In the Bible, as in every age, we find both flashes of rabid spirituality and the mud of religious judgementalism. Jesus was 100% spirituality; the disciples didn’t get it but the mud understood the threat. The mud slingers were in attack mode. Jesus had many choice words for these folk. Is it any wonder that post resurrection, the mud was mixed with the New Testament writers accounts of Jesus talk? Which is it, Jesus or the mud?
The textual
criticism of the last 100 years is way above my pay grade, however, could the
efforts of these biblical scholars have been an attempt to separate the mud
from the spirituality? Let’s hope so but
their success or lack of it has not proven to be beneficial to the people, the
regular folk like you and me without the intellectual and language backgrounds. The problem, again, was the focus on the
minutia of scripture avoiding the broad and obvious conflict between people of
the spirit and the ever present mud slingers (Sadducees and Pharisees).
Religious
judgementalism survives and thrives on threats. What does it matter who is right, correct or
in sync with the authorities? It’s kind
of like the evil of war killing.
Considering who and where we are, we will always have enemies to
kill. What would Jesus have said about
that certainty?
G. Goslaw
Landers, CA
