A couple of ducks were paddling aimlessly just off shore in the lake, the other morning as I strolled by. They ignored the dog and me; they have long ago learned that neither of us are a threat.
        Suddenly something whooshed past my head, much the way deadlines do.
        It was a bald eagle, a mature male, swooping down off the ridge behind me, on the hunt for breakfast.
        He was magnificent. With his snow white head, white tail, talons poised to strike, and a wing span that would have exceeded my outstretched arms by a foot or more, he took my breath away.
        Indeed, had he passed any closer, he could probably have taken some of my scalp away too. I felt the downdraft from his wings on my hair.
        The ducks saw him just in time. In a frantic flurry of foam, they dove under the surface.
        The eagle pulled up. His momentum carried him high into the air, where he circled for a moment waiting to see if the ducks would surface. Then he flapped away down the lake, disappointed, seeking easier prey.

Choice of loyalties
        The eagle was stirring. Stunning. Awe-inspiring.
        But I realized that my sympathies were with the ducks.
        The experience leads me to guess that most of us will tend to identify either with the eagle or with the ducks. And that choice reveals a lot about our character.
        The eagle was the symbol of imperial Rome. And for good reason. Like the eagle, Roman legions struck suddenly, without warning. And they struck ruthlessly. They neither showed mercy, nor expected it.
        In the Palestine of Jesus' time, their opposition were the Zealots. Today, they'd probably be called terrorists. Their goal was to harass the Roman army of occupation, to inflict as much damage as possible, regardless of their own risk. By genetics, they were Jews; by attitude, they were circumsized Romans.
        And into that seething cauldron of hatred came a man who identified with the ducks.

Counter-culture
        The biblical gospels may or may not be totally factual – we have only their own word for the accuracy of the stories they tell – but they are the only record we have of this man Jesus. And I can't think of one instance in those stories where he sided with the oppressor against the victim, with the predator against the prey.
        To a culture based on hate, he said, “Love.”
        To a culture based on vengeance, he said, “Forgive.”
        To a culture based on greed, he said, “Share.”
        No wonder the powers-that-be wanted to get rid of him.
        His followers are a mixed bag. At their best, they still take the side of the victim. They lobby for the poor, the sick, the suffering. In programs like “Out of the Cold,” they welcome the homeless, the transients. They go into politics to change unfair situations and unjust laws. They tilt at windmills, and reach for stars.
        But far too many still bow their heads toward the imperial eagle.