Yesterday someone I know closed his bank account with Wells Fargo. He told me that he was taking all of his money out of Wells Fargo because that bank was one of the funders of the Dakota Access Pipeline, often abbreviated as DAPL. DAPL threatens Native Americans' water supply. Further, tribal leaders contend that they were not properly consulted regarding the construction of this oil pipeline and about how they would be affected by it; hence, tribal leaders say, this pipeline violates federal law as well as treaties between Native Americans and the U.S. government.
This man who stopped doing business with Wells Fargo explained to me that he has long felt grieved over how the U.S. government slaughtered Native Americans for decades. He has felt pained that this native people were made refugees on the land where they had been living for countless generations.
This man related how, for decades he maintained that he never would have participated in the exploitation and degradation of Native Americans had he lived in the 1600s, 1700s or 1800s. He described how he would have respected their human rights.
Then this particular person painted the picture of how he had known for months that DAPL endangered Native Americans' water supply. He shared too how he knew that tribal leaders had felt that they had not been properly consulted about the construction of the oil pipeline. Although he protested against DAPL, for months he failed to withdraw his funds from the bank funding this oil pipeline.
Then he remembered the words of Jesus, when Jesus berated the scribes and the Pharisees, telling them
Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites.
You are like whitewashed tombs,
which appear beautiful on the outside,
but inside are full of dead men’s bones
and every kind of filth.
Even so, on the outside you appear righteous,
but inside you are filled with hypocrisy and evildoing.
Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites.
You build the tombs of the prophets
and adorn the memorials of the righteous,
and you say, 'If we had lived in the days of our ancestors,
we would not have joined them
in shedding the prophets' blood.'
Thus you bear witness against yourselves
that you are the children of those who murdered the prophets;
now fill up what your ancestors measured out!"*
This person who yesterday closed his bank account with a bank funding the pipeline, felt rightly accused by Jesus' words. He realized that he was one of the hypocrites who Jesus had described. He had insisted that he would not have oppressed Native Americans centuries ago. However, he had continued to do business with a bank that was funding a pipeline that was being installed without proper consultation with Native American tribes: he had stood by while his money supported an institution which had supported disrespect of Native Americans. He had supported repression of the people he had claimed he supported.
During his languishing and dragging his feet, as he continued to do business with the bank funding the pipeline, during Lent he considered Scripture passages on fasting. He felt led to withdraw his money out of Wells Fargo given the words of the prophet Isaiah, who recorded how God told him
Is this not . . . the fast that I choose:
releasing those bound unjustly,
untying the thongs of the yoke;
Setting free the oppressed,
breaking off every yoke?
Is it not sharing your bread with the hungry,
bringing the afflicted and the homeless into your house;
Clothing the naked when you see them,
and not turning your back on your own flesh?**
He felt that the time had long since arrived for him to withdraw his money from Wells Fargo. He felt driven to stop participating in the oppression of Native Americans.
He felt that the time had come a long time ago to start following the Word of God. I must say I agree with him. You see, this man I have been describing is me.
* Matthew 23:27-32
** Isaiah 58:6-7
This man who stopped doing business with Wells Fargo explained to me that he has long felt grieved over how the U.S. government slaughtered Native Americans for decades. He has felt pained that this native people were made refugees on the land where they had been living for countless generations.
This man related how, for decades he maintained that he never would have participated in the exploitation and degradation of Native Americans had he lived in the 1600s, 1700s or 1800s. He described how he would have respected their human rights.
Then this particular person painted the picture of how he had known for months that DAPL endangered Native Americans' water supply. He shared too how he knew that tribal leaders had felt that they had not been properly consulted about the construction of the oil pipeline. Although he protested against DAPL, for months he failed to withdraw his funds from the bank funding this oil pipeline.
Then he remembered the words of Jesus, when Jesus berated the scribes and the Pharisees, telling them
Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites.
You are like whitewashed tombs,
which appear beautiful on the outside,
but inside are full of dead men’s bones
and every kind of filth.
Even so, on the outside you appear righteous,
but inside you are filled with hypocrisy and evildoing.
Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites.
You build the tombs of the prophets
and adorn the memorials of the righteous,
and you say, 'If we had lived in the days of our ancestors,
we would not have joined them
in shedding the prophets' blood.'
Thus you bear witness against yourselves
that you are the children of those who murdered the prophets;
now fill up what your ancestors measured out!"*
This person who yesterday closed his bank account with a bank funding the pipeline, felt rightly accused by Jesus' words. He realized that he was one of the hypocrites who Jesus had described. He had insisted that he would not have oppressed Native Americans centuries ago. However, he had continued to do business with a bank that was funding a pipeline that was being installed without proper consultation with Native American tribes: he had stood by while his money supported an institution which had supported disrespect of Native Americans. He had supported repression of the people he had claimed he supported.
During his languishing and dragging his feet, as he continued to do business with the bank funding the pipeline, during Lent he considered Scripture passages on fasting. He felt led to withdraw his money out of Wells Fargo given the words of the prophet Isaiah, who recorded how God told him
Is this not . . . the fast that I choose:
releasing those bound unjustly,
untying the thongs of the yoke;
Setting free the oppressed,
breaking off every yoke?
Is it not sharing your bread with the hungry,
bringing the afflicted and the homeless into your house;
Clothing the naked when you see them,
and not turning your back on your own flesh?**
He felt that the time had long since arrived for him to withdraw his money from Wells Fargo. He felt driven to stop participating in the oppression of Native Americans.
He felt that the time had come a long time ago to start following the Word of God. I must say I agree with him. You see, this man I have been describing is me.
* Matthew 23:27-32
** Isaiah 58:6-7
No comments:
Post a Comment