PERFECT (7)–Continuing our discussion about God’s Perfection, I want to address a concept that is at the very root of the misconception and confusion exhibited by the Abrahamic religions, and that concept is justice. You will recall that early on in their history, the Israelites developed a philosophy of justice–an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. Consequently, as they recognized a singular God, they fashioned that god after their own image and demeanor—their God was human-like in appearance; he was capable of loving you, but more importantly, he was vengeful and demanded retribution for any breach of his laws (justice). In their eyes, that retribution must be in the form of sacrifice, which must be of nature and quantity equal to the breech (crime)—an eye for an eye, etc. Then and only then could their God be appeased. However, not every ‘Tom, Dick, and Harry could offer that sacrifice. Moreover, that sacrificial offering must not only be of sufficient quantity; it must be of perfect quality—enter the High Priest.
Since the offering must be of sufficient quantity and of perfect quality, only the High Pries was considered capable of not only offering the sacrifice but providing the perfect specimens—enter the money changers. The poor peasants were obligated to pay the High Priest an extortionist’s price for his perfect offering made in their behest—the High Priest got richer; the peasants got poorer. Does anyone besides me see a corollary to what goes down in some religious circles today?
Now lets examine the real God–-the God of Perfect Love. Perfect love you will recall is ‘acceptance without conditions’. With that understanding, there is ‘no room’ for justice in God’s world. Like probably most of you, I am accustomed to hearing ad nauseum about our ‘eternal just God’. Consider this, if God were Perfect Justice, no human to ever live could possibly be saved. But no, God is not ‘just’ at all; he is all love—enter Jesus.
I am convinced that Jesus was the most brilliant human to ever live. In spite of being illiterate, He recognized many important clues about God. He saw that everything in this universe was evil by virtue of its selfishness. Without any scientific knowledge at all, to say nothing of ‘particle physics’, Jesus reasoned that the spirit of God was in everything. Yet everything was made perfect, and maintained perfect by a Perfect God.
God made an entire universe(s) of evil—it had to be that way in order to function. Much more importantly, it had to be that way for a much, much greater cause—God must show (be) Perfect Love. Jesus recognized that his spirit (soul) and the spirit of everything in existence were mirroring their creator. Knowing that God’s perfect love must be displayed through acceptance of an entire universe of evil which God, himself created placed Jesus in a very ‘uncomfortable’ position—he, himself must be the sacrificial lamb—what a terrifying thought.
Jesus knew that the ‘good news-gospel’ must be spread all over the world. Time was short—death by crucifixion was reserved for all acts of treason and his such death was certain; he was teaching hearsay which was considered treason—but, he had no choice. He did the best he could—he surrounded himself with twelve illiterates and attempted to inculcate them with his ‘new’ philosophy about God—maybe in eternity we’ll learn if he succeeded—we certainly cannot tell from the corrupted and misinterpreted literature we have now. Nonetheless, he kept on the fringes of society trying not to awaken the ire of the authorities. After three years or so, and seeing the authorities closing in, he made a bee-line for the temple, overturned the money changers tables and called them hypocrites, as indeed they were. The rest is history.
By that ‘singular act’, God’s justice was rendered unto himself— he became, as he always had been, Perfect Love. That one act of humility by Jesus exonerated us and all creation from any possibility of ‘retribution’ by an all Perfect, all Loving God. Paul’s letters are repleat with that teaching.
Do you think, as I do, that our ‘legal system’ needs attention?
Again, if you would like complete elucidation of these and literally all considerations of our relationship with God, Please read my two books, Wilderness Cry, and Peace in Spirituality.
906242_Press Release for Wilderness Cry
WILDERNESS CRY by Hilary L Hunt MD 