From Naboth to Jesus: How Bible Shapes Our Sensitivity to the Victims of Injustice
June 18, 2024 - Tuesday of the Eleventh Week in Ordinary Time
1 Kings 21:17-29
In any ancient society, no one would question the actions of a king or an emperor. They were the law of the nation and stood above it. What applied to an ordinary citizen did not apply to them. Thus, in any ancient society, Ahab and Jezebel would get away with murdering Naboth and inheriting his vineyard. However, Ahab was not just any king in any ancient society; he was the king of Israel and bound by the commandments of God: You shall not covet; You shall not murder.
The uniqueness of the Bible lies in the fact that it gives a voice to the victims of injustice. I do not recall any story in which the gods of Rome, Greece, or Hindu gods and goddesses ever brought leaders of those ancient civilizations to account for the crimes they committed against their people. The God of the Bible, however, constantly stands for those who were treated as nobodies. Today, we hear God's voice announcing severe punishment upon Ahab and his entire household for the crime committed against Naboth. "The LORD says: After murdering, do you also take possession? For this, the LORD says: In the place where the dogs licked up the blood of Naboth, the dogs shall lick up your blood, too" (1 Kings 21:19).
We often hear that history is written by the victors. That is true with one exception: the Bible! The foundation of Rome is said to be established after its founder Romulus murdered his twin brother Remus. We do not hear anything about the blood of Remus crying to Jupiter, the chief deity of ancient Rome. But the blood of Abel, murdered by his brother Cain, cried out to the LORD and brought punishment upon his older brother (see Gen. 4:8-16). Then, the voice of the Israelite slaves was heard by the LORD, and the mighty Egyptian empire was severely punished. In the prophetic tradition, the voice of the victims crying out to God for justice is particularly loud. The LORD, through the prophets, warned the leadership of Israel of the dire consequences of disregarding the cry of the poor.
Within the entire biblical library, nothing compares to the Gospels. To ancient historians, Jesus was nobody, one among many victims of the mighty Roman Empire. The Roman Procurators of Judea crucified many Jews, and in other parts of the empire, they crucified all those who dared to oppose its rule. It was the norm, and nobody would even entertain the idea of writing a biography of one of them. That we possess an account of Jesus' life, death, and resurrection is itself a miracle. Scholars tell us it is only because Jesus rose from the dead. Yes, but at the heart of the Gospel is the story of Jesus' crucifixion, described in such a way that the reader is appalled by the staggering injustice and cruelty that led to Jesus' death.
The Bible, and the Gospel in particular, has shaped our sensitivity towards the poor and suffering in the world. Today, no Ahab can murder an innocent citizen of his nation and get away with it. Today, with few remaining exceptions in societies not yet affected by the Gospel, no leader can be above the law and do whatever they wish. Following the pattern of the Gospel, history is slowly being written from the perspective of the victims, and for this, we need to always be grateful to the LORD and His voice communicated to us through His prophets and the evangelists.