I’ve been having interesting conversations with my mother. She asked me pointed questions about various political issues recently and knowing she is a Christian I felt these questions were strange. When she asks, “what do you think of the sinners in this country,” I was taken back. I didn’t know what to say. What should I think? Well first of all, what is sin, but the separation between men and God – and this very question came to me in the energy of separation. I’m not judging her, as I equally struggle with my ethics. But it got me thinking about two characters in the Bible: Jesus and Barabbas.
Most of us know the story, Jesus is arrested by the Sanhedrin and put before the Roman governor, Pilot. They want him killed but Pilot thinks he has a way to save the life of Jesus. He offers up Jesus and Barabbas to the crowd and asks, “I can only free one from death, who will it be?” To his surprise, the crowd chooses Barabbas.
Who was Barabbas?
Not much is said about the man Barabbas, but it is known that he was somewhat akin to a freedom fighter of today. He led rebellions against Roman rule, likely seeking to free Jewish people from Roman tyranny.
To me, Barabbas is an example of a someone who takes the fight to the mat of the carnal world. Instead of praying, working on his own nature, allowing the karma of others to play out – he becomes active in change through force. He mobilizes his power to overcome dialectical evil, with the illusion of good.
“…do not fight dialectical even as it creates the illusion of good and strengthens evil,” wise words from someone special. By involving ourselves in the cares of the world we inadvertently become part of the world, sharing in the misery of a dialectical system that can never be repaired.
This was the mistake of Barabbas. He thought that by fighting others he would free himself (and his people), but instead the path leads only to more suffering. We fight for a cause, then there’s another cause. The world is filled with endless fights. Each time we engage these fights, we loose track of the spiritual path in order to commit to conflict. Our wars, strife, protests, they disturb our inner peace and reticence.
This common view of humanity is what drives our back and forth polarities.
Who was Jesus?
By comparison, Jesus was a different than Barabbas in almost every way. The religious zealots of his day sought after a Christ figure who would lead them to a kingdom on earth. Jesus was even asked about this, to which He replied, “…the Kingdom of God is not found here nor there, but the Kingdom of God is within you.”
Notably absent from the messages of Jesus are any political motivations. He never attempted to influence Roman governors or members of office. At the time of Jesus Rome engaged in unjust wars, they slaughtered innocents to the colosseum games, killed children… and at no time did Jesus address this to be resolved in this world.
Instead we are reminded to “store our treasure where rust and moth doesn’t corrupt.” When asked about taxation Jesus simply said, “give to Caesar what is Caesars.”
Jesus embodies the spiritual ideal. While he got involved to help those who came to him, he didn’t try and solve the world’s issues at large. To engage with the world is to become part of it. The life of Jesus was one where he was in the world, but not of the world.
Application
…do not fight dialectical evil as it will only create the illusion of good and further strengthen evil.
If we engage in the world, where will it end?
No matter what you feel is a just cause, if we look far enough we’ll see it’s the tip of an iceberg of human involvement. Tackling these issues has no end. Politics is such an adventure ending in futility.
What forces gain by our ever growing polarization? The forces that enslave the world in the illusion of dialectical nature. Those spiritual forces that are tempting each of us to turn away from the spiritual cause, in favor of the material, utilize violence, fear, desire, lust and other methods to draw us away. We are told to “vote, it’s our duty,” and yet the very act may drive us down the political rabbit hole, never to return.
Therefore let us be focused on the Path of the Spiritual aspirant, seeking to overcome the old nature by transcending it with the coming new man.