Dependence Day, sweet Jesus

 Dependence Day 

“They have hoisted him onto the judge’s bench.” This is Jean-Baptiste Clamence in Camus’ The Fall on what the Church has done to Jesus, beginning with Simon, Paul, and Patmos John – the first of hoisting “they,” but hardly the last. Don’t we join them every Sunday: “from thence [the right hand of the Father] he shall come to judge the quick and the dead,” solemnly elevating the one that said, “Judge not,” to be Judge of All. And we join Peter in our certainty that we know what Messiah means better than Jesus did.* For him it seems to have been enough to be anointed to proclaim the good news to the poor, release to the captives, sight to the blind, hearing to the deaf, legs to the lame, new skin to the leprous, and parables to confuse the Pharisees, the Scribes, and Smug Pomposipots through the ages (Paul, Patmos John, Aquinas Tom, Geneva John and their ilk . . . but oh, schist, “their ilk,” including us when we stand up and parrot the Creed).

     And Jesus tries to smile and weeps.

_____________

* You know the story, how in response to Jesus’ question, “Who am I? What do you think,” the disciple Simon answered, “You are the Christ, the Messiah, the Anointed.” And Jesus agreed and said, “Simon, I’m going to call you Peter (meaning Rock), and I will lay you as the cornerstone for the ones that come after to follow me.” Then, you remember how, when Jesus said next, “Let’s go to Jerusalem. There’s stuff we have to do there,” Peter said, “Hey, wait a minute! You’ve got it all wrong.” And Jesus thought, “I’ve got to figure out a way to take that back. This bonebrain doesn’t have a clue; he’s going to screw up everything.”

     But he never did take it back. And followers of Peter invented the Trinity and made “Christ” mean “the second person” and hoisted the one that said, “Judge not,” onto the judge’s bench.

bicbw
07.04.16