Today's Scripture Reading (August 20, 2022): Psalms 94
A friend of mine sent me a
Facebook quote; "If you want to see the true
measure of a man, watch how he treats his inferiors, not his equals." The
quote was placed on a background that included a great picture of Morgan
Freeman, suggesting that this might have been a Freeman quote. Ah, but this is Facebook.
The quote was actually written by the famed "Harry Potter" author, J.
K. Rowling.
I have to admit that I do have some
issues with the quote. My biggest problem is that the quote assumes a hierarchy
of importance that I am not sure exists. The concept that Rowling is more
important than the person who cleans her house doesn't sit well with me. In the
wake of the attack on author Salmon Rushdie, the follow-up threat that J. K.
Rowling is next also bothered me. I'm afraid I have to disagree with many
writers, but I do not want to kill them. I am in the process of clearing out
some of my books, and I admit that there are authors in my library with whom I
have serious disagreements, but I also don't want to get rid of their books
just because I might oppose their ideas. Conflicting ideas should empower
conversation, not a judgment on who is worthy of living and who is not.
The Bible suggests a radical
equality. It emphasizes the idea that we are all equal of being worthy of life
and the chance to live out our dreams. Concepts can't take that away from us.
And neither can any of the circumstances that might take place in our lives. The
only thing that should diminish our worth is when we do something that doesn't
recognize the value of other people. Regardless of whether I agree with the
ideas that Salmon Rushdie has put forth, the one who repeatedly stabbed the
author is the one who has diminished his own value in the view of society. Rushdie,
as a victim, has not been reduced in any way by the attack.
And that is precisely the point
that Psalmist tries to make in this passage. The foreigners, widows, and
fatherless were vulnerable to those who believed they possessed power. They
were often misused, persecuted, cheated, and in some cases, as this Psalm
argues, they were put to death. All because someone deemed them to be inferior.
But in the eyes of God, they were just as valuable as the ones who had attacked
them. And maybe more importantly, because the attackers had maligned and
misused those valued by God, it is the attacker whose value has been
diminished, regardless of whatever power and authority the attacker might
believe that they possess
It is a warning that we all need to
hear. We must value those the world believes to be inferior because their
Creator values them more than we understand. It was something that Jesus taught
to anyone who would listen to his words. "Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least
of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me" (Matthew 25:40).
And Rowling is right as well, "If you want to see the true
measure of a man, watch how he treats his inferiors, not his equals." They
know deep down that even these people, the least of these, are our equals and
not our inferiors.
Today's Scripture Reading: Psalms
97
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