“The rulers sneered at Jesus and said, “He saved others, let him save himself if he is a king.” “The soldiers too jeered at Jesus” on the cross. “Now one of the two criminals hanging there reviled Jesus, saying, ‘Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us.’”
The earthly kings and their soldiers are in the process of murdering Jesus on the cross. They know that killing him is saving them annoyance and significant challenge. They know as does the one criminal know that Jesus’ suffering and dying on the cross is not saving anyone from any sins. History’s Biggest Lie, of Jesus suffering and dying on the cross to save us from our sins, is a very Old Lie. It starts in the Old Testament with Sin-Redemption theologians. Ruling theologians tell all those whom they make suffer that their suffering is redemptive, saving. This theology is restarted by Paul in the New Testament. All Sin-Redemptive theologians assert ‘God’ is angered by sinners and requires a blood sacrifice, such as suffering and dying on a cross, to be appeased. Like the Old cohort, Paul and his New cohort assert the rulers and soldiers are doing the will of this angry deity when they murder Jesus on the cross. Rulers and soldiers have invented a quite convenient deity and a quite convenient 2nd Amendment theology. Their deity acts just like them, righteously so with his weapon of choice theologized as holy when it inflicts suffering and thus provides salvation. Believing Jesus suffered and died on the cross to save us from our sins does not show belief in Jesus. It shows belief in the rulers and soldiers who murder people like Jesus and invent a theology to sanctify doing so. It seems impossible to believe that anyone still believes in such a deity and such a theology. Sadly, many millions of people still do. It is possible to reconsider the belief that Jesus suffered and died on the cross to save us from our sins. It is possible to consider that Jesus suffered and died on the cross because rulers and their soldiers, whose sin it is to make people suffer and die, murdered him. These sinner rulers and soldiers then projected their guilt onto all humanity. They have coerced us to maintain their Big Lie as a religion ever since with its deadly cult, creed, and code. These murderers rule over a cult of worship, casting themselves as representatives of a murderous deity who demands people be obedient subordinates. They invent a creed of justified suffering inflicted upon subordinates. These killers then institutionalize a code of their violence as salvific, thus coercing every person into practicing sacrifice. The Big Lie coerces us to be saved by our obedience, suffering, and sacrifice to and for the ruling killer class. We are thus diverted from witnessing Jesus’ challenging life. He rejected obedience, loved those made to suffer, and healed those made to violently sacrifice their lives – and was murdered by the ruling killer class for doing so. Jesus replaces their rule, suffering, and violence with our communion, love, and healing. Jesus’ life and our own is the ultimate radical challenge that brings the religion of killer rulers and soldiers to an end. We are called to co-create a spirituality of equals, lovers, and healers.
“You must learn one thing. The world was made to be free in. Give up all the other worlds except the one to which you belong. Sometimes it takes darkness and the sweet confinement of your aloneness to learn anything or anyone that does not bring you alive is too small for you.” (David Whyte)
Prayer: Beautiful Spirit, in you we are free
Question: When will we be free of the religion of Militarism that rules us, abuses us and kills us?
November 20, 2022 Gospel Luke 23:35-43 Feast of Christ the King