Girard like to return to the biblical image of 'Satan expelling Satan.' Today's piece shows a bit of his thought on this image.
Satan of the gospels is a self-organizing system (the principle of order and disorder are one and the same - as soon as disorder reaches a certain threshold in these systems - the forces of disruption turn into a force for reintegration and reordering).
How can Satan expel Satan emphasizes the connection between order and disorder as the same thing. Both the disorder and order of human culture are from the same source which is not directly divine, and this, is unique to the Gospels.
So - Satan represents a source of transcendence. This transcendence is false in the sense that it is not really supernatural but is real in the sense that the power of political and social institutions rooted in pagan religion is quite real.
THE GOSPELS CALL IT: The powers of this world - celestial powers - thrones - dominations - principalities - rulers of this world - angels - and - Satan.
They are always united in their decision to crucify Jesus.
We can see that as the world is in the midst of order or disorder, things are basically the same. There is no healing of the world - there is no liberation of the oppressed - there is no uplifting of the poor - there is no peace - there is no honor and respect for all people. Instead, the order or the disorder gives us war and its many faces and its many demons. No wonder the Gospels have so many ways to refer to the power of Satan. The false rule that says we must sacrifice someone or something in order to bring things back into some kind of order is a rule based on a lie that comes from the Father of Lies. Just listen to the conversations and work that is going on in Washington these days - it is the same old way of keeping the world divided and making it more and more important to keep things as is. How does that differ from some more obviously brutal regimes that seek to bring order but really nothing new comes under the sun.
Connection: This is a time of the year when we read some wonder-filled pieces of Scripture. The words of the prophets are amazing. They point to a new 'order' - but it will be one that comes about through a new character. That character that stands up to the principalities and power and the Father of Lies is the character of unbounded love, truthfulness, and light. The followers of Jesus see those character traits in Jesus - born to Mary and raised by Mary and Joseph within the realm of all that is ordinary about us. That character is one that will be rejected and yet it is raised up so that all will see the power that disassembles the order of Satan and the disorder that becomes a tool of Satan's demand for a life that knows not the peaceable Reign of God we see in Jesus and we are called to enter by the power of the Holy Spirit.
As you walk with us, O God, help us to see the grand Liar among us and grant us the wisdom to listen to the Paraclete that will pull us into the life of the New Being available through God's Christ, Jesus. Amen.
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