The first view leads to selfishness and clinginess. Extreme unease at losing what one has gained, or of not accomplishing what one desires out of this short, limited life leads to a dog eat dog existence. The subconscious motivator is an irrational desire to cheat death. Getting the most and being the most becomes the end game.
Those who accept that this life is but a moment grow in generosity and kindness as they realize the ultimate goal in this life is to leave it all behind--not to abandon it, but to use it, enjoy it, learn from it, help others do the same, and then let it go of it, ready for what lies beyond. In this view, all of life is meaningful, even the pain and sorrow, because wisdom-gained is the end game.
These two views of the world are presented in the story of "when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king" found in Matthew 2. It says wise men came from the east:
Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are coming to worship him (Matthew 1:2).
Who these wise men are or where they came from, the Bible does not tell us. Yet, in just a few verses, we learn a lot about them. First, we know that they are spiritually open to revelation. They know that seeing "his star in the east" is a sign of his birth. Second, we know that they are not attached to the things of this world. They have journeyed far, perhaps up to two years, for it says that Herod enquired when they first saw the star (Matthew 1:7) and later "slew all the children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the coasts thereof, from two years old and under" (Matthew 2:16). Third, we know that they are wise. Wisdom is the application of knowledge, both spiritual and temporal, to good ends. Wisdom brings happiness to self and others. It may not be easy or immediate, but wisdom is the application of knowledge for good. Wise men seek Christ because Christ is the source of all that is light, all that is good--pure knowledge, unclouded by the dark mists of this world.
However, we also know that the wise men are not perfect. They make the mistake of telling Herod when they first saw the star and that they are going to Bethlehem. They only receive revelation afterward that this is an error in judgement. This folly leads to the slaughter of who knows how many children.
Stories, such as this, I think are often at the root of so much unbelief. The human mind asks questions like, "Why would God wait to inform the wise men of the nature of Herod until after they spilled the beans of Jesus's location? Why would God allow all those innocent children to be slaughtered? If there is a god, surely that is not one I want to believe in!"
These are natural thoughts. I think they are even good. A perfect God is the only type worth worshiping. A god driven by earthy emotions is just a man with super powers. Yet, these are temporal thoughts, and are therefore limited in scope, limited in understanding.
If life is eternal, and earthly life is but lesson, then free-will is essential for personal spiritual growth. Under such a plan, earthly life is a combination of the outcome of billions of free wills and divine intervention to ensure that the overall outcome is for good.
In this view, Herod has his lesson to learn. Much sorrow will flow because of his choice, but it is still earthly sorrow, very limited in scope compared to eternity. Those lessons won't be easy, but they will be for good. Loss, lived correctly, leads to knowledge; empathy is the root of all wisdom. How many wise men and women were born the day Herod slaughtered their children? How many future Herods? It is what we do with loss that determines who we become. What we want most out of life is to avoid loss, which is the ultimate irony, for at the end of life everyone must leave it all behind. Loss is the nature of existence.
The wise men have given up whatever lives they have had up to this point to honor Christ. At this point Christ is but a child, and so it is not his knowledge, wisdom or his favor they wish to gain. They wish to gain nothing. It is a journey of love, a journey of respect, a pilgrimage of laying down the self and worshiping something greater than the "I".
Herod represents the opposite view. He is so thoroughly human. First, he cannot have much faith in an afterlife, for he is clearly focused on holding onto his earthly kingdom. Yet, he also doesn't have enough faith in the temporal world to ignore the supernatural. He clearly doesn't believe Jesus is the Christ; yet he fears Jesus will be king of the Jews. Herod neither has the faith to believe in sanctifying power of God nor the intellect see through superstition. He is natural man through and through. He is caught up in a world of loss, terrified of losing everything he has. He cannot turn those fears over to some greater power and just let go, nor can he admit all is nothing, and if all is nothing, nothing matters, including his own existence.
Instead, the only thing he really believes in is death. He bows down and worships it. He lives completely in an eat-or-be-eaten world. He thinks, I must kill this Jesus guy because there is only so much to go around. If I don't defend my claim, I will surely lose it.
This is Satan's world. Scarcity is the law. Everything is a battle over turf, over resources. All is a power struggle. If I am to have, then someone else must have-not. There is no faith that life provides because there is no faith in anything outside the self. The ego consumes all--even the lives of innocent children. It is a terrifying life.
So much better to be wise, to view life as a sacred journey where the goal is simply to let go.
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