised the steward for his shrewdness, himself must have been an unjust man, overcharging
the debtors in the first place. Steward was participating in a system of
exploitation within his given capacity. The steward’s actions make a calculated
survival strategy, creating a network of people who will owe him favours. This
system, of course, would never “let justice flow like a river.”
When
the poor and the vulnerable are trampled underfoot, and when the system permits
it and sanctifies it within religion and political structures, corruption,
injustice, and oppression are normal practices, and even the divine justice
will be trampled underfoot. Justice is not an act of one moment, nor a
revolution or an outcome of activism. It is a matter of how we choose to form a
conscience for our person, institutions, organisations and the church at large.
We can be easily insensitive to injustice when it is embedded in our systems
and celebrated in their normalcy. True
worship of God is inseparable from a commitment to justice for the poor and
vulnerable.
Thinking
that we are glorifying or pleasing God, we have many verses of the Bible in our
houses, on our cars and so on, should we not add this verse “Let justice roll
on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream” (Amos 5:24). It is
not a mantra, it is an active response to god’s will, and a sincere commitment
in every walk of our lives.
“Let justice roll on like a river,
righteousness like a never-failing stream.”
I am not a prophet,
not a prophet’s son.
Yet I see the pain of God,
He is crushed
Trampled underfoot.
I am not a prophet,
But the fire burns me up.
How can you sell my people,
breaking their necks,
making a system
built on power, greed and exploitation.
but making merry,
celebrating
festivals and rituals.
Making mockery on God,
God on the wall,
but
eating the flesh of the poor.
Should I break my heart
should I shout aloud
I cannot be blind
I cannot be heartless.
I see the cry of God
the tears flow like a river
dark red, so deep, full of pain.
Do you worship God,
ensure justice, peace, and kindness,
have a sincere heart,
Do you seek mercy of God?
ensure justice, peace, and kindness.
you sell my people,
throw them away,
take their land,
you gather money,
accumulate power.
you show yourselves great men of goodness.
Justice is not a magic
it is forming a conscience,
a sincere response to god's will.
Hate evil and love good;
maintain justice in the courts, at the altars
Seek good, not evil,
that you may live.
Let justice flow like a river,
righteousness like ever-running stream.
Let justice flow like a river,
righteousness like ever-running stream.
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