Weak leaders look for a scapegoat while the humblest scapegoat became the leader of all.
Scapegoats
“The referendum is Thomas Lukaszuk’s fault.”
“The war in Ukraine is President Zelensky’s fault.”
“Tariffs are Canada’s fault.”
Yada, yada, yada.
Weak leaders are forced to pin their failures on scapegoats. It’s all they have to offer.
The term “scapegoat” is interesting.
The English word “scapegoat” was coined in 1530 by Protestant Bible translator William Tyndale, who translated the Hebrew phrase for the goat sent to Azazel as an “escape goat” (a goat that escaped or departed), which later shortened into “scapegoat”.
In Leviticus 16, the ritual takes place on the Day of Atonement. The high priest casts lots over two goats—one designated as an offering for God, and the other for Azazel, interpreted as “for absolute removal”.
The GOAT
In Christian theology, the scapegoat is often seen as a foreshadowing of Jesus Christ, who bore the sins of humanity.
Only One perfect being can take away the sins of the world, and He was publicly introduced by John the Baptist when John said, “Behold! The Lamb of God Who takes away the sins of the world” (John 1:29).
Jesus is the Lamb who became a scapegoat.
Jesus is the GOAT.
Paul phrases it in a different way:
“And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
by becoming obedient to death—
even death on a cross!
9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every name,
10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11 and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.” Philippians 2:8-11
The Attitude of Jesus
Jesus understood that the way up is down. Kneel to rise. Serve to be great.
Bob Dylan added his own flair:
When the multitude wanted to make him king
Put a crown upon his head
Why did he slip away to a quiet place instead?
Bob Dylan, “In the Garden”
And because Jesus is Lord overall, the quiet place with him is our best choice.
Perspective
My Scriptural reading today reminded me of Roberta Bondar, Canada’s first female astronaut. She testified, “To fly in space is to see the reality of Earth, alone. The experience changed my life and my attitude toward life itself.”
You don’t have to get out of earth’s atmosphere to experience a healthy perspective. Just look up. Especially at this time of year in Canada.
Emma Gilchrist, editor-at-large of The Narwhal, directed me to Mary Oliver’s poem Wild Geese. In part, it goes like this:
Meanwhile the world goes on.
Meanwhile the sun and the clear pebbles of the rain
are moving across the landscapes,
over the prairies and the deep trees,
the mountains and the rivers.
And when you look up…
Meanwhile the wild geese, high in the clean blue air,
are heading home again.
Praying for your healthy perspective of Jesus to take you to a quiet space.
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