A Georgia Holy Week with conflicting messages but one resolution

This is a busy week for the Georgia General Assembly. Though officially there are only two business days in the 40-day calendar plus one day for committee work, legislators will dot the I’s and cross the t’s on a large volume of bills.

The backdrop of this busy week is that of Holy Week. It’s the week spanning Jesus’ arrival in Jerusalem to the overwhelming cheer of the crowds. By mid-week, the ruling class had found a traitor among his closest allies. By Friday one who entered as a potential new leader had been put to death. By Sunday, the borrowed tomb was empty again.

A lot of consequential things can happen in one week. A lot of noise and misdirection can surround the consequential at the same time.

The contrasting events when this week overlap with the actions of the Georgia General Assembly, often have my thoughts pulled in opposite directions. It’s often the thoughts of the prior week and the expectations of the coming week that distill themselves into this space.  

This week, as I sat down to a blank page on a screen, there was no one topic that dominated nor a singular focus. Naturally, even at deadline, procrastination set in. I then stumbled across a Facebook post by Athens radio host Tim Bryant of WGAU. Tim is a solid career newsman, but I would put his knowledge of theology up against anyone. 

Bryant’s post notes that around 30 AD the Romans made it illegal for Jews to carry out capital punishment. He also notes examples of other executions that occurred later. The situation he draws attention to is that religious leaders appealed to Pilate with “an interesting claim” that it would not be lawful for them to put Jesus to death.

Tim sums up that they relied on Roman law to absolve themselves of responsibility. He makes the important declaration for understanding the Easter story that “all of us — in the theological sense and in that moment in history, were culpable…”  

Pilot himself tried to abdicate his own responsibility by letting the people decide between a messiah and a brutal murderer. I’m reminded every year during this week that the only time Jesus was actually on a ballot, Barabbas won the election.  

It wasn’t “The Jews” who killed Jesus. It wasn’t the Romans either. It was the fickle mob of humanity that wanted Jesus to be their king on Sunday and wanted him executed the following Friday. In the broadest sense, it was our free will given to mankind in the book of Genesis to do as we please, drawn to its logical conclusion.  

I’ll let Tim off the hook here, as I’m taking his premise where my thoughts are and often return at this time of year. My personal theological journey and my political one often intersect, in uncomfortable ways. My involvement in politics coincides with the rise of the Christian Coalition. 

Many people these days are having trouble taking the political process seriously. Both major parties appear only able to appeal to fringe corners of their base. Congress is abdicating any pretense of solving major problems — at least until after “the next” election. Both presumptive nominees for President have demonstrated in the White House a penchant for governing via Executive Order at or beyond the limits of the Constitution. Partisans are willing to side with foreign enemies when those enemies are taking aim at their domestic opposition.

Quite frankly, it’s a frightening time if you have put your trust in government. The lessons of the New Testament don’t tell us to do that. In a time when the system of taxation was known to be corrupt, we’re told to render under Caesar what is Caesar’s, but—quite separately—render unto God what is God’s. We’re told that when a government official unjustly demands we carry their load a mile, we are to carry it two.

Nowhere are we promised a Christian nation, nor even told we are to try to form one. We’re told to love our neighbors — not just our Christian neighbors but all of them — even the Samaritans. We’re taught time and time again that this world is one of oppression caused by the human condition, but in the grand scheme, none of it matters, as this world is temporary.

And so, we have a busy week filled with conflicting priorities. Every week is that week.  

A lot can happen in a week. We can go from the most popular or powerful to full condemnation in under five days, but it only takes three to have the stone rolled away.

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