Two Golden Rules

There is a widely accepted story of Jesus' life and times and it's ripe with symbolism. Christianity focuses on Jesus the character in such a way that many people fail to really see the context, the events surrounding his life. It's impossible to understand the life of Martin Luther King, or Martin Luther, without understanding the darkness their light was cast into. When good hearted people observe and undergo great wrong doing they experience a burden, like a weight being added to a load they must carry. It takes courage and conviction to confront those who harm others, and sometimes one must risk their very life to do the right thing. If you cannot find the strength to take your stand you go on carrying that burden as it slowly weighs you down.

Jesus was a working man who found himself and his community at the mercy of religious and imperial authorities, his homeland was under occupation from a strange and distant empire. He was brilliant and passionate and took time in his life for learning and teaching others and they sought out his wise council. And in this role he heard many stories and witnessed many events that gave him a perspective that few others had, he could see clearly the soul crushing force of church and state on the people they claimed to serve. Taxes and fees were imposed on the common man draining their very vitality, and the gold every person must trade bears the face of a conquerer.

When Jesus said "Give to Caeser what is Caeser's, and give to God what is God's" he was referring to both the concept of currency and to the material aspect of gold. Gold represents any coveted possession as it has always been a valuable commodity and worthy of trade for any item of significant quality. To mint coins in a ones own likeness and force the use of this currency is a nonviolent tyranny in itself. But it's also a contract in which one validates the conquerer by accepting his gold on his terms. When one uses a currency to buy anything they are also buying the institution that minted the currency, and the ruler and armies it represents. All of the gold always belongs to Caeser even when it's in your possession.

When Jesus was betrayed by Judas it was for money, Judas was not an evil soul who wished harm on his friend. But those who were of dark soul and cold heart used gold to tempt a weakened Judas to turn in his friend. Perhaps Judas was days away from losing his land, or his family had no food or clothes. The Roman empire was not unlike our modern American empire whose currency seems a blessing and a curse imposed on a world by military force. Much of the same lands occupied in biblical times are occupied today now by the American empire and of course Israel. Jesus the man would not be on the side of the military occupiers in the Israel/Palestine conflict but Jesus the god is slipping the occupiers nukes.

The classic golden rule as stated by Jesus in the book of Matthew says "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." But there is also a longstanding joke deemed the alternate golden rule "The one with the gold makes the rules." Cynical as the joke may be it is an interesting reality from the times of Jesus all through history up to today. Both of these golden rules remain as relevant and valid in the American empire as they were in the Roman and the British empires. And yet they are so different from each other, they seem to epitomize two opposing world views. One is based on fear and material wealth and the other on love, spiritual integrity, and respect for one's fellow man. Let the Caesers of the world take that cold lifeless metal from the ground, we shall turn our hearts to gold and be forever rich.