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God’s “Red Pill”

In the movie “The Matrix” the protagonist is offered a choice. He could remain in a comfortable simulated existence or he could choose to live an uncomfortable life in the real world. This choice was to be made by taking a red pill (for reality) or a blue pill (for continued comfort). In a way, God offers everyone the same choice. However, instead of pills, each person makes his choice everyday in how he lives his life.

Whether by blaming others, thinking too much of ourselves, or simply avoiding critical thinking, we, each day, make choices that accumulate to bring us closer to truth (reality) or further from it. Often the basis for these choices are whether they will make us feel good or not. In the book, “1984”, the protagonist is offered the opportunity to avoid punishment if he betrays his lover. Forever afterwards he carries the burden of his betrayal. Similarly, each time we choose to distort reality to make ourselves feel good, we have betrayed truth. While probably not particularly bothered by this betrayal, we become ever increasingly distant from, unable to discern, and even hostile to truth.

When Jesus announced the potential of the kingdom to the people of Israel, he could have told them that the baptisms and healings were necessary to prepare them to be the nation of priests that was originally intended. He could have spelled things out and have persuaded most to accept his offer. He did not explain or persuade. He intentionally spoke in parables so that those who were not inclined towards truth, would not understand. (Matt 13:13-15).

It is as if God created humans to produce a crop. The harvest is of those who seek truth. Since God is truth, he seeks those who seek him. This can be further seen using the illustration of light and darkness. God is light and in him is no darkness at all. Light is radiated outward and is symbolic of giving and selflessness. Darkness can be thought of as taking, selfishness, and consumption. We choose to either seek the light and abandon selfishness or turn from the light and pursue that which makes us feel good.

Instead of being offered a red or blue pill, we are given life and how we live it reflects our choice. Built in to the design of life is the transition from the selfishness of childhood to the selfless love of parenthood. The natural world is hostile to us and requires us to help each other. History shows us many examples of collective killing and stealing which perhaps best illustrates darkness. God, at the tower of Babel, created differing languages to limit the damage we could do through collectives.

Satan has set the course of the world using collectives to leverage his influence. “Society” seems to have replaced the family and technology seems to have removed many of the discomforts of the natural world. Even parenthood has become optional. There seems to be little incentive to abandon the selfishness of childhood. All in all, the comfortable delusions, indulgences, and self-deceptions now available seem quite “Matrix”-like.

The bible tells us that the Gospel is foolishness to those that are perishing (1 Cor 1:18). As the number of people who choose the “blue pill” increases, we might expect that God, seeing little hope of a bountiful “harvest”, will bring an end to this present age.

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