Blindfolded

Holy Week
Week of April 5, 2009

“Some began to spit on him, to blindfold him, and to strike him, saying to him, ‘Prophesy!’” (Mk 14.65)

painting is by Nabil Anan

It is hard for most of us to imagine being in this situation. We, who are privileged—white, middle class, straight—are unlikely to be falsely arrested, accused of crimes we did not commit or tortured into confessing. It does sometimes happen even in this country where we pride ourselves on the rule of law—but not often, and most assuredly not to us. Even if we are arrested, we do not expect to be spit upon, tortured, or mocked by the police. Our privilege protects us from such dangers.

Most of the people of the world do not enjoy such privilege. On yesterday’s news I heard an audio tape of a 17-year-old young woman in Pakistan being publicly flogged by members of the Taliban, who rule the town of Swat without restraints. She was flogged because she had rejected a marriage proposal from a Taliban fighter, who later saw her walking with another man. French police have been accused of unlawful killings, beatings, racial abuse and excessive use of force, mostly against ethnic minorities and foreign nationals. In Myanmar pro-democracy activists and prisoners of conscience, Hla Myo Naung and Min Ko Naing are suffering without proper medical treatment; one is in danger of completely losing his eyesight, having already gone blind in one eye whilst in detention after being denied specialist medical treatment. And even our own soldiers guarding prisoners at Guantanamo have been accused of beating the prisoners in their charge.

That's why so many people, even non-Christians, identify with the torture and humiliation Jesus received from the temple authorities and the Roman guards. It is why even Muslim artists painted Jesus on the cross for an art competition, "Christ in a Palestinian Context," in Bethlehem in 2002. The crucifixion was what spoke most convincingly to them about Jesus' ministry. Christ's experience was theirs.

April 28, 2004 - A detainee at an ad-hoc roadblock outside the village of Huwarra. His handcuffs were very tight and were only loosened at the request of B'Tselem staff.
Photo credit: Eliezer Moav, B'Tselem


March 31, 2002 - Arrested Palestinians being guarded by IDF soldiers during Operation Defensive Shield. Photo credit: Osama Silwadi, © Reuters

Both images are from B'Tselem, the Israeli Center for Human Rights

O God, your cross speaks to those who suffer humiliation and death at the hands of the powerful. Help us, your followers, to carry your message of the cross to the people in pain in our world today. Amen.