For another example of mimetic violence in Scripture Girard turns briefly to the story of Jonah. Jonah is one who does not want to die but, as we know, is swallowed by a whale. Girard goes on to say: The whale, however, would not swallow Jonah if he had not been cast into the sea by the unanimous crew of the ship on which he has embarked. This expulsion is a collective casting out similar to the Passion. The whale is an image of the violent crowd. Does God put together this violence against Job? No. The violence grows within the crew. Something or someone is making the storm take over us. In the ways of mimetic violence that has (once again) been around from the founding murder (Cain and Abel) something must be done. Elimination of the other - the one who we can cast as the reason for our bad luck or bad situation - so that the 'seas will calm.' I find it interesting to see that even Jonah buys this ancient turn toward mimetic violence. As we look at this in comparison to the Passion, we must see that after Jesus execution and burial - where are the crowds? They disburse - the victim has been eliminated and - at least for a while - life can go back to the way it was - until another victim is needed. Collective violence will never stop within the patterns of our lives. This imitating brutality and violence and need for a victim upon whom the world (or our group) can cast stones so as to think we are the good and right ones, is ever-present. It quite impossible to see it happening until it has happen and we have put away another one of 'them' for what we see as the welfare of 'us.' Next week we will look at Satan and Jesus as imitating God - it will be an interesting twist and insight by Girard. Connection: I find it is important to have a voice that keeps speaking up in the middle of the flood to condemn. I know that I too easily go with the flood. I need time to think back to the call to imitate Christ and not the disease of the culture or the group or the mob. This all has so many applications to the Church and so many applications to the politics of the day. As you walk with us, O God, let your Spirit be our guide and our strength so that our lives will hesitate to think of your Reign even as we are beginning to follow the reigning power of the day. Amen. |
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