Jesus’ many healings upset rulers, especially his exorcisms; the driving out of a demonic or divisive force. The rulers are upset because, in truth, Jesus is driving them out; their rule too is a demonic and divisive force. Rulers would drive us mad with their demonic divisiveness of priests over laity, bosses over workers, whites over blacks, men over women; the military over everybody. Rulers act as gods, false gods. Sunday’s first reading provides insight on the demonic or divisive rule of false gods. It uses a snake to do so. The demonic snake’s temptation to humanity is to “be like gods” – meaning false gods, supremacist rulers who divide by judging between those who are good and those who are evil (Gen 3:5). The first division they cause is to their own humanity – their finite, good humanity. (“I was naked, so I hid myself.” Gen 3:10) When we rule, we hide from our good though naked vulnerability in the robes of the ruling class. We become false gods divisively ruling over lesser others and judging them evil. It is the divisive judgment rulers made against Jesus saying, “It is by the prince of demons Jesus drives out demons.” Jesus refutes the rulers’ projection and accurately states of them, “a kingdom divided cannot stand.” Jesus is describing the divided kingdom of rulers.
The nature of rulers and their kingdoms to be divisive is evident in the U.S. Kingdom. It is a kingdom divided. From its founding, its supremacists have practiced divisive rule over those they judge evil (natives, Blacks, women, immigrants). Its white evangelical supremacists are currently projecting their divisive rule over Muslims. Muslims are judged evil, terrorists. It is a projection because it is white evangelicals who comprise close to 50% of the U.S. military currently terrorizing Muslims and others in the Middle East. Divisive supremacists on the home front include rulers over workers. rulers are judging workers as evil, greedy for needing a living wage. Again, in truth, it is rulers who are greedy for extra plunder and they steal workers’ living wage as well their social security and pensions. divisive supremacists include whites who judge people of color evil for being lazy. Again, in truth it is people of color who have worked hard for community in a nation that enslaves and discriminates against them. Divisive supremacists judge women as evil in yet another projection claiming women are angry retaliators for their ‘Me Too’ movement. All the while men, who comprise 49% of the population yet commit 85% of the violent crime and 99% of mass shootings, are not judged evil or angry. Rulers act as divisive supremacists and wage civil war by design. Sometimes they do so in a stealth manner that diminishes blowback. Not so of late; the judgment, divisiveness, and projection are worsening. In the last decade, especially the last year, divisive supremacists, with guns in hand, have been more direct in promoting civil war. For example, The Black Robe Regiment incites warrior preachers to “enter the fight for liberty and truth … “There is a time to preach and a time to pray. But there is also a time to fight, and that time has now come! God give us patriot preachers to lead the way” (2010-2018). Jim Bakker, televangelist, with various guests including Prof. William Forstchen, speaks regularly about “civil war” (2017-2018). Kurt Schlichter, military veteran and writer at Townhall, believes, without proof, that “Obama supporters want to impose their brown shirt vision upon red America.” Yet it is Shlichter who strategizes how red areas will be victorious in a “civil war” since “red is where the food is grown (and) transported’ (and) filled with (“Normal Americans”) with small arms (and) military training” (2018). Military veteran Erik Prince “support(s) vigorously whoever commits to reduce the size of government,” including the ‘Deep State’ but at the same time he is expanding his own private army. Formerly Blackwater now Frontier Services Group, Prince has offered it to Trump whom he vigorously supports. Like Adam in the garden these rulers are divided from themselves, at civil war with themselves. They have given in to the snake’s temptation to “be like gods,” false gods. They are certainly not healers as was Jesus.
We need not be driven mad by rulers, nor driven into their mad civil wars. We can be sane, unifying people by acting as healers. In every exorcism Jesus performed he healed people by reaching beyond the divisions they projected and into the possessed person’s soul. He touched the human being who lived beneath all the false god robes. Peacemakers cannot disengage from divisive rulers, whether on Facebook, next door, at work, or in the family. We keep engaging from the human being we are and we keep engaging with the human being rulers are.
Prayer: Healing Spirit, we are united.
Question: What ideas and actions do I undertake to transition from a culture of divisive rulers to one of conscientious communion?
June 10, 2018 Gospel Mark 3:20-35 Tenth Sunday in Ordinary Time