Matthew 20:25 - And Jesus, calling them, said to them, "You know that the rulers of the nations lord it over them and their great ones are tyrants over (dominate) them."
All we have to do to see this today is pick up the newspaper. The desires of Trump and the Republicans to have complete control over everyone else, especially women and their wombs. I just discovered Rosemary Radford Reuther's book, "New Woman, New Earth." Sadly, 40 years later, the attitudes of men toward women haven't changed much. Just look at the lengths that Weinstein went to keep the women he raped and harassed quiet: he had his bodyguards, some of whom were ex-Mossad, intimidate them into silence. It really burns men's egos that women are entering - they might say "invading" - spheres previously reserved for men alone: politics, STEM, journalism, authors, doctors, lawyers, governors, congresspeople - even president. (Hillary is still my president!)
Republicans want the status quo so bad, they cheat - gerrymandering, voter suppression, lie about their opponent, even joining with the Russians - to get their way. We've held them back and even gained a little ground yesterday. A trans woman won a state congressional seat in North Carolina, beating the very man who authored the "bathroom bill."
Here, Jesus is clearly about to make a distinction between the nations and his kin-dom. He describes the nations as having rulers who revel in using their power over others just because they can. They are cruel just because they can be. They kill just because they can. They take away others' rights just because they can. The rape and sexually harass just because they can. I'm no longer talking about the Romans, am I? The disciples already know this. They know this in their bodies as well as their minds how it feels to be oppressed in these ways. They don't like it - who would? Jesus doesn't have to go into detail or dramatize the situation for effect; it's horribly shitty already.
Stay tuned for his prescription.
B
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