So justice is far from us, and righteousness does not reach us. We look for light, but all is darkness; for brightness, but we walk in deep shadows. – Isaiah 59:9

 Today's Scripture Reading (September 8, 2020): Isaiah 59

Jesus told the story. It involves a shepherd and his flock of sheep. The flock in the story conveniently numbers one hundred. And in the story, one of the sheep goes missing. The question that Jesus asks is, what should be the shepherd's priority? Does he stay with the ninety-nine, or does he go in search of the one? The intuitive answer for those who first heard Jesus's story was that the shepherd should go and search for the one. But, if we are honest, in our society, we aren't sure.

One parishioner cornered me with the story some years ago. He was furious about what he felt were the unnecessary efforts of the church to minister to those who did not give back to the life of the church. And during our discussion, he brought up this story and argued against Jesus's conclusion. In what world does keeping the ninety-nine safe take second place to searching for the one in trouble.

The answer to my friend's question is that the needs of the one are more important than the ninety-nine in any culture that values justice and righteousness. Justice and righteousness are fundamentally unconcerned about the needs of the majority. The concern of justice and righteousness are always in support of those who exist on the edges of culture. Because if justice is available only to the powerful, then it isn't really justice, nor can it be right.

It is an interesting argument to evaluate in our present cultural moment. In a world where we fight over "Black Lives Matter" or "All Lives Matter," maybe we need to relook at Jesus's story and focus on the one. In a world where we question the advice about wearing a mask in public when only one percent of our society will suffer devastating health outcomes due to COVID-19, maybe we need to hear the story of the shepherd and his flock one more time.

I admit that I have a persistent nightmare. Admittedly, I am among the blessed in our culture. I don't worry about my rights being stolen from me by those in power. But that does not mean that it could not happen. One day I could wake up, not as one of the ninety-nine, but as the one. And Isaiah makes it clear. If justice and righteousness are not part of our plan when we are the ninety-nine, it won't be there when we make the journey to the one. At that moment, we will look for the light but only find darkness. And the fault won't lie with God; it will lie with us.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Isaiah 60