i think that’s probably the excuse of the roman soldiers who arrested and subsequently crucified Jesus. that’s what they do. everyone knows that a soldier of the world’s superpower has to do a few dirty jobs, and crucifixion is part of the deal. but i just have to wonder if they knew… i believe that one gospel puts it that after Christ’s death one remarked “surely this man was the son of God.” but it was his hands that held him to the cross…
we’re probably not all the different. how many times do we do things that would shame jesus because “that’s my job”?… ethics comes to mind, but probably even more prevalent is the habit of overworking. feeling as if the business will collapse if i don’t put in 60 hours this week. without blabbering on and on in explanation, that’s just a socially acceptable way of making yourself god. the idea that nothing will go right without you… what a way of replacing your need for God.
where the roman soldier got it wrong was that it was just his job. he was first and foremost a child of God, employed by the state of rome. we do the same thing. we are not what we do. but in a society such as that which we live, we begin to believe that it’s true.