A Scapegoat

Many years ago, I spent a Christmas in western
Europe. Overall, I enjoyed my time there. I
was able to travel and see alot of different
places. Even as a teenager, it was an
experience that I remember as a contrast to
what I was familiar with in the U.S. By that
time, the seventies, Europe was an almost
completely secular society. Coming from a small
midwestern town, it was a sharp contrast in
many ways. Of course, being a teenager, I
didn't think much about it, just thought that
they do things differently over here.


That's been a few years ago. Now, I see that
the same social process is in progress here. I
see it as a downward slide. We are seeing all
the negative aspects of secularization and not
gaining any benefits. The most striking
contrast then was the low crime rates that were
the norm in the area of Europe that I lived.
I'm not sure what the statistics are today. I
know that Europe has strict firearms
regulations. But that does not explain the
reason that there was a generally less
aggressive and more self controlled populace.
When I consider the situation that the U.S. is
in today, I believe that one of the most
significant factors is that there is a loss of
self control. You see evidence of that in the
excessive amounts of debt and crime. Both as a
result, at least in part, of a lack of self
control. So, it makes me want to know what the
primary influence is that controls our
population.


In the past, the influence of christian religion
in the U.S. was pervasive. For all its flaws,
it was proven to be effective as a force of
internal control. The danger is that, once the
sense of internal control is lost, then the need
arises for external (government) regulation. I
don't know what you might think about government
institutions in this country, but I am left with
an overall sense of comedy. Sure, things get
done, eventually. Too often it turns out that
anything done by government regulation, is too
little, too late and leaning in the wrong
direction. To learn to rely on
guidance of government institutions is a big
mistake. But just as the church was once the
leading influence, it is now becoming the
institutions of government and maybe that is
why our leaders act more and more like a
preistly class. They feel they are above the
law. Because the population has gone the way
of substitution of internal religious self
regulation for the way of external government
regulation. I think some like it that way.
But notice that there is coming the direct
confrontation of the church and the state, over
the influence of power. It's not about a
benevolent influence, it's about power.


I think, if you look at the Gospels, you will
find that Jesus had no argument with the Roman
government. And they were not the nicest
people. But his argument was with the religious
authorities that oppressed the people and were
more of a hindrance than a help to those who
had a desire to worship the G-d of Abraham.
Here's one passage:


Mt 22:15 Then the Pharisees went and had a
meeting to see how they might make use of his
words to take him.


16 And they sent to him their disciples, with
the Herodians, saying, Master, we see that you
are true, and that you are teaching the true way
of G-d, and have no fear of anyone, because you
have no respect for a man's position.


17 Give us, then, your opinion of this: Is it
right to give tax to Caesar, or not?


18 But Jesus saw their trick and said, Oh false
ones, why are you attempting to put me in the
wrong?


19 Let me see the tax money. And they gave him a
penny.


20 And he said to them, Whose is this image and
name on it?


21 They say to him, Caesar's. Then he said to
them, Give to Caesar the things which are
Caesar's, and to G-d the things which are G-d's.


22 And hearing it, they were full of wonder, and
went away from him.


It's curious how, the more things change, the
more they remain the same.


As far as the power and authority thing, Jesus
had many confrontations with the religious
leaders of his day.

==========================================
Mt 7:29 for he was teaching as one having
authority, and not as their scribes.
==========================================

Mt 21:23 And when he had come into the Temple,
the chief priests and those in authority over
the people came to him while he was teaching,
and said, By what authority do you do these
things? and who gave you this authority?


24 And Jesus said to them in answer, I will put
one question to you, and if you give me the
answer, I will say by what authority I do these
things.


25 The baptism of John, where did it come from?
from heaven or from men? And they were reasoning
among themselves, saying, If we say, From
heaven; he will say to us, Why then did you not
have faith in him?


26 But if we say, From men; we are in fear of
the people, because all take John to be a
prophet.


27 And they made answer and said, We have no
idea. Then he said to them, And I will not say
to you by what authority I do these things.


Here's another passage that illustrates the
interplay of power surrounding the crucifixtion
of Christ. It's interesting to me that all the
powers that be are playing their hand so as to
corner the other. In other words, they want to
have their dirty deed done, but at the hand of
the other party. Ah! The need to appear
innocent. Yet, the lust for power is writ large
between the lines.


As a disclaimer, I am no scholar, but in reading
about the history, I see that in Jerusalem at
the time there was a fairly unstable political
situation. The authentic preisthood was in
exile, and replaced by the insecure, powerhungry
imposters that Jesus was so totally unimpressed
with. The Roman government was in the middle
of the storm, trying to administer the further
reached of their empire. The Roman governor was
always in a position of political peril. There
were no elections. Anyone could be replaced at
any time at the disgression of their superior.
The insecurities of the situation loom large in
the passage.


You have to recognize here, that Jesus is THE
original scapegoat.


John 19:6 So when the chief priests and the
police saw him they gave a loud cry, To the
cross! to the cross! Pilate said to them, Take
him yourselves and put him on the cross: I see
no crime in him.


7 And the Jews made answer, We have a law, and
by that law it is right for him to be put to
death because he said he was the Son of G-d.


8 When this saying came to Pilate's ears his
fear became greater;


9 And he went again into the Praetorium and said
to Jesus, Where do you come from? But Jesus gave
him no answer.


10 Then Pilate said to him, You say nothing to
me? is it not clear to you that I have power to
let you go free and power to put you to death on
the cross?


11 Jesus gave this answer: You would have no
power at all over me if it was not given to you
by G-d; so that he who gave me up to you has the
greater sin.


12 Hearing this, Pilate had a desire to let him
go free, but the Jews said in a loud voice, If
you let this man go, you are not Caesar's
friend: everyone who makes himself a king goes
against Caesar.


13 So when these words came to Pilate's ear, he
took Jesus out, seating himself in the judge's
seat in a place named in Hebrew, Gabbatha, or
the Stone Floor.


14 (It was the day when they made ready for the
Passover; and it was about the sixth hour.) And
he said to the Jews, There is your King!


So, what is the scapegoat? Let's look at the
passage from Leviticus.


Lev 16:5 And he shall take of the congregation
of the children of Israel two kids of the goats
for a sin offering, and one ram for a burnt
offering.


6 And Aaron shall offer his bullock of the sin
offering, which is for himself, and make an
atonement for himself, and for his house.


7 And he shall take the two goats, and present
them before the LORD at the door of the
tabernacle of the congregation.


8 And Aaron shall cast lots upon the two goats;
one lot for the LORD, and the other lot for the
scapegoat.


9 And Aaron shall bring the goat upon which the
LORD'S lot fell, and offer him for a sin
offering.


10 But the goat, on which the lot fell to be the
scapegoat, shall be presented alive before the
LORD, to make an atonement with him, and to let
him go for a scapegoat into the wilderness.


These days, I believe, the one known as the
'scapegoat' is the one who catches blame for
other's. In the passage above, you see that the
scapegoat is refered to as the one released.
In any case, this is what we see played out as
Jesus and Barabbus stand before the crowd.


The Jesus Bus halts here for today. More
tomorrow. Oh, yeah. The idea I'm looking at
today is just to notice that there is a power
struggle going on over the whole direction
of our society. It's lots of smoke and mirrors
to make it look like sombody else is to blame.
You have to blame somebody!


Some things never change. Jesus is the same,
yesterday, today and forever. I'll stay on the
Jesus Bus, thank you.