Squat and Squabble

Conflicting viewpoints on topical subjects

Did Jesus Have a Choice?

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The Christian bible is quite clear that Jesus Christ suffered and died on the cross. And Christians universally accept that their Savior willingly gave his life for them to assume the burden of human sin upon himself, freeing humanity from their sin in order to accept God’s love and eternal salvation.

But there is some conflict in the scriptures as to whether or not Jesus actually had any choice about God’s plan for him.

The Jewish Scriptures (the Old Testament) predict the coming of the Messiah in multiple books, and are quite detailed as to where he would be born, the circumstances of his birth, and his familial bloodline. Details of Jesus’ betrayal and crucifixion, his death and burial, and his resurrection were arguably predicted in the books of Isaiah, Zachariah, and the Psalms, hundreds of years before the birth of the Son of God in Bethlehem.

And Christ himself foretold of his impending arrest, trial, and death in discussions with his disciples. The Gospels of Mark, Matthew, and Luke each have quotes of what they were told by Jesus in anticipation of his death and resurrection.

The scriptures not only foretold the circumstances of the coming of the Christ, but Christ himself knew that he was destined to suffer terribly and die at the hands of men. Christ apparently had little say in the matter. It was the will of God that his Son should die for the sins of man.

However, 1 John 3:16 reads “This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters.” John 10:17-18 reads “The Father loves me because I give my life. I give my life so that I can get it back again. No person takes my life away from me. I give my own life freely. I have the right to give my life. And I have the right to get it back again. This is what the Father told me.”

But then again, while suffering on the cross, Jesus states “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:45-50). Contrarily, approaching death, Jesus says “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit” (Luke 23:44-49).

The unavoidability of fulfilling God’s will, and the idea that Jesus had any choice to reject his fate, create a conflict that cannot be reconciled. If God’s will must be done, could Jesus have changed God’s plan? Had Jesus opted not to go to Jerusalem, or had he avoided the garden at Gethsemane, or had he excluded Judas Iscariot from ever entering his group of disciples, would the will of God been thereby thwarted?  A good question, it seems, but if it is true that “God’s will be done,” the answer is “no.”

Perhaps the best interpretation of the scriptures on this issue is to conclude that while Jesus did not have any ability to change the plan that God had for him, he nevertheless willingly accepted his fate as his earthly obligation was to become the Savior of mankind. He embraced the fact that he would be rejected and scorned by both his people and his closest friends, suffer greatly, and then die a slow and excruciating death on the cross.  And as the result of his gracious acceptance of this unavoidable sacrifice, lives were changed throughout the world for the next two thousand years.

(As bad as it was going to be, Jesus knew he could handle it.  After all, he was only going to be dead for a few days, anyway.)

Rorschach Media

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pelvic girdle or angry cartoon face?

The Rorschach Inkblot Test is a projective psychological test consisting of 10 inkblots printed on cards (five in black and white, five in color) created in 1921 with the publication of Psychodiagnostik by Hermann Rorschach.

Over the decades, the validity of using the test for the measurement of emotional functioning and thought disorders has been criticized, but the premise of the test remains undisputed: Even when looking at the same identical thing, different people have remarkedly different interpretations.

Remember those summer days lying in the yard with your friends and looking up at the clouds? Where one person sees a ship, one may see an animal, another one sees a castle. Each mind constructs the same image differently, and each observer sees what the mind tells it to see.

The same thing happens in the media. Where one observer sees a meeting, another sees a conspiracy plot. One may see an endorsement of western civilization, another sees a validation of white supremacy. A single word can mean many things to different people, and a person’s interpretation is largely affected by their predisposition to see what they expect to see.

And this is the crux of the problem in the media these days. Rather than have someone show us the ink blot, and let us figure out what it represents to ourselves, the media is telling us what the ink blot represents to them. It is a battle between fact and bias, and unfortunately the media consistently presents us with much more bias than fact.

The publication of Donald Trump Jr.’s email exchange concerning the meeting with a lawyer from Russia is a great example of the media’s Rorschach treatment of fact. While the plain text of the emails is there for all to see, some pundits see treasonous collusion, others can’t see any “there” there.

It would be refreshing if the media would just show us something, and stop telling us what we are seeing. Let us believe our own “lying eyes” rather than what you think it is.

As an aside, does anyone really think that the U.S. government never had a preference for a particular candidate in a foreign election?

Trump Cards

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As much as I respect the capabilities of Rex Tillerson, our Secretary of State, Melania and Ivanka Trump are aces in the deck of Trump diplomacy.

Melania, with her regal poise and glamor, is the ace of diamonds, and Ivanka, with her compassion and warmth, is the ace of hearts. They are power cards in the Trump deck, serving to simultaneously soften and strengthen the President, who, with his brash audacity, is the ace of clubs.


These two women are brand ambassadors for the American dream. A first lady who can hold her own, in any of several languages, over dinner with the president of Russia. A first daughter who can champion the power of women’s rights in a meeting of female leaders from all over the world. One a Catholic, one Jewish, both of strong will, individual accomplishment, and possessed of the maternal instincts of a mother bear. One of modest background, daughter of a car dealer in communist Yugoslavia, the other born into wealth and privilege. An incredibly capable pair, with very different skill sets, and from very different backgrounds, who are perhaps the only spoonfuls of sugar that can help the Trump medicine go down.

Regardless of one’s politics, they are to be admired and respected for their grace under pressure, as they seem to perform effortlessly on a stage where every observer is either an admirer or a harsh critic.

It has been said that behind every successful man is a powerful woman. That old saying may need to be changed, as now the powerful women no longer stand behind, but beside.

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