Ever since the Occupy Wall Street Movement gained international recognition, I have been hearing questions about this movement. “How do I know whether this movement is something that I should support?” “Are they the same as the Tea Party?” “Just what do they want? They don't seem to be very organized or have a focus.”
These are questions about making a judgment. While I prefer not to make judgment until I have seen the whole picture of any issue or situation, I started reflecting on why I have been supportive of this movement almost from the start.
I myself will judge between the fat sheep and the lean sheep. Because you pushed with flank and shoulder, and butted at all the weak animals with your horns until you scattered them far and wide, I will save my flock, and they shall no longer be ravaged; and I will judge between sheep and sheep. (Ezekiel 34:20-24)
This Hebrew Scripture text from the prophet Ezekiel uses the image of a shepherd (God) and the flock (people) to explain the way God makes judgment. It is the fat sheep that God has a problem with because of their bullying, causing division and suffering among the flock. God yearns for the whole community to be fed and to live well, not just the fat few! I am enthusiastic about the Occupy Movement because they are naming the fat sheep, the one percent, as they called them.
In the Christian Scripture, there are also passages about judgment. In Matthew 25:31-46, again the divine presence is depicted as a shepherd sorting the sheep and the goat. The sheep are invited to enter God’s pasture and these are the criteria:
. . . for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.
When I visited Occupy Oakland, I did see the hungry being fed, the stranger being welcomed, the homeless offered shelter, the sick being taken care of, and the naked clothed. Based on these criteria, I did make a judgment that this movement is good. I don't want to paint a completely rosy picture of this movement. I also observed that there were issues of safety and conflicts caused by individuals and groups that had a more extreme sense of what this movement was about. However, I also observed how the leaders of the movement handled these conflicts with compassion and grace.
Why do we make judgment? We tend to think the next step after judgment is punishment. But punishment will not restore the social and economic wellness. The purpose of judgment is the movement toward repentance, which, in Judeo-Christian terms, means “turning around,” returning to the right relationship with God and with each other. By pronouncing judgment, we are calling the “fat sheep” to repent, to act in ways that will re-establish the right relations among people and resources so that we can create a sustainable community in which all may have their basic needs met and the opportunities to pursue happiness.
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Invite members of your community to visit the local Occupy Movement.
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Eric H. F. Law
Kaleidoscope Institute
For competent leadership in a diverse changing world
www.kscopeinstitute.org
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Come to Los Angeles in 2012 to study with The Sustainist, the first two opportunities: February 27–March 2, 2012 |
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