Jeremiah 23 begins with a sigh, Oy. God looks at the leaders- the political and religious leaders, the shepherds, and says, “Oy shepherds, look at what you have done! You have destroyed and scattered my sheep.” Yet God says, there will come a time, “I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth. In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: and this is his name whereby he shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS." (KJV, Jer 23:5, 6). This is one of the prophecies of the Messiah in the Prophet Jeremiah. It proclaims a Messiah, who is called “THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.” His reign, much in contrast to the reign of the kings of Israel and Judah, would be the apex of justice and peace.
I have often wondered why this has not become the basic theme of the Messianic community, the Church. Perhaps, the answer may lie in how the Hebrew word, Tsadiq has been translated. In this text, the Messiah is called, “THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.” The ideal messianic city is called, The City of Righteousness.” (Isaiah 1:26). Perhaps this is where the problem lies? The English word “righteous” has a highly individualistic connotation- “a pious person, or a holy city.” However, the Hebrew word Tsadiq does not carry this individualistic, pious meaning. Its basic meaning is justice and right. In the Hebrew sense, this Messiah is a person who cares about justice to the poor, the widow, the orphan and the alien (Jer. 22:1, 2), not merely individualistic righteousness.
In cultures like India, where I come from, this translation takes on worse connotations. In Hindi, it is translated as “The LORD is our Dharmi,” which portrays the Messiah as a high caste Hindu Brahmin. The large majority of the people- low caste and outcaste people, the people who are enslaved by the high caste people, look at this translation and say, “If this God is the God of the high caste Hindus, we want nothing to do with this God.”
It seems to me that Pandita Ramabai, a woman who rescued hundreds of girls from prostitution, child widowhood, and female infanticide got it right in her Bible translation. She translated this phrase as, “THE LORD OUR JUSTICE.” He is the only one who can bring about justice for the widow, the orphan, and the alien. When the Church follows him, it can cause his kingdom of justice and peace to spread throughout the world. Individualistic “righteousness focuses on I, me, and myself. “THE LORD OUR JUSTICE” focuses on the oppressed of the world, and seeks to bring about God’s kingdom of justice and peace.
Jesus looked at the scattered and destitute people, “when he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. “ (Matt. 9:36). To these Jesus says “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. The hired hand, who is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and runs away—and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. The hired hand runs away because a hired hand does not care for the sheep. I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me.” (John 10:11-14)
May we, during this season of Lent, be like that Good Shepherd.
Rev. Dr. R. Boaz Johnson, Professor of Biblical and Theological Studies
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