Come See the Violence Inherent in the System

I’m working on a book about Christmas and I’ve been wrestling with the ugliness of what Biblical scholars call the Slaughter of the Innocents. I hate that Jesus came to Earth in a way that caused countless infants and children to be murdered by King Herod. In fact, I struggle with the Bible suggesting that there will be more casualties over the Gospel.  Here’s a piece of a crappy first draft I wrote this am:

I’m noticing that the older I get the harder it is for me look at look at Jesus on his terms. Oh, I’m good with the Jesus who turns water into wine and who multiplies fish and bread. I’m good with “Buddy Jesus” who shows up at the parties of the hookers and swindlers and other outlandish sinners. This Jesus is tolerant and easy to talk about at the bar. It’s the other Jesus that’s giving me fits: The Jesus whose very birth makes a two-bit king slaughter infants and toddlers in an attempt to eradicate a future threat to his throne; the Jesus who talked about plunging a sword into the middle of families; the Jesus who unleashes fury on the money changers; and the Jesus of Revelation with the sword, white horse, and irredentist hair.

This Jesus is a problem. His presence in the text let’s us know that this Gospel business is going to hurt people. Herod got it: This Christ-child would up end political structures and had to be destroyed. The Pharisees got it. Jesus screwed with social norms and threatened their perch at the top of the social order. Our unchurched friends get it: They asked us pointedly if we think Jesus would damn them to Hell.  How does a self-proclaimed Prince of Peace cause so much upheaval?

When I was in college I had some close friends who were in therapy to deal with eating disorders and addictions. They were always drained when they returned from a holiday break. I asked why and they explained that their growing health was changing the family system. It’s seldom the case that only one person in a family is unhealthy. Say a father is an alcoholic. Everyone adapts to deal with his addiction. Mom goes into denial and suppresses and honest talk about why it sucks to live in the house. One child tries to become the hero to try to save everyone at the expense of his wonder years. Another child acts out and gets labeled the black sheep. And the baby constantly cracks wise to bring some comic relieve to the family. Everyone assumes a role to keep the family together. My friends would spend months in therapy and discover that they didn’t have to play their roles anymore. They could embrace truth and not violate their personalities.

The only problem is that when they returned to their home everyone expected them to get back into character and recite the usual lines. They’d refuse and provoke anger from the other family members.  Their health provoked conflict. Christmas was a day-long fight. My friends limped back to school worn out but proud of the progress they made.

I know that Jesus will come back as an active judge. But I wonder if a lot of the violence that follows Jesus is a result of the Incarnation. Jesus was God and chose to become fully human. He joined the big family called humanity filled with our addictions, neuroses, sins, power structures, political parties,  genocides, reality shows, churches, terror cells, shadow governments, and family dysfunctions. But Jesus retained his perfection and remained holy. He was family member that nobody knew how to handle.  We argued with him. When that didn’t work we threatened. When that didn’t work we rejected him. He persisted so we nailed him to a tree. He resurrected and we’ve been trying to get him to back down and take his place for two thousand years.  We whip up this violence too and end up hurting ourselves and other. Maybe this is why the Bible describes Jesus as a stone that trips and cripples.

I participate in this violence even as I’m repulsed by it. Jesus just won’t stand down. He’s the sober member of the family.