Economic Crisis

In the midst this economic crisis, and the central crisis of the housing market collapse, I’m reminded of the widows who lost their houses in a long-ago time.

In a part of the gospels of Mark and Luke seldom noticed, Jesus speaks to the corruption of the religious leadership in Jerusalem : the scribes who were charged with applying the laws of the scripture to their society. They were supposed to be true to God’s word of justice and good news to the poor. Instead, the religious leaders were padding their own wallets while the ones in greatest need lost out. Jesus was always very forgiving of people who had sinned, but when he conf ron ts sin perpetrated in the name of religion, he lets them have it:
“Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes, and to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces, and to have the best seats in the synagogues and places of honor at banquets! They devour widows' houses and for the sake of appearance say long prayers. They will receive the greater condemnation.” (Mark 12:38-40).

The Biblical scholar Douglas Hare tells us how the scribes used their position of legal power to defraud a widow of their late husband’s estate. This was at a time when women were not allowed to speak in a courtroom. Unless the vulnerable widow had a son or brother who could present her case, she was easy prey to those in power. The precarious fate of widows in that era explains why scripture so often commands generosity and special concern for widows (and orphans). God’s will, revealed in scripture, was the moral conscience for a society where too many were left out.

I don’t know how to fix the economic crisis. I’m trying to understand it, and I’ve learned a lot about the stock, housing, and credit markets and the complex mechanisms that guide them, but I’m not in a position to advocate any particular solution. What I can do, and what I believe the church must do, is to be a moral conscience for our society. We should proclaim that those without power should not be left out of our public policy. We should demand a society in which the ones with power do not promote their own success by devouring the houses of the vulnerable, but instead work for the good of everyone, no exceptions.