The Scapegoat

Before you view my amazing comic strip, I'd like to explain the story of the traditional scapegoat. As usual, the bible makes it pretty dry reading, but the passage in Leviticus approximately goes:

A high priest would pick a random goat. He'd lay his hands on the scapegoat, and the "children" of Israel would line up and confess their iniquities, sins and transgressions to the poor old goat. The goat would have to stand there and receive these dirty deeds, and was supposed to absorb them as their own. This act would supposedly provide atonement, and rid the people of Israel of national guilt.

How convenient.

An elected chap would then escort the scapegoat into the wilderness and according to tradition, drove it over a cliff to make sure it could not return to the Israelites’ camp bearing their sins. OUT OF ORDER!

I know the English don't like biblical references anymore, but I'm going there...

Jesus was a scapegoat too. I like to think when he awoke in that cave, he was dry throated and pissed off! He marched to Galilee to receive his followers. Fuelled alone by absolute righteous rage. Jesus was a punk, and his resurrection by God was essentially two fingers to the Roman bastards who thought they could kill an innocent man because he had the audacity to say things out loud that they didn't like.

They had forgotten his promise/threat that he would return from the grave. BIG MISTAKE.

Before Jesus went up to his rightful place as the right hand of God, he spent 40 days in Galilee proving that evil will never win. He lorded it up around town letting his disciples know that no matter what the pricks throw at you, God has your back, and he'll prove it too.

Imagine the chaos back in Judea, when they realised Jesus was still kicking, swigging wine in Galilee and rubbing their stupid faces in it. It must have been absolute bedlam. Tangible fear and terror knowing now that their inevitable judgement and doom was extremely likely, and there was nothing they could do to change it.

I too have been used as a scapegoat. Lied about, and had other people's sins projected onto me. I know I'm not alone in experiencing this. “An honest witness tells the truth, but a false witness tells lies” (Proverbs 12:17)

Ironically, I am also a Capricorn.

But instead of jumping from Beachy Head, I too decided to tell the people what had been done to me. God had my back... I am still here after all (and believe me, they TRIED extremely hard to have me done in) They will be judged, and in the meantime, I get to enjoy (from afar - I'm not crazy) the chaos and misfortune that has become their daily experience.

My comic strip is dedicated to all the punk non conformists and whistle-blowers who don't just lay down and die. I salute you all.

The Scapegoat