Any who know me will not be surprised that I believe it is a
misuse of Scripture to lift isolated lines to imply a certain quality of piety
exempts certain people from common human struggles or to imply that widespread
suffering is God’s judgment on what seems particularly detestable in others. Jesus
gave some important if unsettling insight on these sorts of things in John
9:2-3 and Luke 13:1-5. To be sure, in my
daily encounters with Scripture every day something strikes me with a
connection to current events, public and private. Without getting into
exegetical detail, I do try to include disclaimers that emphasize the
importance of context both textual and historical.
So with this disclaimer, I offer this from Psalm 31:21-22,24
that caught my attention today.
Blessed be the Lord, for he has wondrously shown his steadfast love
to me when I was beset as a city under siege. I had said in my alarm, “I am
driven far from your sight.” But you heard my supplications when I cried out to
you for help. … Be strong, and let your heart
take courage, all you who wait for the Lord.
In keeping with Jesus call to repentance in Luke 13:5, rather
than seeing COVID-19 as judgment on other people, I would suggest that we
examine how deeply the pursuit of self-interest that characterizes our society
has infected us individually. I would suggest that panic buying and hoarding of
things like toilet paper and hand cleaners is a symptom of a far deeper issue
that is not about “them” it is about “us,” about me. I am called to examine how
my focus on my comfort and my preferences have negative impacts on people whom
I tend to overlook or dismiss.
I explored this a few days ago at http://nstolpepilgrim.blogspot.com/2020/03/who-sinned.html
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