Social Justice Sunday Matthew 21:23-32, Philippians 2:1-13 Lets be clear, there are people who do dreadful, horrific

things. People who mercilessly abuse and compulsively destroy. No sensible person would dispute that such people should be tracked down by police and locked away to protect the weak and vulnerable. And lets be clear, that most of the people who do dreadful horrific things, who mercilessly abuse and compulsively destroy, are not locked up. Theyre running companies and countries, theyre parents and priests and politicians. Lets not kid ourselves that prisons contain the worst of the worst theyve only got the ones whove been caught. Yet for our comfortable, affluent Australian society, there seems to be something reassuring about having people locked up. Getting tough on crime is a vote-winner, though it rarely involves getting tough on the crimes of massive polluters or exploitative bosses. Mandatory detention of asylum seekers is overwhelmingly supported in this country, even though it costs $113,000 per year per detainee. And it seems that the Bicentenary gave us such a love for our convict heritage, that we want as many people as possible to experience it as the number of people imprisoned in Australia has been rising faster than the population since 1988. It seems that were quite happy for our governments to spend our tax dollars locking people up. While theres been much tedious commentary about $27 million for new office space for the WA Premier and Cabinet, it seems to pass without comment that our state government is adding 640 new beds to the prison system at a cost of more than a million dollars per bed. And all this because, between 2001 and 2009, the prison population in this state increased by 50%, pushing our prisons well beyond capacity. In the meantime, prisoners are being double-bunked, leading to an increase in sexual assault and violence and limiting access to rehabilitation programs. $100,000 per year, per prisoner. Thats what it costs to make us feel safe. And who are these people that are locked up? More than 1 out of 3 is Aboriginal. At least 1 out of 3 has a diagnosed mental illness, and probably more. 2 out of 3 have less than functional literacy. 4 out of 5 were unemployed immediately before going to prison. Of the teenagers in the prison system, more than half are the victims of child abuse or trauma. Children of prisoners are five times more likely to be imprisoned themselves. This is not an excuse for breaking the law. Just being poor, disenfranchised or sick does not give you the right to commit a crime. But then, neither does being wealthy and influential yet those guys seem to avoid prison rather well. You dont need a PhD in Sociology to work out that most of our prison population consists of the most marginalised people in our society. And there are a wide range of evidencebased initiatives which are cheaper and actually reduce crime. The Churches of Australia, and many others of goodwill, have been clamouring for these initiatives for decades - drug-courts, restorative justice programs, justice reinvestment and forensic mental health. We have been advocating loud and long, doing the research,
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lobbying, educating, organising, protesting. And all to no avail. All we see are more prisons, more prisoners, more crime, more fear. Today is Social Justice Sunday an initiative of the National Council of Churches, who have asked us specifically today to focus on prisoner justice. But what is social justice? And why do Christians claim to believe in it? And why, in the face of such opposition, do we persist in seeking justice for least, the last, and the lost? Its important to first recognise that giving money to charitable organisations is not, in and of itself, an act of social justice. If we reduce social justice so that it simply means donating funds, then we can quickly become complicit in social injustice. While it is good and right that aid organisations feed the worlds poor true social justice would mean that wealth is distributed fairly so that there are no poor. While it is good and right that people experiencing homelessness, or families breaking down are cared for true social justice would see government policy and spending prioritise such people. And while we rightly support the work of groups who protect prisoners, asylum seekers, vulnerable children or people with disabilities we cant escape the fact that a just society should do that as a matter of course. But that still doesnt explain what social justice is. Social Justice for Christians is when society and culture, politics and government are in accord with the Kingdom of God, nothing less. Its an audacious and, to some, foolhardy aim. Quite naturally, most of us would rather avoid truly working for social justice. Why? Because, as Dom Helder Camara said When I feed the poor, they call me a saint, but when I ask why the poor are hungry, they call me a communist. To stand for the values of the Kingdom of God is an unpopular and dangerous activity it did Jesus in, and countless martyrs throughout history. Equitable distribution of wealth, the gracious application of power, rejection of violence, deliberate inclusion of all and a preferential treatment of the weak these are generally not causes which endear Christians to the rich and powerful. But, still, why? If we believe in the resurrection of the dead, and judgement, and a new creation, why dont we just keep our heads down, pray, and behave, and let God sort it out? We could do that, if being a Christian was simply an individual pursuit to gain a reward in the afterlife, or even a form of personal therapy to provide a happy life here and now. But Jesus did not come offering a touchy-feely message of how to feel good about yourself. That was Oprah. Matthews Jesus, in todays gospel and with unerring regularity, challenges and confronts the society of his day. In the preceding chapter, Jesus has overturned the tables in the temple a money-grubbing , inequitable system which flouted the religious laws and exploited pious people simply wishing to offer right worship to God. Then he gets quizzed by the Chief Priests and Elder about the source of his authority. Their authority comes, supposedly from God yet they have conspired with Roman occupying force and sought to profit from the suffering of Gods people. Jesus lay it on the line to them with the story of the two sons. The second son says yes, yes and does nothing. The first son verbally refuses,
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yet actually does what the Father requests. And then this stinging line: Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are going into the kingdom of God ahead of you. To follow Jesus, then and now, is not merely to seek personal spiritual enlightenment, nor to obtain a front-row ticket to eternal delights. To follow Jesus demands that we are co-workers with him, indeed, that we are his body listening and learning, speaking up and protesting, lobbying and liberating until he returns. There will be breakthroughs and successes, laws changed and slaves set free. One day in this country we may choose to build communities not prisons, seeking to restore right relationships rather than punish a few to give the illusion of safety. Some day we might distribute food and clean water with equity throughout the earth. Yet whether we succeed or fail, whether we live or die, whether we experience oppression or liberation we will not lose hope. Because we will continue to gather to eat at the table of the Kingdom of God where at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. The Lord be with you

The Reverend Chris Bedding is an Anglican priest in the Diocese of Perth, Western Australia. He is also an actor, director, musician and comedian. His passions are ministry amongst people in the first third of life, dynamic liturgy and advocacy for the oppressed. twitter.com/frchrisbedding facebook.com/frchrisbedding Email: rector.darlington@live.com.au