blame culture

If the recent Parliamentary discussions in the UK have taught us anything, it has to be the fact that we are living in a society which focuses on who is to blame. To some, Theresa May is to blame for the loss of Tory seats in the Commons. To others young people are to blame for believing the promises of Jeremy Corbin. 

Closer to home, Jersey folk are very keen to know who truly is to blame for the losses in Jersey’s Innovation Fund. In the midst of these blame discussions another issue has arisen. Who is to blame for the cladding on the Kensington high-rise buildings? It must be others, not me.

We’re all blaming others. But are you to blame for anything? Anything at all? No? Maybe I’m to blame for asking such a ridiculous question.

 

Back in AD 30 Jerusalem, in the last few days before Jesus was crucified there and rose from the dead (see bold above), the scribes and Pharisees were well aware of the Jewish history of antagonism towards the prophets sent to them by the LORD their God. Over many preceding centuries these prophets were persecuted and killed by the nation’s leaders.

Who was to blame? These educated members of the Pharisee party – let’s be very clear about this – were not to blame. They said, ‘If we were in the days of our fathers, we wouldn’t have participated with them in the blood of the prophets.

There’s something terrible about this claim of theirs. It’s terror becomes startlingly clear because we know that in fact these Jerusalem leaders were in the final stages of secretly planning how to bring about, on false charges, the death – the killing - of Jesus himself.  They were publicizing the blame which lay upon their fathers so as to declare themselves blameless when they were actually doing the very same thing.

Jesus’ response to these scribes was simple and direct. He said, By your statement about your fathers you actually give evidence against yourselves that you are truly the sons of those who murdered the prophets.

Was it that these sons of murderers were to blame for the sins of their fathers? Or was it something much deeper – that they were exactly like their ancestors in doing the killing and simultaneously claiming that they were without blame? More, maybe these educated leaders are also claiming right on their side……a justified killing.

They were all avoiding any sniff of blame – whilst doing away with this Jesus. 

 

Death has featured greatly in the media in the past few weeks. Death is coming on every one of the 7.2 billion souls alive on earth today – without exception. There is a good man who rose from death. We all fear death – but will we examine him, his life, and his teaching? Will we, attempting to do so without any possibility of taking the blame, do away with him in our lives?

Jesus’ response to the scribes – and maybe to us – was quite simple. He said, look and see, I am sending you prophets, wise men and scribes, some of whom you’ll kill, crucify, flog in your synagogues and persecute, so that on you may come all the righteous blood shed on earth.

This Jesus would continue to send messengers of the good news of forgiveness and mercy. In that way, blame would truly be unable to be avoided by them.  What about you and me? Can we avoid blame?