"The Way of the Cross in Occupied Palestine:" The Thirteenth and Fourteenth Stations

These reflections on taking Jesus down from the cross and laying him in the tomb complete the series of Stations by Christian Peacemaker Teams in Hebron about their faith in the light of Palestinians’ suffering under occupation:

Join in the “Way of the Cross in Occupied Palestine,” a Lenten campaign to raise awareness of the suffering of the Palestinian people living under Israeli military occupation. These short reflections connect contemporary parallels to the themes found in the Stations of the Cross, a tool used for reflection on the suffering and death of Christ.

As this reality of violence runs parallel to the suffering of Christ, the campaign encourages participating churches to engage in direct actions that highlight the violence and injustice of life under military occupation in Palestine.

Thirteenth Station: Jesus is taken down from the Cross
by Jean Fallon

We stand beside Mary, the Mother of Jesus, as she holds her dead son in her arms, washes His face with her tears and mourns His short life. With this vision still before our eyes, in Palestine, we stand beside two other mothers, one Israeli and one Palestinian…

Who had not heard of the assassination of eight students in the Jerusalem Yeshiva by a young man, crazed with the killings of women and children in the Gaza. This latest assassination in the Israeli/Palestinian cycle of violence had a great impact on our CPT Team in Hebron. It had an even greater impact when our CPT Delegation received word that one of the eight was the sixteen-year-old son of Rivka, a kindly Settler woman who has regularly invited the Delegations to her Settlement home. In her sorrow, she invited the Delegation to come sit Shiva with her instead of their regular visit… deeply touched we all promised to come. We had just received this news when a Palestinian woman appeared at our door to tell us that, because of the murders in Jerusalem, her home had been invaded by the Israeli Occupation Forces, torn apart by the soldiers and her four sons taken away by them. She had no idea to where they had been taken, or, whether or not they were still alive… We could only stand with her in her sorrow and pain… We were, at least, able to call those who could help her in her search. Another Palestinian friend took her to this group, but before leaving we all stood and prayed with her that these lost sons would be restored to her soon. Mary is close indeed to the mothers of all the women who mourn because of the endless cycle of violence brought to this land by those with the real power to execute or spare all their sons.

The Fourteenth Station: Jesus is laid in the tomb.
by Lorne Friesen

The Burial of Jesus: It was Preparation Day (that is, the day before the Sabbath). So as evening approached, Joseph of Arimathea, a prominent member of the Council, who was himself waiting for the kingdom of God, went boldly to Pilate and asked for Jesus’ body. Pilate was surprised to hear that he was already dead. Summoning the centurion, he asked him if Jesus had already died. When he learned from the centurion that it was so, he gave the body to Joseph. So Joseph bought some linen cloth, took down the body, wrapped it in the linen, and placed it in a tomb cut out of rock. Then he rolled a stone against the entrance of the tomb. Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses saw where he was laid. Mark 15:42-47

The body no longer bleeds, the breath is gone, the skin is cold to the touch. Life is gone. Is this possible? Is it really happening? The One who loved so much, is now lifeless and cold. And so the body is prepared for burial. But it is not only the body that was buried. The many hopes and dreams that were inspired by Jesus must also be buried. The disciples had chosen to leave their old profession and their old perspectives on life. Now with the burial of the body, the disciples also found it necessary to bury their newly chosen way of life. All those who had followed Jesus these past years, now found themselves bewildered, confused and without direction, without a future.

War and military occupation have a similar impact upon people. According to the B’Tselem records for 2007, 373 Palestinians and 13 Israelis were killed as a result of the war of occupation. Families bury their loved ones with a clear knowledge that the death was needless and violent. But, families bury more than the body of their loved ones. Military occupation means that they must also bury many of the hopes, dreams, a normal, healthy way of life, when a military power occupies their land.

Palestinian families tell us that under the occupation they have lost much more than just their freedom. Many live with the fear of home invasions or even the demolition of their homes by bulldozers. The Palestinians have been robbed of their security and dignity. One Palestinian father said, “I am walking dead”. Israeli families tell us that they do not think they should have to live with the fear of attacks of rockets and suicide bombers. As people bury their loved ones, they also lay to rest their hopes and dreams for a future.

This is the stark desolation of Good Friday.

Reprinted with Permission by Christian Peacemaker Teams

Cross-posted at Street Prophets