October 26, 2013 – 2 Maccabees 14

Nicanor is such a caricature of the everyday man.  He is given a great post if he defeats an enemy.  When he meets the enemy, he sees that he cannot win and seeks peace instead.  He sees greatness in someone and is drawn to it.  Then, someone above him tells him what he has done is wrong and he must go against what he has found to be good.  Instead of standing up for what he has found, he bends to what is above and starts on a path to destroy the good he has found.  How quickly we turn on what is good and Godly when the world tells us that it is wrong for us.  And how quickly that turn can poison us.  His turn is so sad.  We see that he knows Judas to be good and keeps him close because he understands it will improve who he is, and yet when the king calls, he forgets all of that to please the king.  We see that even if it is hard the first time, as he moves further down the path it becomes easier and he even moves beyond what the king asks.  He goes from not wanting to follow the king’s command to threatening to tear down the Temple.