I take a few days out of town and forget about my daily routine - sorry. Here is more on this notion of sin and murder and the hook that gets us all.
What we have then in chapter 9 (of John's gospel - remember the story of the blind man) alone is a worldview of the sin of the world and the way Jesus comes to remove that sin, on his way subverting the understanding of sin completely. When this worldview is linked to other Johannine passages, we begin to get something close to what one might call a theology of original sin. In the first place consider the passage already alluded to in chapter 8 (of John's gospel), where Jesus discusses with the Jews who had believed in him their paternity and his. This passage is the Johannine equivalent of the woes to the scribes and Pharisees which appear in Matthew and Luke, where the ultimate criterion is the same: participation or not in a religion based on murder. Matthew and Luke specifically indicate that the history of murder of which this generation is accomplice goes back to Cain. When John refers to 'your father the devil (who) was a murderer from the beginning' this is also a reference back to the primordial murder which Genesis places at the beginning of human culture. Related to this primordial murder is a culture of lies, lies related to murder, as well as a blindness that cannot see the truth.
I will add a bit more to this tomorrow. As for today, I grow more and more concerned about the way we so easily go about murder and threaten murder. Even in the NYT yesterday, there was the rattling of 'guns' from the Israeli Prime Minister over Iran and its nuclear program. Our President is being pushed into saying yes to murder - war - attack. Yes, the whole middle east is in a threatening mess and Israel is in the midst of hostile neighbors, but both Obama and SOS Clinton seem to be able to avoid falling into the trap of saying we will kill those bastards. Rather, I'm hearing some quite mature thinking that is attempting to evolve into acts of non-violence: conversation and mutual trust building. I know that sounds naive but we are people meant to break that cycle of death and threat by simply saying no and putting our own lives on the line - whatever that may mean for each of us. It is worth reading Matthew 23 and hearing the way Jesus goes after the 'system' of religious life as that which is a violent disruption of the shalom of God and yet it is all done within the language and ritual of religious actions and teachings. How do we become non-violent?
Connection: It is already too difficult for me to be non-violent in my thoughts and words. There is always a need to find balance. How am I helping the situation? When is my bitching and griping adding to the murderous atmosphere of the world around me? What are just acts to take up - what are more like revenge and anger? Is the final evaluator one that asks - what is the harm done here - or - who is being sacrificed - or - who is now being the scapegoat?
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