From today’s reading...
When Mattathias saw him, he was filled with zeal;
his heart was moved and his just fury was aroused;
he sprang forward and killed him upon the altar.
At the same time, he also killed the messenger of the king
who was forcing them to sacrifice,
and he tore down the altar.”
The power of one man with faith and the courage of his convictions.
This directly flies in the face of the sheep who bleat "Oh, I'm just one person. What can I do against [insert organization]:
- the HOA
- the PTA
- the IRS
- the EPA
- the City Council
- the Mayor
- the Governor
- Congress
- the President
- the evil purveyors of drag queen story hour?"
Wait, Wes. What? Are you saying all of those people above should be killed? Are you saying anyone in any position of power with whom we disagree about anything should be killed?"
A good man is not the 90-pound weakling who is afraid of his own shadow and who both would not—and could not—harm a fly.
The truly good man is the man who has the means and the ability to kill everyone he meets, but shows self-discipline and restraint and chooses to engage his opponents and adversaries in dialogue and substantive debate.
Being good is wonderful and ideal.
Assuming everyone you meet and anyone in any and all positions of authority is good and only has your best interests at heart is naive, ignorant, and inviting eventual imprisonment and even death.
Oh come on, Wes! Me not standing up to the pool committee in my HOA has nothing to do with North Korea or ancient Israel. You're just a war-monger who's been choked out too many times in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Your brain ain't right. I need to put you on the red flag list."
Maybe you're right. But I bet you haven't opened a history book or watched the History Channel for more than 10 minutes. And I'll bet even more you haven't served overseas in the military. But I digress.
In the time of 1 Maccabees—about 100 B.C.—death was the prescribed punishment for Jews who were guilty of blasphemy such as idolatry, so one could argue that Mattathias was within his rights for his actions against...
a certain Jew came forward in the sight of all
to offer sacrifice on the altar in Modein
according to the king's order."
This "certain Jew" who "came forward in the sight of all" did so in front of Mattathias, "a leader, an honorable and great man in this city, supported by sons and kin."
This guy chose temporary temporal comfort over a vibrant soul. Maybe he feared the government more than he feared God. Maybe he didn't think it was a big deal. Maybe he had a weak faith. Maybe he was just too spiritually and/or physically weak to stand up to evil tyrants.
As a result, he lost both his soul and his life. (How’d that work out for him, hmmm?)
Looky here, y'all.
If I was foolish/crazy/hateful/stupid enough to walk up to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, hop the barrier, and light the American Flag on fire, you can bet a dollar to a donut I'd get my butt whooped by the guards on duty, the police, as well as the 50-100 veterans in attendance who could get to me quick enough...and rightfully so.
"The officers of the king in charge of enforcing the apostasy" were attempting to use Mattathias to influence and accelerate the destruction of his faith, which meant the destruction of his nation.
(Not unlike self-proclaimed Catholic politicians Nancy Pelosi, Joe Biden, and their ilk supporting and promoting the abortion of children. Pelosi’s political action committee, House Majority PAC, gave at least $450,000 to Planned Parenthood Votes and Planned Parenthood spent close to $50 million to elect candidates in the 2018 election cycle. But I digress yet again.)
But unlike those spineless sell-outs in D.C. who are stealing our taxes to literally line their own pockets via "legal" money laundering in the form of international aid, pork-barrel projects, and funding their favorite organizations like big unions and Planned Parenthood so they can build their own walls and pay for armed guards to protect them from us, the great unwashed masses, Mattathias was both a man of action and of faith and he made this weak-kneed apostate pay with his life for his improper actions.
But he wasn't done.
Mattathias wasn't a coward who acted in secret by wearing a hoody and a mask or tried to blame his actions on a bartender or the club/stone manufacturer or rap music or violent video games or his mommy and daddy for not taking him to Disneyland when he was nine.
No.
Then Mattathias went through the city shouting,
'Let everyone who is zealous for the law
and who stands by the covenant follow after me!'
Thereupon he fled to the mountains with his sons,
leaving behind in the city all their possessions.
Many who sought to live according to righteousness and religious custom
went out into the desert to settle there."
He remained a man of faith and action.
He inspired many more to be more powerful than their possessions, more courageous than their corrupt, sinful government officials, and to embrace physical hardship and discomfort in return for a clear conscious and a saved soul.
If more men and women followed the example of Mattathias, the rise of Lenin, Stalin, Hitler, Mao, Kim, Castro, Chavez, Maduro, Hussein, Gaddafi, and 1,000 other merciless dictators responsible for the deaths of hundreds of millions of innocent people could have been prevented.
So to answer your question, no, I'm not promoting or recommending killing anyone, because that is against the law, just like it was against the law to throw a tea party on December 3, 1773, and to speak out against the King of England in 1776.
Like Paul Revere announced, “The politicians are coming! The activists are coming! The cowards are coming!”
I hope you have the courage to...
Stay the course.
Keep the faith.
Endure.
*Mattathias image source.
