The Maya Code

Someone casually asked: "Does this calendar go through 2012?", a laughing remembrance of the possible Maya prediction of the end of the world.

By evening, I had located a Nova documentary called "Cracking the Maya Code". Scholars over a hundred year period had slowly moved to decipher the Maya writings on tons of monuments in the three major cities. First dates, then calendars, then family stories, then histories of the conflicted nations and city-states, and finally narratives that portrayed the Maya as rather ordinary people with extraordinary skills in art and communication.

So what's it all about as we uncover the realities of the Maya? Mystic prophets of the end-times? Not so much. Ordinary people in a complex culture? Yes. Made more mysterious by persecution, book-burning, and a total, brutal suppression of language and culture for over 400 years; which is more of a critique of Spanish Christianity "purging the devil" than of Mayan culture.

Reflecting: what IS the role of disciples of Jesus? Should we be the New Crusade to wipe out what we don't understand? Should we convert at the point of a sword? Should we be respectful in conversation as we learn? Should we be strategic evangelists seeking to love, honor AND persuade folks to draw close to Jesus?

Seems to me that the old "wipe out the enemy" (old world) strategy has no usefulness at all today. We're back to the oldest option for disciples - to love new acquaintances into faith in Jesus. Seems like that's well-recommended! Even on high authority.