You always have the poor with you, Jesus says (Jn 12-8), not as a cynical remark but rather as a statement of fact. Poor of spirit, those occupied with the material world, scrambling, gathering, intoxicating, entertaining themselves from sunrise to sunset. Like the people of Plato's Cave Allegory, a public huddled together in a cave (or 'dungeon' from today's reading of Isaiah 42:7) watching life's lights flicker on the cave wall very much like a movie. They are watching, probably whining, grumbling, laughing, along with the film, all oblivious that what they are watching is not real. It is a poor reality, an empty reality, that satisfies them. Buddhism names it the conventional truth, for indeed, the public is 'happy' living their lives in a dark cave before the dancing lights of their reality. Poor in spirit, they do not turn around when called, they do not recognise their situation, nor do they seek their own way out of the cave, up into what Plato describes as a bright, blinding light, the ultimate truth.
We shall always have the poor among us, governments seem to accept. When the western world declares by means of statistical, economic and political policies that anyone without a mobile phone, flat screen tv or car is 'below the poverty line', they create division between people. The Have's and the Have Not's, we are separated and those under the line get stamped as 'poor'. It is a game that creates need and want, greed and isolation. And those who need will sometimes beg, borrow or steal what they lack. As long as we define our lives materialistically, in the cave, in a conventional reality, yes, there will always be poor among us.
Me thinks that is why Christ came to us poor in that conventional reality, poor materialistically. How could God, Creator, King of All walk about barefooted or ride on the back of an ass? The Buddha begged for his food every morning, mediated, lived in extreme poverty by the standards of the day, but lived nobly, rich in spirit. Jesus defines the ultimate reality of God and shows little interest for our materialistic life, a life tied to the flesh and dirt of this world: He recognised our suffering and healed it as best He could, whether feeding thousands, healing wounds or raising a lost loved one from the dead. The rules of this world do not apply to him, indeed, we call all that cannot be explained by the rules of our conventional reality miracles.
Who shall i make my King? Materialism or Poverty? Riches or Simplicity? The Herd or the Way of the Christ? Do we rise to the occasion or do we slide back into our ruts like Judas? Our ideas of existence are being challenged. This week we are all invited to choose our King.
We shall always have the poor among us, governments seem to accept. When the western world declares by means of statistical, economic and political policies that anyone without a mobile phone, flat screen tv or car is 'below the poverty line', they create division between people. The Have's and the Have Not's, we are separated and those under the line get stamped as 'poor'. It is a game that creates need and want, greed and isolation. And those who need will sometimes beg, borrow or steal what they lack. As long as we define our lives materialistically, in the cave, in a conventional reality, yes, there will always be poor among us.
Me thinks that is why Christ came to us poor in that conventional reality, poor materialistically. How could God, Creator, King of All walk about barefooted or ride on the back of an ass? The Buddha begged for his food every morning, mediated, lived in extreme poverty by the standards of the day, but lived nobly, rich in spirit. Jesus defines the ultimate reality of God and shows little interest for our materialistic life, a life tied to the flesh and dirt of this world: He recognised our suffering and healed it as best He could, whether feeding thousands, healing wounds or raising a lost loved one from the dead. The rules of this world do not apply to him, indeed, we call all that cannot be explained by the rules of our conventional reality miracles.
Who shall i make my King? Materialism or Poverty? Riches or Simplicity? The Herd or the Way of the Christ? Do we rise to the occasion or do we slide back into our ruts like Judas? Our ideas of existence are being challenged. This week we are all invited to choose our King.
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