NOT I

“The Child is to cause the falling and the rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, so that the hearts of many will be revealed.”  -Simeon, in the Temple, Lk 2:34

“ ‘I’m as good as you!’ “—the exclamation of us all, as revealed by C.S. Lewis in his book, The Abolition of Man.

 

If the Sanhedrin could have called out to Simeon in reply, it might have gone like this, albeit in more erudite terms:

“What you need this kid for? Looka all you got, here! You gotta nice Temple! Herod, he be good to us! Nice Romans, too. What more you need?  Good roads, aqueducts, low crime rate, and great specimens of human race, namely us, to give you friendly advice and plenty rules so you don’t got to think of anything. We tell what to do, huh?  Alla time, any time.  So no worries, with us on your side. Besides, we such great guys, who else you need?  You gotta problem with that?”

Messiah, Shmessiah! That be big fairy tale.  Everything you need, you got, right here. Besides, this all there be! You needa good lawyer?  We got lots, and reasonable prices too!  You wanna do good, fine, just follow directions onna box…”

Jesus is more and more seen as the Biggest Insult to Homo Sapiente ever.  “I think my good deeds outweigh my bad ones,” and then we refuse to admit that anything could be good or bad, right or wrong, true or false.  (But we do seem to sense that our nay-bores are “lying” about us!!!)

However, it turns out that the “res humana” needs help more than any other being on the planet; that he alone is prone to massive self-deception; which sets up self-annihilation;  he even wishes for it! (“Thanatos “)

 Think of it! Most people do not care about heaven and won’t even think about hell; we can’t see how anyone would be held that responsible for “every careless word.”  So as O’Connor said, we breathe nihilism and the majority aim at and religiously hope for complete self-annihilation, or at best “Nirvana” ie Nonbeing; in order to escape God and His Purity, Wisdom, and His Provision for entering at His Sheepgate.

But Messiah has come-so when He returns for His Harvest from the seeds he planted 2000 years ago, will he find a crop?  Or just crumbs?  And yes, all of human history proves that, left to ourselves, we will ruin or pervert everything good gift that we receive;  and attack the very ground that holds us up.  So this is "good enough?"

I don’t know about thee; but I would not ever claim to be, “As good as you,” much less as good as Jesus.  I don’t even technically know enough to ever support that claim. I don’t know you the way God knows you, nor does anyone else. And since we are too subjective to know right from wrong or even know  when we are really being wronged, it will never ever be up to us to uproot the weeds from the wheat. God knows what He wants; He wants His Son; and for us to be more like Him than anyone else.

The hearts of us all ARE being revealed. RUR?