“By this everyone will
know that you are my disciples,
If you have love for
one another.” Jn13.35
I think that if I endured the daily oppression that is part
of every Palestinian’s life, I would be bitter and angry, depressed and hopeless.
But the Palestinians I have met have instead chosen to be resourceful (like the
firemen in yesterday’s post), creative and non-judgmental. They are resigned to
things as they are, but also hopeful, knowing for certain that the occupation
of their land and lives will not go on forever.
Whether Christian or Muslim, their faith in God’s promise of
abundant life sustains them, gives them courage and hope. When I first went to
Palestine and saw the harsh reality of the wall and the way Israel is
continuing to take everything from them, I thought they would hate me for supporting
Israel with my taxes.
But I have never experienced any hatred—only love. This
looks like discipleship to me.
In 2009, Palestinian Christians wrote a letter to the world,
telling of their situation, their suffering and the injustice still being done
to them. They called it “Kairos Palestine: A Moment of Truth.” They stated
their situation boldly and honestly and asked the world to take notice and
change the situation, especially the US, which supports Israel with $3B per
year.
They expose the occupation—the theft of land, the arrests
without charges, the brutal treatment of prisoners, the violence against
peaceful protesters, the permit system that does not allow them to leave their
towns—and they call this an evil and a sin. They say Christians are called to
resist these evils—a resistance “with love as its logic.”
They also speak to Muslims and Jews—with love. Their message
to the Muslims is “a message of love and living together and a call to reject
fanaticism and extremism.” Their message to Jews is, “Even though we have
fought one another in the recent past and still struggle today, we are able to
love and live together. We can organize our political life, with all its
complexity, according to the logic of this love and its power.”
Then they add a caveat: “…after ending the occupation and
establishing justice.”
This week, as we remember Jesus’ last days and hear the
stories, showing all the reasons why he was killed, I think of these
Palestinians, struggling to end their oppression, resisting the evil they are
enduring. Bringing love to their situation is truly a sign of God’s presence
and the work of the Holy Spirit.
They call on us to, “stand alongside the oppressed and
preserve the word of God as good news for all rather than to turn it into a
weapon with which to slay the oppressed.”
Not everyone can travel to Palestine or become totally
immersed in the Palestinian narrative as I have, but we can all look around us
and see the injustice in our own towns, in our own country, and do what they
ask, “stand alongside the oppressed and preserve the word of God as good news
for all.”
God of love, in these
days we have come to know you through your son Jesus. As we wash one another's feet tonight and remember his ministry
of love and his sacrifice, help us to be his disciples. Amen.
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