Jeremiah 22:3, “Pursuing Justice: racial harmony” [Listen]

Prejudice and racism stands against God’s plan for those who would follow Jesus. We spit in God’s face when we demean someone made in God’s image.

Jeremiah 22:3 (NIV)

This is what the LORD says: Do what is just and right. Rescue from the hand of his oppressor the one who has been robbed. Do no wrong or violence to the alien, the fatherless or the widow, and do not shed innocent blood in this place.

Biblical definition of justice – Moving against or correcting what is wrong. The cancer of sin that flows through the veins of this world produces death all around us. To fight against this is to pursue justice. For example: Slavery still exists throughout the world – sexual slavery, ethnic slavery, racial slavery, economic slavery – to fight against this is to pursue justice. When you fight for those that are disadvantaged – the orphans, the widows, those with no homes – you are pursuing justice.When you speak for those who cannot speak for themselves you are pursuing justice.

Last Monday was Martin Luther King Jr day. Most of us are probably familiar with MLK. He was a focal point for much of what we, today, think of as the American civil rights movement. Among other things, King was fighting to end racial discrimination and overt segregation. In 1968 King was assassinated in Memphis.

Many of us here today are probably too young to remember much of the discrimination and segregation that was openly sanctioned in our recent past. For example: in 1955 Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat to a white man and move to the back of the bus – she was arrested. Earlier that year a black, 15 year old high school girl named Claudette Colvin was arrested and handcuffed and taken to jail in Montgomery for not giving up her bus seat to a white person.

The natural inclination of this world is to believe that the benefits I have in this life (money, power, influence, safety) are earned – I own them. The Christian perversion of this would be that God’s blessings to me are a result of me doing something right – I own them. The truth is that any blessing, giftedness, money, power, or influence you have is God’s gift.

It is by his kindness that I have what I have – I do not own it. God does. I have not been entrusted with the blessings of God so I can selfishly count them as MINE; I have these things so that I can glorify God by using them for the Kingdom.

Racism screams, “it is mine!” while those who follow Jesus should scream, “God has blessed me so I can make much of Jesus and bless those around me!”

Jesus was very clear – God’s plan of blessing has no ethnic boundaries. The Hebrews did not own God’s blessings

Luke 4:16-29 (NIV)

[Jesus] went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. And he stood up to read. The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written:

“The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” (Is 61:1-2)

Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him, and he began by saying to them, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”

All spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his lips. “Isn’t this Joseph’s son?” they asked.

23 Jesus said to them, “Surely you will quote this proverb to me: ‘Physician, heal yourself! Do here in your hometown what we have heard that you did in Capernaum.’ ”

“I tell you the truth,” he continued, “no prophet is accepted in his hometown. I assure you that there were many widows in Israel in Elijah’s time, when the sky was shut for three and a half years and there was a severe famine throughout the land. Yet Elijah was not sent to any of them, but to a widow in Zarephath (a Gentile widow, 1Kings 17-18) in the region of Sidon. And there were many in Israel with leprosy in the time of Elisha the prophet, yet not one of them was cleansed—only Naaman the Syrian.” (commander of the Syrian army – a Gentile, 2Kings 5)

All the people in the synagogue were furious when they heard this. They got up, drove him out of the town, and took him to the brow of the hill on which the town was built, in order to throw him down the cliff. But he walked right through the crowd and went on his way.

So why were the crowds in love with Jesus first, and then ready to kill him soon afterwards?

Well, they loved Jesus in the first few verses because he declares himself the Messiah. He has come to free the prisoners and release the oppressed. He has also done many miracles to prove his capability. This is GREAT news! God will finally show the world that the Hebrew people are God’s people.

Soon afterwards, however, they want to kill him because he lets them know that God’s work of salvation is not confined by their ethnic boundries. Their ethnic bias is so strong that they can’t imagine their enemies as recipients of God’s favor.

Again, when we think we own God’s favor we are guilty of great sin.

The beauty of God’s vision is his gospel can meet the needs of the African woman, the Asian man, the Indian on a reservation, or the nomad in coldest Siberia. Racism is overtly going against God’s amazing design.

The fight against racism is the pursuit of justice.

Luke 11:42 (NIV)

“Woe to you Pharisees, because you give God a tenth of your mint, rue and all other kinds of garden herbs, but you neglect justice and the love of God. You should have practiced the latter without leaving the former undone.”

Proverbs 21:15 (NIV)

When justice is done, it brings joy to the righteous but terror to evildoers.

Proverbs 2:6-8 (NIV)

For the LORD gives wisdom, and from his mouth come knowledge and understanding. He holds victory in store for the upright, he is a shield to those whose walk is blameless, 8 for he guards the course of the just and protects the way of his faithful ones.

Proverbs 31:9 (NIV)

Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy.

Pursuing justice by fighting for those who need help is a good thing – we must do this – Jesus did this. Please don’t misunderstand, however – the primary victory for those who need help was secured on the cross when Jesus gave himself to be killed for us. While we must pursue justice, if we only pursue justice and leave out the gospel, we are winning a fleeting victory.