A Desperate and Earnest Plea

The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind,to set at liberty those who are oppressed... -- Jesus

Part of the work of Jesus in the world, and therefore part of the work of the disciples of Jesus, is putting an end to oppression (Luke 4:18, Matthew 28:19-20). The very first step in that cause ought to be for the disciples of Jesus themselves to be most certain they are not part of the bad news, the darkness, and the oppression. For most Westerners, this task seems easy enough, but proves to be much more difficult upon closer inspection. Yet, the closer inspection must be made if we are to push back the darkness in our day and age and be a part of the healing and restoration Jesus offers to the world.

On first glance it appears easy because most of us probably don't own slaves, we don't beat our women, we aren't involved in the sex trade, we aren't paying our workers unfair and unlivable wages, we aren't actively stealing much needed basic resources from the world's poor, we shun discrimination and ideas of racial inequality, and we don't view ourselves as warmongers. Case closed. Right? Well, in all honesty, this may give us some comfort and allow us to continue our present way of living unhindered, but it isn't the truth.

I would be willing to bet that most of us eat bananas at the expense of exploiting Latin American peasants. Or if not bananas, then we drink coffee to much the same effect. Or how about our clothes? Are they made in sweatshops where people are forced to work like machines for unthinkable stretches of hours for pathetically low pay? I have searched lately, and I can find precious little clothing that isn't made under these conditions. Similar charges could be levied against many of our appliances, bedding, transportation options, jewelry, medicines, tourism, household cleaners, and on and on. It can be almost overwhelming if you begin to take it all in and realize the amount of social injustice, inequality, and oppression that must go into keeping the vast majority of westerners "happy" and comfortable. In a world of limited resources, does our lust for comfort and prosperity mean the poverty of others?

If you buy coffee that is grown by peasants that are kept in poverty by low wages, then you are just as guilty of oppression as the landowner who sets those low wages. If you buy clothing made by people who are not treated like humans and who have overly strenuous work loads, then you are just as guilty of oppression as the corporation that created those conditions in the name of higher profits. In other words, voluntarily being a part of a system that creates oppression makes you just as guilty of oppression as the creators of that system because you are helping to perpetuate that system and the oppression it creates.

What I am making here is a desperate and earnest plea, in the name of God, for the followers of Jesus to begin moving towards a way of living that does not involve the oppression of our fellow human beings.

This is not an idea that I came up with myself, but a very ancient one that I am currently trying to bring my life into alignment with. Hear the words of Jesus:

'Depart from me, you cursed...For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ Then they also will answer, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?’ Then he will answer them, saying, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’

The point is clear: Jesus identifies with the poor and oppressed in such as way that failing to help correct an evil that you see is held in the same regard as if you were actually inflicting the evil on Jesus himself.

Hear again the words of God through the prophet Isaiah:

Is not this the fast that I choose:to loose the bonds of wickedness,to undo the straps of the yoke,to let the oppressed go free,and to break every yoke? Is it not to share your bread with the hungry and bring the homeless poor into your house;when you see the naked, to cover him,and not to hide yourself from your own flesh?

Again the point is clear: the style of "religion" that our Creator desires is the type that produces mercy, justice, and an end to oppression.

I do not pretend that this path will be an easy one to tread, but is a journey that I feel we must make. It would be better to go about in your underwear and cause no suffering, than to be well dressed but contribute to injustice and inequality. Even if it was so bad that you had to make your own clothes, so be it. Even if you had to grow your own food to avoid a food industry that creates poverty, so be it.

Although difficult, this is possible. There are fair trade food products available. There are "sweat free" clothing lines. Become, in the name of love, mercy, justice, and Jesus, a conscientious consumer. Do your homework, do your research, and live in such a way that your life causes no injustice and no oppression.

King Solomon speaks well on this subject:

If you faint in the day of adversity,your strength is small. Rescue those who are being taken away to death; hold back those who are stumbling to the slaughter. If you say, “Behold, we did not know this,” does not he who weighs the heart perceive it? Does not he who keeps watch over your soul know it, and will he not repay man according to his work?

It is not my intention that you would react to this from guilt, but from love and because of the hope set before you. What hope? Listen again to the prophet Isaiah:

Then shall your light break forth like the dawn, and your healing shall spring up speedily; your righteousness shall go before you; the glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard. Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer; you shall cry, and he will say, ‘Here I am.’ If you take away the yoke from your midst, the pointing of the finger, and speaking wickedness, if you pour yourself out for the hungry and satisfy the desire of the afflicted, then shall your light rise in the darkness and your gloom be as the noonday. And the Lord will guide you continually and satisfy your desire in scorched places and make your bones strong; and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail. And your ancient ruins shall be rebuilt; you shall raise up the foundations of many generations; you shall be called the repairer of the breach, the restorer of streets to dwell in.

May Jesus Christ, the Son of God and savior of all who call on him, make you an instrument of his peace and give you strength in this task.