Mistaking People For Gods

When I was teaching, my religion class would always study the philosophy of Ayn Rand, a deracinated Jew whose ideal of rugged individualism influenced people like Alan Greenspan and Rush Limbaugh. Her notions would have led her, I think, if put in the position of Paul and Barnabas, to say, “bring on the sacrifice. I am a god!”

It doesn’t take much thought to realize that this world is in a mess because of the number of people and societies that have arrogated to themselves godlike status. The ruler of this world at the time of Jesus was the evil one. Satan stimulates us to want to make ourselves into gods. That is one of the primary lessons of Genesis 2-3. He foments rebellion and revolution against the One True God. The true God wants us to attain divine status, but He wants us to attain that through humble service, not arrogance and the will to power.

That, I believe, is what Jesus means here at the conclusion of his Last Supper discourse. If we all demand godlike prestige and power, our selfish natures will bring us quickly into conflict with the nearest little gods. And if they don’t pay us adequate respect, charge us what we think is a fair price for a gallon of gas, adopt our religious practices, or whatever is our hot button, we go to war with them. The war could involve only words, or degenerate to the use of force, but one thing is certain–this is not the way to peace.

Jesus promised us peace, but the only peace He had for us is one the world cannot give. It is, first of all, peace of heart, peace of soul, which we have through reconciliation with God and neighbor and constant communication with the Father. This peace is more than a cessation of conflict. It is brought about socially through service. I give to others without thought of return. When like-minded men and women of Christ’s peace live together in harmony, that Christian community is like a peace magnet. We draw others to us and teach them to be people of interior peace, and how to live with others in peace. That must be the Spirit’s work in our day, building small communities of peace so that all the world can live in the peace of Christ.