jim henson

This Sunday's readings from Isaiah and Matthew are about acting with a bold integrity. Isaiah tells us the Messiah will possess certain characteristics.

He does not judge by appearances,

he gives no verdict on hearsay,

but judges the wretched with integrity,

and with equity gives a verdict for the poor of the land.

His word is a rod that strikes the ruthless,

his sentences bring death to the wicked.

Integrity is the loincloth round his waist,

faithfulness the belt about his hips.

In the same reading, he tells us that

The wolf will live with the lamb,

the panther lies down with the kid,

calf and lion feed together,

with a little child to lead them.

God judges with integrity and wants us to do the same.  The only way Isaiah's prophesy of peace can be fulfilled is if we begin acting as Jesus did.  Jesus was constantly challenging the religious power structure of his day to act with integrity.  Intriguingly, he did nothing about the Roman occupation, telling people instead to "give to Cesar what is Cesar's and give to God what is God's". Money and temporal things all belong to Cesar and are not to be hoarded or worried about.

But, if you profess to be a believer in the Father, then your values must always come into play and be consistent, no matter who you may be dealing with--friends, family, employers, believers, those in power and those who are powerless.Sometimes this involves challenging those in power over you in order to maintain your own integrity.

Human dignity comes first.  Jesus healed on the Sabbath and remonstrated with those who thought that following the rule against work on that day was the most important thing. His disciples gathered wheat to eat on the Sabbath.  Jesus was more concerned with their hunger than with blind obedience to the law.
Laws and customs that came from a place of hospitality, though, were to be followed. He challenged the Pharisee when he failed to wash Jesus' feet during a visit to his home.  This Middle Eastern custom was a sign of respect and hospitality to a guest who had walked a long way in the dust and heat.

Jesus' task was to get us to think outside the box of blindly following after authority with no thought for each other.  Far from a faith of ignorant sheep, ours is a faith of thinking, loving human beings bringing the Kingdom of God to each other.