Who are the ones in our midst

Click here to read Isaiah 56

The bags are all packed, the People of God are ready to go.  And somewhere in-between Babylon and arriving back into the Promised Land, Isaiah preached about justice.  In the face of living in exile, in a time when anger can simmer on low for days upon days, justice can sound very different than it does in Isaiah.

Think about the scene.  Here is Babylon, the bad guys who conquered the Promised Land, destroyed the temple, and transplanted the leaders of the People of God back to Babylon.  Now Babylon has gotten a taste of its own medicine, it has been supplanted by Assyria.  What goes around, comes around.  Or revenge is a dish best served with the chilly glare of self-righteousness.

Only Isaiah won't play along.  He proclaims that God believes even foreigners will be welcomed on God's holy mountain, the sacrifices of foreigners will be acceptable, and these people will be accepted as the original People of God.  That is a tough message when you are leaving a foreign land.

But it is also a tough message because Babylon not only took Israelite people out of the Promised Land, but also transplanted people from other conquered countries to live in the Promised Land.  Foreigners were not being left behind, they would be found living when they returned home.  Foreigners would be drinking the milk and honey promised to the People of God.  What's the deal with that?

It is hard to hear...not only for the people in Isaiah's time, but also in our time.  We like to think of justice as aligning with our opinions.  But, I would dare to venture, that the People of God did not expect that sermon from Isaiah.

And unfortunately, it really did not come to pass.  Samaritans were people who had a Jewish parent and a foreign parent.  They were looked down upon.  They were called 'half-breeds.' And there was tension between Samaritans and Jewish people for years.  That is not what Isaiah had in mind, nor was it what Jesus saw when he preached the Parable of the Good Samaritan.  Our relations with people who come from a different land, with different customs, and different understandings have often been strained.  In the founding of our country, each wave of immigrant was sneered at.  And yet, Isaiah reminds us that God sees something different.  God sees a child no matter where that person was born or presently lives.

Who are the ones in our midst, we'd be offended to learn that Isaiah is talking about.  Of course we will never know what Isaiah would say to us today.  We can only open our imaginations and hearts to God in this time.  And by listening to these words, open our eyes to see if there are those in our midst who we are called to love.

May the traces of God's grace be in our life helping us stay open to all those who we bump up against in these days.

Blessings!