Isaiah in the Old Testament writes of the War Lord Yahweh saying, “Here is my servant whom I uphold.” Through this servant, there is the expectation of a coming triumph against enemies, “I, the LORD, have called you for the victory… and he shall divide the spoils with the mighty. “Luke in the Gospel writes, “The people were filled with expectation, and all were asking in their hearts whether John might be the Christ.”
Texts deemed religious, for example the Old Testament, are often redacted literary works. It means that after events have taken place, writings around a theme are combined and altered to compose one coherent work. Humanity’s first writings were about god-kings, violent War LORDS who battled evil enemies. For example, the Pyramid Texts about War Lord Pharaohs (c2500-2400BC), the Babylonian War Lord Hammurabi’s Code (c1800BC), Hinduism’s Rig Veda set in the Kurukshetra War (c1500-300BC), Hesiod’s Theogony on the Greek gods in which war is a focus of the poem (c800BC), and the Old Testament War Lord Messiahs, such as Abraham, Moses, David who offer godly sacrifice and defeat evil enemies (1000-165BC). Included in redacted works of the past are projections for the future, for example Isaiah’s promise of a Messiah War Lord who will be victorious over evil enemies. Centuries later, near the same time monks and nuns are writing about Buddha, Luke is writing about Jesus. Luke’s Gospel, in referencing people’s expectations of a Messiah, is attempting to compose one coherent work. In part, Luke is showing interest in linking Jesus to the Old Testament specifically, and to the known history of the world generally. But Jesus of Nazareth cannot be expected to fit the ancient narratives. Jesus is not a War Lord but will instead challenge War Lords. Jesus will not devise enemies nor be victorious over enemies in warfare. Jesus and other commoners and peacemakers joining him, who directly challenge War Lords by creating communion, are perhaps the first non-War Lords to be written about in human history.
Due to the holiness granted War Lords, we can, unfortunately, expect them and their cohorts to still devise enemies and wage war against them. For example, current War Lords Franklin Graham, Robert Jeffress, Texas governor Greg Abbot, Donald Trump, and their cohorts have blamed natural disasters on people they identify as, correspondingly, enemy lesbians, on Greta Thunberg, on supporters of green energy, and on his political enemies – specifically California Democrats and Black firefighters he claims are to blame for the wildfires currently ravaging that state. War Lords MUST identify evil enemies. That way their cohorts MUST identify the War Lords as godly saviors. It is a basic technique of War Lords. In their militancy War Lords tempt we who are peacemakers to identify them as evil enemies. University of Missouri Professor Karen Piper fell for the temptation, expressing satisfaction that the homes of conservatives were burning down in the California fires. When author Angela Belcamino called upon the professor to “Be Better,” writer Keith Olbermann said, This is the attitude that lost the election… they will not be human. They must be defeated.” Commoners who are peacemakers embody a profoundly significant moment in human history. They embody a power War Lords do not have, a power for communion. Let us not diminish nor ignore the power of our communion in the face of this era’s War Lords. What is the expectation people have for us? Let that expectation be that we are commoners and peacemakers who challenge violent War Lords by creating peaceful communion.
Prayer: Beautiful Spirit, May we make every moment a peaceful moment.
Question: How do I understand peacemaking as a power?
January 12, 2025 Gospel Luke 3:15-22 The Feast of Baptism