The evil within
I have been stuck by two pictures lately. Neither picture is exactly how it appears.
The first comes from a popular book by Carl Jung. He shows a photograph of Adolf Hitler in full rhetorical flourish. The caption under the photo says: ‘This man is going to set all Europe ablaze with his incendiary dreams of world domination.’ That sounds about right. Then in the text, Jung mentions that that is what Hitler said about Winston Churchill. Not exactly what you expected. [1]
The second picture is from Mark’s Gospel, chapter 10. James and John approach Jesus and ask if they can sit with one of them at his right and the other at his left when he enters his kingdom. Jesus explains that those positions are not his to grant; the Father has already made those decisions. Seems reasonable, right? Then, as we continue reading, we understand what this actually signifies. For Mark, Jesus becomes King when he is crucified under the banner ‘King of the Jews.’ On his right and his left, two insurrectionists are crucified as a result of their crimes. It makes sense that James and John had no idea what they were asking for.
These two pictures show us what psychiatrists call ‘projection.’ I can’t face the evil in myself, so I project it onto something or someone else. I accuse them of something that is actually lurking deep within my own heart. This is easy to see in the accusation of Hitler. Historians confirm it was Hitler who had dreamed of world domination and who was setting Europe on fire as a result. But what about James and John?
From their behavior in the gospels, James and John seemed eager for Jesus to embrace his Messianic role and lead a Jewish revolution against the Roman Empire. They depicted their dream as a clear battle of good versus evil, portraying their oppressors as completely wicked and themselves as entirely good and justified in their desire for revolution. But God called Israel to be the light of the world. James and John were determined to bring more darkness by overthrowing a wicked regime through violent revolution. As followers of Jesus, they would have been quite happy to see other nations cursed and subdued, as long as they remained in power, sitting at the right and left hand of true Power.
When Jesus rebukes them, it isn’t for a minor misunderstanding. It is because they have embraced an entirely wrong vision of God and his purposes. Instead of sharing Jesus’ vision and becoming part of the solution, they had become part of the problem. N.T. Wright says they were ‘like firemen who had become arsonists.’[2] Jesus is ushering in a different kind of Kingdom, a different type of power. We like to pretend that we are actually more civilized than James and John, but we prove over and over again that we still operate under their framework. Sometimes it works—James and John had seen that happen in the fairly recent past, and they—along with many, many others— were hoping it would work for them again with Jesus leading the charge.
Jesus had a few options in this passage as he headed toward the cross. His first option was to rally his followers and touch off the revolt. Simple enough. He knew his followers were ready and expectant. The other option was to retreat. He could have left Jerusalem with his disciples, taken them away from trouble. He could have set up a retreat center in a new community in the wilderness and stayed perfectly safe, perfectly pure. If we had any reference to him in the tales of old, it would be as a brilliant philosopher who had good ideas and was motivated by love, leaving wise sayings for others to pursue, but that would be about it. His movement would likely have ended when he did.
Jesus chose neither of these options. Instead, he stayed in Jerusalem and waited for Judas’ arrival. Then he remained silent before his accusers until, when he spoke, it was with words so devastating that it was sure to bring his immediate condemnation.
The world operates on the principle that ‘might makes right.’ In fact, we have picked that up as the Church and seek out ways and leaders that will give us the power that we crave.
But what do we stand for? Are we a community that genuinely loves its neighbor to the point of real sacrifice, making it possible for the crime and poverty around us to be eliminated through our self-sacrificial generosity? Do we give our talents and resources to support the vulnerable among us? Do we dedicate ourselves to those in desperate need, such as single mothers on society's margins, barely holding onto hope? Do we reach out to the homeless in our cities, many of whom struggle to find work or face addictions from which they can't recover? Do we give ourselves for them?
I think I see how we would respond. Whether it is the Moral Majority of the 1980s or the Christian Nationalism of our current day, we seek the power that James and John sought two thousand years ago, before their rabbi went to the cross. We aim to spearhead a revolution that secures our position on both the right and left, paving the way for societal overthrow and control, regardless of the cost. We can call the shots. We decide who's in and who's out. And in the devil’s bargain, we sell our souls. It’s a revolution of darkness with ourselves as the victims.
Jesus offers a better way: Mark 10:42–45 (ESV)
42 And Jesus called them to him and said to them, “You know that those who are considered rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. 43 But it shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, 44 and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. 45 For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
Following Jesus will be costly. You won’t sit in the seat of power; you will, instead, serve. Living as Jesus did, we take the pain of the world upon ourselves. We have the prescription to provide the ointment for our broken world. Luke 9:23–25 (ESV)
23 And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. 24 For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. 25 For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself?”
Followers of Jesus, make sure you are hearing the Savior's voice, not the whispers of the darkness calling you to join the powerful. You can hear the drumbeats of power threatening to unleash the machinery of war on our society, and we must not listen. Instead, we take on the pain of the world and serve the vulnerable, giving what it takes to bring about peace. It may cost us everything, but we follow a rabbi who has done the same for us.
[1] Jung, Carl Gustav (2012). Shamdasani, Sonu (ed.). The Red Book (Liber Novus): A Reader's Edition. Translated by Shamdasani, Sonu; Peck, John; Kyburz, Mark (1st ed.). New York: W. W. Norton & Company.
[2] Wright, N.T. (2014). Following Jesus: Biblical reflections on discipleship. Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans.
Great thoughts based on a great book- it must be so though living in the USA at this time. Africa is calling- at least we know what we are dealing with here!