Friday, March 24, 2006
Lenten Reading for Friday, Third Week in Lent
Today's Reading is taken from the Gospel of Luke, Chapter 23, verses 2 and 3:
The mystical interpretation of this is clear. The divine isn't interested in "converting" us to His way of thinking. In fact, his way isn't thinking at all. Like the parable of the prodigal son, we see God letting us wander and spend our lives frivolusly. He even alows us to deny him if we choose. In the end, though, he is always willing to take us back. Even hanging on the cross, Jesus asks God to forgive those who torment him, saying "They know not what they do."
They brought charges against him, saying, "We found this man misleading our people; he opposes the payment of taxes to Caesar and maintains that he is the Christ, a King." Pilate asked him, "Are you the king of the Jews?" He said to him in reply, "You say so."I envision this scene as an almost Shakesperian tragedy. Here are these Spiritual leaders of the Jewish community, lying to the Roman athorites because they know Jesus hasn't broken any Roman laws and they cannot legally kill him for the Religious laws they believe he has violated. So, they make shit up. I sense a certain "sick of it all" vibration to Jesus' voice when Pilate presents the accusations to him. Jesus' phrase seems like "Whatever you say dude... Whatever you say." He knows it doesn't matter what he says, that he has very little chance of survival (God has told him already that he will die), so he just allows the major players to beleive whatever they have to in order to feel justified.
The mystical interpretation of this is clear. The divine isn't interested in "converting" us to His way of thinking. In fact, his way isn't thinking at all. Like the parable of the prodigal son, we see God letting us wander and spend our lives frivolusly. He even alows us to deny him if we choose. In the end, though, he is always willing to take us back. Even hanging on the cross, Jesus asks God to forgive those who torment him, saying "They know not what they do."
