Parables: The Two Villages

Once there were two tribal villages, and in these villages there was a man found guilty of having murdered a son of the other village's leader. There was no doubt that he had done it, there had been no provocation, and there was no one who had tricked him or egged him on. In short, there was no one to blame but the man in question. Not only that, but his act had driven a wedge between the villages so that the friendship that had existed between them could only be restored if he was given up to be executed, and if his village did not offer him up there would be war.

As it was, there was another man who was the elder brother of the murdered boy. This man (let us call him Blameless and the other Guilty) had been living for a year in the village of Guilty and was regarded by all as an upstanding fellow who was true to his word and was joy to everyone he met. Now, when Guilty was brought forward and his punishment was being prepared Blameless came forward and volunteered to take his place. If anyone else had stepped forward it would not have been allowed. However, because Blameless was the most loved and righteous man in either village his greatness was a match for Guilty's sin. He was also loved by all so that the woe and mourning necessary to seal such a reconciliation would be present in his death. Finally, as the brother of the murdered boy the offense was against him more than it was against any living member of the village except for his father.

There are two ways that this story can end. The Disney ending would be for the willingness of Blameless to be enough and for Guilty to be let off the hook. This is not inconceivable as a real scenario, and it would be enough to restore the status quo of the villages. However, that is all it would do. On the other hand, Blameless could be taken up on his offer and executed in the place of Guilty. If this were to happen the villages would be reconciled but there would also being something more. For on thing, the relationship between the two would actually be greater than it had been originally as they would be bound in kinship through the blood of Blameless. And this bond is one of blood that is spilled, not of blood that is mixed; it is one thing to be brought into a kinship through marriage and another thing entirely to be brought into a kinship through costly, irreversible sacrifice. For another thing, there would be a difference in the character of Guilty. He is now indebted to Blameless in a way that he can never just shrug off so long as he has even the slightest bit of goodness in him. Moreover, to return to his old self is not something that he has any right to do even if he had some right to begin with; even if all his sins never hurt another living person he would be giving the greatest possible offense to Blameless. He is convicted.