This Sunday’s readings give insight into the origins of religion. They also show the difference between religion and the People’s Movement Jesus started. Religion is a Latin word and consists of ‘re’ which means ‘again’ and ‘ligio’ which means ‘to bind’. The truth of religion being a ‘re-bind’ is seen in the first reading. In it, Melchizedek, who is an ancient military priest, uses bread and wine to glorify a new War Lord, Abraham. Abraham has just killed enemy War Lords in battle. His battlefield plunder has won him slaves. Abraham is thus establishing himself as a new member of the religion of Militarism: War Lords, who gain plunder through binding and re-binding slaves, for their wars. War’s plunder always includes slaves. Slaves are those people whose ‘bind’ is no longer to their previous defeated War Lord because they are now ‘re-binded’ over to their new victorious War Lord. Re-ligion originates in successive War Lords, enslaving people for plunder, in their wars. The names of the War Lords and the rebinding they do may change but the religion of Militarism and its plundering enslavement of people in warfare does not change (War Lords Arjuna-Krishna, Abraham-Yahweh, Caesar-Mars, Muhammad-Allah, Crusading Pope Urban II, Martin Luther, Jefferson Davis, Putin, Cheney, Obama, …).
Militarism’s deadly War Lords re-binding slaves that starts in the Melchizedek Abraham reading then bleeds into the Psalm response. The Psalm response erroneously calls the peacemaking commoner Jesus “a priest in the line of Melchizedek,” a violent War Lord who enslaved people and “will crush kings on the day of his wrath.” No. Jesus is not a priest, holds no slaves, does not crush anyone, and shows no wrath. Deadly War Lords re-binding slaves then bleeds into the second reading from Paul. Paul continues the Melchizedek War Lord theme when fixes “Lord” status upon Jesus – “As often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the death of the Lord.” Again, No. Jesus is making a paradigm shift – away from the War Lord model and towards a peacemakers model. When disciples eat the bread and drink the cup we do not proclaim the death of Jesus. We proclaim the life of Jesus. We proclaim his living presence in living bread which Jesus declares is “my body,” and in living wine which Jesus declares is “my blood.” Paul misunderstands and misrepresents Jesus’ last meal. He re-frames it in a War Lord re-ligion’s death values and does not receive it in the peacemakers Jesus’ living witness. Jesus is not our Lord. That said, Paul is being unknowingly ironic, because when Jesus shares with commoners life-giving bread and wine Jesus does indeed “proclaim the death of Lord” re-ligion system.
Jesus’ meal proclaims the death of the Lord re-ligion system that is based in supremacy, slavery, and violence. First, Jesus’ meals initiate a movement that shifts power and authority away from lords and toward common people in communion. Second, Jesus’ meals shift our disposition in this world away from justifying people’s enslaved suffering and toward lovingly sharing our resources, especially with those in need. Third, Jesus’ meals also shift people away from violence as having anything to do with salvation and shifts us toward true salve–ation, God’s healing, specifically through a nourishing nature, with which Jesus was in touch. Militarism’s religion has ended and Jesus’ Peoples Movement has begun.
Prayer: Spirit of Life, guide us, move us.
Question: What might energize me to step away from religion and participate in a People’s Movement?
May 29, 2016 Gospel Luke 9: 11b-17 Feast of Corpus Christi / Body And Blood Of Christ