Real Religion
Stories
Lectionary Tales For The Pulpit
Series VI, Cycle A
Object:
He has told you, O mortal, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?
-- Micah 6:8
Familiar words. Perhaps you memorized them in Sunday school in years past, or perhaps you saw them inscribed on the wall of the Library of Congress. They are an ancient answer to the modern acronym that Christian youngsters wear on T-shirts, bracelets, and necklaces: WWJD -- What Would Jesus Do? These few words spell it out. What is real religion? In other words, WWJHMD -- What Would Jesus Have Me Do? After all, real religion is an attempt to answer that as well as the prophet's question, "What does the Lord require of you?" Here we have it in a nutshell, and it is as valid today as it was 2,800 years ago. Do justice, love kindness, walk humbly with your God.
It was in the latter part of the eighth century BC that Micah prophesied. He was a young contemporary of Isaiah, Hosea, and Amos. He and Isaiah brought God's message to the people of Judah in the south while Hosea and Amos took it north to Israel. It was a period of turmoil and change. Assyria was fast becoming a world power to challenge the hegemony of Egypt. There was one battle after another with the little nations used only as pawns in the wider struggle. Israel and Judah were constantly threatened by one power or another. It was a difficult time.
Like Amos, Micah was a product of the countryside, a farmer; like farmers throughout the centuries, he had a certain mistrust of city slickers. In his case, he had good reason: It was the city slickers who were fleecing the folks of the countryside that Micah knew as friends and neighbors; it was city slicker judges who took bribes to render unfair judgments; city slicker priests who were immoral and corrupt; city slicker prophets who would prophesy anything you might want in exchange for a few shekels. No wonder Micah thought of the cities as cesspools of sin.
To be sure, he had plenty to complain about concerning the nation's religious habits. It was bad enough that the prophets and priests were not living up to expectations, but the reason they were not was that the people did not want them to. The only preaching they wanted to hear was "God's in his heaven and all's right with the world." Micah even joked about it: "If a liar and deceiver comes and says 'I will prophesy for you plenty of wine and beer,' he would be just the preacher for this people" (2:11). They did not want to be embarrassed by anyone who would have called them to account for their behavior.
It was time for them to hear a word from the Lord. Micah came to them with a message that was not only valid for his own age, but for every age to come.
Do justice -- love kindness -- a humble walk with God. Sounds very much like the answer to WWJD -- What Would Jesus Do? In fact, it is in Jesus that we see what justice and loving-kindness look like in a walk with God. WWJD. Jesus is still looking for followers. Not admirers, followers. So the correct question for you and me is "WWJHMD? What Would Jesus Have Me Do?"
-- Micah 6:8
Familiar words. Perhaps you memorized them in Sunday school in years past, or perhaps you saw them inscribed on the wall of the Library of Congress. They are an ancient answer to the modern acronym that Christian youngsters wear on T-shirts, bracelets, and necklaces: WWJD -- What Would Jesus Do? These few words spell it out. What is real religion? In other words, WWJHMD -- What Would Jesus Have Me Do? After all, real religion is an attempt to answer that as well as the prophet's question, "What does the Lord require of you?" Here we have it in a nutshell, and it is as valid today as it was 2,800 years ago. Do justice, love kindness, walk humbly with your God.
It was in the latter part of the eighth century BC that Micah prophesied. He was a young contemporary of Isaiah, Hosea, and Amos. He and Isaiah brought God's message to the people of Judah in the south while Hosea and Amos took it north to Israel. It was a period of turmoil and change. Assyria was fast becoming a world power to challenge the hegemony of Egypt. There was one battle after another with the little nations used only as pawns in the wider struggle. Israel and Judah were constantly threatened by one power or another. It was a difficult time.
Like Amos, Micah was a product of the countryside, a farmer; like farmers throughout the centuries, he had a certain mistrust of city slickers. In his case, he had good reason: It was the city slickers who were fleecing the folks of the countryside that Micah knew as friends and neighbors; it was city slicker judges who took bribes to render unfair judgments; city slicker priests who were immoral and corrupt; city slicker prophets who would prophesy anything you might want in exchange for a few shekels. No wonder Micah thought of the cities as cesspools of sin.
To be sure, he had plenty to complain about concerning the nation's religious habits. It was bad enough that the prophets and priests were not living up to expectations, but the reason they were not was that the people did not want them to. The only preaching they wanted to hear was "God's in his heaven and all's right with the world." Micah even joked about it: "If a liar and deceiver comes and says 'I will prophesy for you plenty of wine and beer,' he would be just the preacher for this people" (2:11). They did not want to be embarrassed by anyone who would have called them to account for their behavior.
It was time for them to hear a word from the Lord. Micah came to them with a message that was not only valid for his own age, but for every age to come.
Do justice -- love kindness -- a humble walk with God. Sounds very much like the answer to WWJD -- What Would Jesus Do? In fact, it is in Jesus that we see what justice and loving-kindness look like in a walk with God. WWJD. Jesus is still looking for followers. Not admirers, followers. So the correct question for you and me is "WWJHMD? What Would Jesus Have Me Do?"
