ANNUAL FORTY DAY FAST
for the
TRUTH OF GOSPEL NONVIOLENCE
FAST FOOD: Tenth Helping
Who murdered Jesus?
Those who plotted to kill Jesus and who handed Him over Pilate to finish the job were not just some other guys named Joe. They were the crème de la crème of those who supposedly knew about God and God’s ways. And, they were recognized as such by the locals. They were given and they took the places of honor at banquets and the most important seats in the synagogues. They loved to be call Rabbi, Father and Master in the marketplace, wear long flowing robes, widen their phylacteries and lengthen their tassels.
The equivalent of that nomenclatures for the contemporary crème de la crème in matters of God in the Christian Churches would be Eminence, Excellency, Holiness, Beatitude, Father, Bishop, Reverend, Monsignor and Your Grace. But, this is not just a phenomenon in the religious cultures of Jews and Christians. The professional religious elites in most cultures take on titles and dress that clearly communicate that they are not just some other guys named Joe.
But, this type of naming arises from a type of consciousness; a type of consciousness that says, “I am not just your average Joe. I am above the average Joe.” Now, birds of a feather tend to flock together. So when two or more of these guys that think they are “not just some other Joe” join together, the result is an association that mutually reinforces the consciousness of its members, individually and collectively, that they, indeed, are “not just some other guys named Joe.”
At that point the handwriting is on the wall, “Mene, Mene.”
-ECM
