Job in the Old Testament is a good man, evidenced by Job being a rich man, blessed by God, “Job owned 7,000 sheep, 3,000 camels, 500 yoke of oxen,” “and a very large number of slaves.” Job’s circumstances change though, because “the Lord” says to “satan,” “All that Job has is in your control satan.” Satan takes Job’s riches, who naturally laments his poverty, “I am a slave,… a hireling who waits for his wages.” But the story shows Job is not sinful and his enslavement is unjust. So it is that Job’s riches are returned to him in the end; his sheep, camels, oxen, and slaves.
Job believes in Atonement, “the belief that as God is holy, man must be holy in order to remain in relationship with Him.” A person’s holiness is confirmed in the riches they possess. “Sin and defilement damage the relationship between creature and Creator, and the process of atonement – offering repentance and reparation – restores this relationship.” Sinners thus need to offer their money, resources, works, even the entirety of their lives as repentance and reparation to God – through God’s holy representatives. In practice, common people offer their money, resources, works and their lives to priests, elders, men of status – in other words, to rich men – men who invented the needy God. Under Atonement, there is no healing of poverty. Poverty is the just result of bad beliefs, bad behaviors for which payment is exacted. Job’s story continues to influence people’s beliefs and behaviors. We are conditioned to believe that if a person or a community of persons is suffering, it is because they deserve to suffer. They are lazy rather than industrious, foolish instead of frugal, criminally minded when they could be capitalistically minded, and God punishes them for it. Whatever misery a person experiences in life, it is a circumstance they have brought on themselves. It is the just recompense ordained by God – except the Old Testament’s God is not God. He is “satan.” Satan means an adversary. The Old Testament’s God is a satan or an adversary – to healing. Job is lauded for his righteousness and his faith – all the while Job is a slaveowner! He makes his money from systemic sickness. Job is rich because he owns slaves, human capital, the origins of the capitalist financial system. Does analysis of Job ever note his being a capitalist slaveowner? Given this and other examples of intellectual malfeasance, capitalism is mistakenly considered a circumstance of private profit making. It is not. Capitalism is a system of complicit plunder taking. Thus, Old Testament exemplars, invading War Lords through the ages, and even U.S. founding fathers can own slaves that gain them plunder with nary a blemish to their character, nor to the social character they construct. At the same time, people can be enslaved, spill sweat and blood in nonviolent campaigns to be free, without much of any merit given to their character, nor to the healing social character they attempt to co-create. The plunderers who are rich today are operating from that same systemic, millennia old, and divinized sickness of gaining their wealth by enslaving people, controlling available resources, and thus controlling people’s beliefs and behaviors. Today’s readings start with the Old Testament and its theology of Atonement, highlighted by Job’s wealth from slavery which hinders our understanding the satanic and systemic enslavement that is inherent to capitalism. The readings end with the Gospel and Jesus’ witness of healing, highlighted by “the whole town was gathered at the door. Jesus cured many who were sick with various diseases, and he drove out many demons,” which helps us live the systemic freedom that is inherent to our humanity. In practice, a commoner, every commoner, offers their gifts, resources, works, and their lives to very other commoner – in other words, to average people – who need not circumstances of well-being but a full system of it, meaning an “organized, whole creation,” of health.
“Oh, that the free would stamp the impious name of ‘RULER’ into the dust! (Ode to Liberty – Percy Bysshe Shelley)
Prayer: Healing Spirit, we give ourselves to the healing of adversaries.
Question: Do I experience healing as circumstantial or systemic?
Feb 04, 2024 Gospel Mark 1:29-39 Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time