Dionysus on a Bike

Zephaniah 3:1-13 – 7/21/2026

In this prophecy of judgment, Zephaniah condemns Jerusalem for the evil within it. Receiving special attention is that it has become a city of oppressors, with officials and judges who exploit the people, leaving them with nothing. As I contemplate God’s judgment, a theme in the verses surrounding last Sunday’s parable of the weeds, I am reminded where I desire to see the judgment of God meted out. Our officials and our judges are roaring lions and wolves, predators who consume and destroy for themselves. In this age of corruption, I wonder where God and the judgment God promises are for those who exploit and ravage this country.

When looking at the judgment and calls for repentance of the Hebrew Prophets, it’s important to notice that their words are most often directed at the leaders of the people, the wealthy, and the elite, not against the mass of everyday lower class people themselves. The workers, the nobodies, those outside the elite who have little power are the ones who are wronged by those who do have power, those who have the means to sustain themselves and make the world either better or worse for others.

It’s important to notice where evil comes from and to whom it is directed against. When we consider the harms that befall society and the planet, it is not the worker who barely gets by who is to blame. Our officials and judges are corrupt; they corrupt the whole community by taking and taking with impunity and without giving back. We need prophets today who will call out the corrupt among the powerful who bring our cities to their ruin. One wonders where God and God’s judgment are now when they are needed so badly by so many.

Revised Common Lectionary Readings for 7/21/2026:
Zephaniah 1:1-13
Galatians 4:21—5:1
Psalm 75

Reflections of a Dionysian Lutheran, comments on the daily readings of the Revised Common Lectionary by Justin Marquis