Justice runs throughout Scripture

One of the main themes that run through scripture is justice for the poor and oppressed.

Let me clarify that statement so you can understand the full impact. I’m currently reading “the Lost Art of Scripture” by Karen Armstrong. It’s a great and fascinating book — taking me back to my seminary days. She is a proficient author on theological topics having written over 20 books.

In this book she argues that all scripture — regardless of religion, culture, or time — have similar major themes that run through them. Some of those themes are about the human yearning for transformation, seeking the divine, and that the divine cares about the plight of the poor and oppressed and yearns for justice for them from those in authority.

It doesn’t matter if we are talking about the Hebrew Scriptures, the New Testament, the teachings of Buddha or Confucius, the Vedas in India, ancient Chinese religious beliefs, or Islam, or any other religion from the ancient world. The message was always the same — justice for the poor. That’s because most of the world operated on an agrarian system that was oppressive to the vast majority of people. And the divine expected those in charge to care for those under their rule.

This wasn’t a one off set of beliefs — it was every culture in every time.

The prophets in the Hebrew Scriptures have a heavy focus on justice for the poor and oppressed as well as a specific focus on welcome to the stranger and foreigner. Many of Jesus parables…