picture originally uploaded by alamosbasemen

I’m reading Matthew 2 about the account of the wise men visiting the newborn Jesus. Sandwiched between this beautiful story of worshipping the newborn king and Joseph moving the family in response to angelic dreams, we have a story of bitter reality: the slaughter of innocent children. In fear and anger, Herod orders the killing of boys in a certain region.

The tragic tale awakens the reader to the harsh existence that has and continues to be the reality for so many people on this planet. As I think about it, I am confronted with questions about the nature of sacrifice (and human sacrifice in particular).

Why does Herod kill the children? Beyond his anger, he fears the prophecies and people who will rally around the prophecies about a king returning from the House of David. His actions are consistent with the actions of many kings acting to preserve power. Both in Scripture and in history, we see many stories of kings killing rivals and potential rivals–no matter how young.

So this is about power. Preserving power. What is the power for? In Herod’s case, it is power over people. Power to rule. Power to create the future (for better or worse and usually worse). If I look at stories of sacrifice in the Old Testament, I see sacrifices to idols connected with baal. If I understand this right (and I’m open to correction), baal is a generic divine name connected to the land. Baal “worship” is about power in the land, and primarily connected with agricultural cycles.

The people seek power from the gods of the earth for good crops, regular rains, and the proper rhythms that will yield sustainable harvests for the people. This is power for survival, which is still connected to power for the future. The focus upon generations (your children and your children’s children) in the Old Testament is about the future.

If I think in terms of Eugen Rosenstock-Huessy’s cross of reality, power would not be about the future only but it would move in four directions: future and past (time), inner space and outer space (time). The power to move in any of the four directions comes from sacrifice.

The issue of power is not relegated to the past. We still need power. We still fight wars (both in words and actions) over power.

If I look at the Bible in terms of power, I see two very different rhythms: God giving power and man taking power. Or “power as gift” and “power as forbidden fruit.” The first image is expressed in Genesis 1. God gives power generously to humans. There are three realms of existence that God gives power to man in Genesis 1: above the earth (skies or heavens), on the earth (land), and below the earth (seas). Eventually, man is promised power over the stars and moon as well. This power is gift and it is given in the context of relationship with God and man and woman.

But then I see the story of the Garden of Eden in Genesis 3. In this story, man and woman face a serpent who tempts them to take fruit that is not given to them. This is not about gift. It is about a perceived lack of power in man and woman. This perceived lack of power creates a perceived sense of scarcity. Man and woman take power that is not given, and God sacrifices an animal to cover them with skins.

These two visions of power move through all the stories in Scripture. In one vision, power is gift from God. There is no lack. There is abundance, promise, provision. In the other vision, power is not something given, but something taken. It requires violence. And it usually involves some form of human sacrifice.

Jesus comes into the world of scarcity, into the world of taking power. And he gives power. He gives it so completely that He reverses the rhythm of power by becoming the sacrifice that gives us power to move in four directions (per ERH): backward and forward (time) and inner and outer (space). And the ultimate promise is unveiled more fully in the NT of a power over stars and moon (i.e. – we will judge angels).

With an abundance of power restored in the cross, we can freely give away power (per Philippians 2). In other words, we can repeat the sacrifice. We are free to give away everything, including our lives to create the future, preserve the past, renew the soul (inner space) and/or rebuild the world.

Now this is why I don’t blog more. I intended to write two paragraphs! But as my mind wonders along an idea, I can’t stop. So I’ll force myself to stop here because I want to make a few notes about some other things.

Popularity: 5% [?]