Also you must never build houses, sow seed or plant vineyards; you must never have any of these things, but must always live in tents. Then you will live a long time in the land where you are nomads.’ – Jeremiah 35:7

Today’s Scripture Reading (March 1, 2014): Jeremiah 35                                                             

A story is told about Mahatma (a title meaning “high souled” or “venerable” one) Ghandi attending a meeting with the King of the British Empire. The meeting happened in the days when Britain still ruled over India as a colony of the Empire. In the story, Ghandi heads for the meeting wearing the same rags that he had always worn. A reporter greeted him on the way to the meeting and asked him where it was that he was going. Ghandi responded with a description 0of the meeting he was about to attend.  The reporter then apparently questioned whether Ghandi was really heading to such an important meeting with the king dressed as he was. Ghandi apparently smiled and told the reporter that he was sure that the king had enough clothes for both of them.

The story underlined the identification of Ghandi with the poor of his nation. He never ceased to chase after India’s independence, but as hard and with as much effort as he had expended on pursuing the independence of the nation, he had also interceded for the poorest of the poor and had ended the practice that rendered certain people within the culture untouchable. Ghandi desired both independence and financial equality for the people of his nation – and worked toward both.

Jehonadab, three hundred years before the writing of the Book of Jeremiah, had taught his descendants the value of living in a humble way. Jehonadab believed that the root of war and disagreements was the affluence of one of the parties, so his defence was to have his family shun possessions so that they could live in peace wherever it was that they decided to live. And for three centuries, his descendants had followed Jehonadab’s instructions - and had lived in peace.

Some might consider Jehonadab’s instructions to his children as simplistic, but if we are going work toward world peace, we have to begin to do something about erasing the distance between those that have and those that live in lack in our world. World peace is more than just speaking the words (or in some cases changing your name.) Economic equality is vital if it is peace that we are really after. But it is more than just a war against individual poverty – we also need to do it on a national basis. The truth is that Jehonadab was right. To live in peace requires that we live humbly. The slogan “make poverty history” could easily be rewritten as “make affluence history.” But either way, the financial paths of our world need to be evened out if we are going to dream about a lasting peace.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Jeremiah 36