+Z’ev

Today’s assigned readings:

AM Numbers 21:4-9, John 3:11-17
PM Genesis 3:1-15, 1 Peter 3:17-22

The man said, “The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit from the tree, and I ate.” Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this that you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent tricked me, and I ate.”
Genesis 3:12-13

I wrote yesterday about SNAFU and FUBAR. And I closed noting that today “is the feast of the Holy Cross. Where all this truckin’ eventually leads. A Major SNAFU out of which a universal good.”

I believe that. I’m not sure if the death of the Messiah was planned. I’m not sure the fall of man was planned. I know that - like Adam and Eve in the story - we can point all around and try and draw patterns. My favourite pattern is that of the serpent - the tattoo on my arm. In Genesis he’s the Bad Guy. In Exodus, God sends serpents - and then sends the cure in the form of a serpent. In the Gospel Jesus compares himself to the Serpent. What a symbolic evolution!

Ultimately we’re left to our own life and how we choose to follow God in the way of Jesus.

What I do know, and believe with all my heart, is that Jesus’ way of following God was one of self-release. He didn’t ask for his own way or his own rights, nor, in the darkest part, did other’s defend him. But his reward for walking to the end - even with his doubts - was the glorification of all that we think of as bad: sacrifice, death, abandonment, abuse, torture.

We’re not commanded to follow our life in masochism. Let me be clear. I’m certain the gospel calls us all to be Jesus, but it doesn’t say we ever make it nor should we presume to. And were the life of Christ to be lived today, face it, the USA would be Rome and someplace in a prison in Cuba, Iraq or secreted into Europe by the CIA, we’d find the Messiah.

And most of us wouldn’t ever know.

The Feast of the Holy Cross is not a reminder that torture is beautiful. It is a reminder that when we - humans - do our damnedest God’s beauty and love will shine through.

What we are given is not a template to repeat but a roadmap to follow. As Peter points out, it is Baptism that is our death - not a cross for each of us. I don’t think God gets any glory out of a wife submitting to abuse by her husband. I don’t think God gets any glory when gays submit to African Hierarchs who thinks they should be punished and killed. But there is a way of Christ like humility that will lead to the salvation of all concerned. The cross shows us that.

I don’t think Jesus planned to die. But given the way humans are, maybe it was inevitable. I don’t think anyone should be punished for simply showing more love, but maybe it is inevitable. We live in a world where it seems like even the kindest of us feel we deserve more. Generosity easily becomes codependence and charity easily falls to pride. SNAFU, yes. But that doesn’t mean we are to avoid charity or generosity. Jesus gave and gave and gave all he had until - not giving what they wanted - they took the last thing he had: life. But life can not be taken from the source of life. Death can not take the deathless one - not without eternity itself being shattered.

And so the cross, the electric chair, the Abu Ghraib of the day, becomes the tree of life.

Today is the feast day of the Order of the Holy Cross, an order of monks with whom I’ve had varying degrees of contact since I was in High School. When I, long ago, joined their “Confraternity of the Christian Life” (in 1982) I was told to pray for them on this day. Please, pray for them as well.

Much love,

Huw