“As Jesus was making his way out of the temple area, one of his disciples said, Look, teacher, what stones and what buildings. Jesus responded, ‘Do you see these great buildings? There will not be one stone left upon another that will not be thrown down.’” Jesus talks of the tribulation of those days and then says, “And then they will see ‘the Son of Man coming in the clouds’ with great power and glory.” “Learn a lesson from the fig tree. When its branch becomes tender and sprouts leaves, you know that summer is near. In the same way, when you see these things happening, know that he is near, at the gates. Amen, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things have taken place.”
We might be tempted to think that in Jesus’ words about the temple, he is advocating for the deconstruction of the administrative state. Steve Bannon and his cohort take great pride in calling themselves Christian, Christ-like. But they are not. For one thing they miss the context of Jesus’ words, his Resurrection. It is the coming of the “Son Man” which Jesus assures his listeners, “this generation will not pass away until all these things have taken place.” Resurrections become routine when living in the Community of God. It is a sign of the change we can experience from the routine tribulations forced upon us by empire. Caesars come and Caesars go. Caesar Right is succeeded by Caesar Left who is succeeded by Caesar Right again. Every once and a while, Caesar Nero takes the throne. He is a sociopath with a cohort of sociopaths who will burn it all down. There is no dismantling of the administrative state that is happening, nor its deconstruction. What is happening is not about departments or agencies or even regulations. What is happening is about community. Community is what the sociopaths are burning down. Sociopaths struggle to care about others. Sociopaths have been so deprived of and/or are so rejecting of healthy relationships they are diminished of the ability to relate in community. They can only relate in domination. In whatever way individuals, groups of like-minded people, or sub-cultures join together for communal compassion and well-being, sociopaths must burn it down. It is why they are eternally angry, even when their Caesar Nero is on the throne. They can never oppress enough, persecute enough, terrorize enough, destroy enough, violate enough. As the system of Caesar has been even slightly reformed, made even slightly of benefit to the common person, the sociopath burns it down. Reform, so as to negate transformation, has been the job of conservatism’s liberal enclave. Hence the targeting of the Democratic Party. Hence the targeting of the administrative state: education, the environment, health, housing, and more. These sociopaths claim the identity of the working class, more so of the working man – but as an unhealthy stereotype. It is the man who perceives himself as the sole breadwinner, the lone laborer, the singular hero upon whom the rest of us can depend because he is saving us from hunger and poverty. That identity too is challenged if not threatened by community. Communities have little need for saviors, more need for neighbors who, if needed, can take turns being depended upon. The man who has been conforming to the working man stereotype has been conforming to Ceasar. He sees himself in Caesar, who sees himself as the lone laborer, the singular hero upon whom the rest of us must depend. It is the one same man, the one same identity. He will burn down anything he perceives as free of his dictates: women, media, artists, and the like. Caesar Nero and his cohort will be burning down anything that unites us as a community. They will be without care for those they harm as they fashion themselves still as the singular hero who is saving us from some fearsome enemy. Thus, as members of communities we will save ourselves from the vaunted warrior who is saving us from education, a clean environment, health care, and housing.
We who follow Jesus’ Way are called to learn a lesson from the fig tree. As its branches are tender so we can be tender with the lone hero who fashions himself our savior. We can invite him into community. We can be a sign of life amidst those who, knowingly or unknowingly, are destroying community. The fig tree sprouts its leaves revealing to us a sign of new birth; Resurrections await.
Prayer: Jesus, empower us for the Community of God.
Question: How am I encouraged to be and how am I encouraging others to be a sign of life, an invitation to Resurrection in this era of tribulation?
November 17, 2024 Gospel Mark 13:24-32 Thirty Third Sunday in Ordinary Time