The Politics of Good Friday

When thinking of ‘good Friday’, I always thought, for the person on the Cross to whom Jesus said that ‘today you will be with me in paradise’, it was a ‘good Friday’, and to the other person who mocked Jesus it was a ‘bad Friday.’ What is ‘good’ in ‘good Friday’ has always been a perennial question that people of faith communities across the histories and contexts keep interrogating with.  How can the brutal killing of Jesus on the Cross be called ‘good Friday?’ What is the politics of ‘good Friday?’

There have been theories on the etymology of the ‘good Friday’ for some have referred it to ‘God’s Friday’ for it synchronizes with the root meanings of ‘goodbye’ which means ‘God be with you.’ The day has always been referred to as ‘holy Friday’ like that of the rest of the week days in the ‘Holy week.’ In my local Church tradition, ‘good Friday’ is translated as ‘Maha Sukravaram’ (‘great Friday’ in Telugu language), where the emphasis of Jesus’ act on the Cross has been considered as great sacrifice for the salvation of the entire humanity.

On the one hand, we are aware of Plato’s theory of ‘Form of Good’ which is understood as the ‘ultimate principle’, for the ultimate ‘good’ illuminates all other forms, both in the empirical world and in the world outside of time and space. On the other hand, there are philosophies that profess that there is no such a thing as good and evil, and they are only as people desire, where ‘good’ is recognized as a ‘subjective value.’ All of these thinking direct us in our grappling with ‘good’ in ‘good Friday.’

‘Good Friday’ is not about ‘romanticizing Jesus suffering and his death,’ rather a call to locate God among the crucified.  There was a political bargain from the courts of Pilate, whom to crucify and whom to leave scot-free, and we know that the community chose ‘Barabbas’ (Bar Abbas in Hebrew means ‘Son of God’), which lead Jesus to his crucifixion.  Good Friday, the day on which Jesus was killed is highly political, for Jesus died a political martyrdom. Therefore, one cannot unthread the political aspect of Jesus’s death on Cross from his holistic act of salvation. ‘Good Friday’ also calls us to unpack it from the colonial enfleshments that it carries, for this ‘good Friday’ is also understood in contrast to ‘black Fridays’ (very colonial term) where consumerism is celebrated to its core. Here is a subversive reading of ‘good Friday,’ which serves as one perspectives among many, that helps us in problematizing the same for our times today.

1.      ‘Good Friday’ is about exposing the unjust political systems of the state that represses and criminalises Jesus for believing and professing in an alternative value system which is the Kingdom of God, for he was nailed on the Cross with an inscription ‘King of Jews.’ Jesus’ disapproval of a military state led him to be branded as a ‘political insurgent’ and eventually led him to be killed on the Cross. 

2.      ‘Good Friday’ is a day where an innocent Jesus was falsely implicated and was taken to be crucified on a Cross, along with two other bandits of his times, at a public criminal execution place, which was ‘outside of the camp.’ It was a place where the soldiers gambled on Jesus’ clothes, spit on him, and rebuked him with all possible insults. Jesus died as a political martyr.

3.      When Jesus cried ‘my God, my God, why have you forsaken me?’ many around his Cross mocked him saying that he was calling on Elijah for help and rescue. To that question, we see that there was silence from God’s side. We run a risk of translating God’s silence as God’s absence. The politic of this saying needs to consider that God joins in the suffering of people, where God grieves along with those that are suffering to lead them into the resurrection experience.

4.      The politics of ‘good Friday’ is always related to the ‘best Sunday’ to come, the ‘Easter day’, where God raised him from the death. It displays a politics of hope, for death and regimes of oppression are defeated and chained in the empty tomb of Jesus Christ. Resurrection of Jesus from death was a huge blow to the empire that believed that there is no opposition to their force, for on that day death died and was buried.

‘Good Friday’ therefore challenges us humanity to locate crucified Jesus’ among us, among our histories, among our contexts, who are opposing the repressive regimes of our times, and stand along with them in their struggles for justice, the highest good. ‘Good Friday’ finds its fuller meaning not in religious sanctuaries, not in our cosy comfortable zones, not in our parochial colonies but on the public streets where people are time and again crucified by the unjust systems of violence. ‘Good Friday’ comes alive and becomes meaningful ‘outside the camps’ of our times, in the veli vada (untouchable ghettos), in the refugee camps, in the excluded zones, in the prisons, etc. ‘Good Friday’ becomes relevant by disavowing hegemonic powers and principalities that suppress and marginalize people and communities and by standing for justice and peace of our times. The calling of our spirituality is to become politically sensitive to our contexts and attempt in relating our faith to the times of our times.

Wishing you all a meaningful observance of Good Friday.

Rajbharat Patta

Pic courtesy: https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/b6/fc/22/b6fc2293a751e215dc7f8c25af6441ba.jpg

‘Hosanna’ as against ‘Roman Mata Ki Jai’: Palm Sunday Challenge

The occasion of Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem before facing Cross and crucifixion, which is observed by Christians as ‘Palm Sunday’ is an important event in the life and mission of Jesus Christ. It is important to know how the passage containing this palm Sunday story in Bible is named, particularly the passage from Matthew 21: 1-11 is titled as ‘Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem’ (NRSV), ‘Jesus comes to Jerusalem as King’ (NIV), ‘Jesus triumphant entry’ (NLT). All the titling is basically ‘interpretation’ of the people who have compiled the texts as different versions of the Bible, and therefore seeks verification. When I read this text from Matthew, I understand this text as Jesus’ contestation of triumphalism, and if I have to title this passage, I would like to title it as ‘Jesus’ anti-empire procession’ or ‘Jesus’ contestation of triumphalism’ or ‘Jesus counter-hegemonic ride’ or ‘Citizens shouts ‘Save us’ from oppressive regime’ or ‘Turmoil in the city’.

1.      Jesus’ Counter-Hegemonic Procession into the City:

Jesus lived at a time when Roman oppressive regime was ruling them, for Jesus’s community were under occupation, and have been subjective to exploitation by rulers, governors, priests and other religious authorities. It was a usual practice of the Roman army to conduct a military parade with horses on the streets of Jerusalem prior to the festival of Passover as a sign of their authoritarian power and rule, for their arms and weapons were at public display to frighten and threaten people who are subjective to them. Year after year, the occupied people have witnessed these military parades of the army in the streets and have been frustrated with this kind of rule. Therefore, Jesus’s procession into the city is a march of counter-hegemony, contesting against the oppressive regimes, parading on a donkey with people holding palm branches, which was their yearning for the coming of an alternative kingdom as against the kingdom of Rome.

2.      Jesus’ Anti-Empire Procession into the City:

Jesus’ procession into the city was a pre-planned one, for he ordered the disciples to go and fetch the donkey and the colt and prepare for this ride. Jesus’ ride on the donkey is an expression of his anti-empire ride, displaying an alternative kingship, as against the pomp and royalty of the Roman emperors and the empire. This was a public march against the empire of his times. This was a march of the colonized against the colonizer. That is the reason there was ‘turmoil’ at the end of the procession as recorded in 10v. ‘When he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was in turmoil.’ This was a march that stirred the city, that was ended in a turmoil, which exhibits, the angst of the colonized against the oppressive empire. Towards the end, the identity of Jesus was revealed, which wasn’t in any way kingly, but it is recorded in verse 11, ‘the crowds were saying, ‘This is the prophet Jesus from Nazareth in Galilee.’ Here is the Jesus movement, which is run by an ordinary man from a village called Nazareth in Galilee who was running an anti-empire procession in the capital city of Jerusalem, in which act, the crowds have seen ‘a prophet’ in Jesus.

3.      Citizens Shouting ‘Save us Save us’ over against ‘Roman Mata Ki Jai’:

Jesus’ political march in the streets of Jerusalem was well supported by the people, the citizens of that nation who were shouting ‘Hosanna to the son of David, Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest heaven.’ These shouts are of prominence, for the citizens of Roman empire were compelled to shout ‘hail Caesar’ for rulers who were called ‘Caesars’ claimed themselves to be sons of God, who were sent by God to rule the empire. The other popular slogan during their times was ‘there is no other name under the heaven by which men can be saved than that of Caesar.’ In contrast to this empire slogans, the co-citizens of Jesus were shouting ‘Hosanna son of David.’ This was the genuine yearning of the citizenry as they were looking for ‘freedom’ from these oppressive political regimes. I guess the gospel writers censored the other bit of these shouts like save us from what? Or save us from whom? The shouts could have been ‘Save us from Rome’ Save us from Caesars’.  The empire in a way was forcing its citizens to understand it in today’s terms to shout, ‘Roman Mata ki Jai’ (Mother Roma be hailed), but citizens’ shouts ‘Hosanna’, ‘save us’, which depicts the peoples’ anti-empire cries and aspirations to save them from the rule of oppression. These may look as slogans or shouts, but they convey deep ideologies and belief systems. The crowds could have been booked under ‘sedition’ laws and would have branded ‘anti-nationals’ for shouting something radically different from their dominant rhetoric.  It was in such a context, the citizens of a small territory in Judea were subverting the whole understanding of empire and were shouting ‘Hosanna to the son of David’ and ‘Hosanna in the highest’.

In light of this reflection, the call for us this Palm Sunday is to commit our faith communities to join with Jesus on his anti-empire, counter-hegemonic processions, shouting ‘Hosannas’ ‘God save us from these oppressive regimes of our times.’ Jesus’ alternative kingship and his alternative to the ‘roman empire,’ which he inaugurated in ‘kingdom of God’ should be our public faith belief, narrative, aspiration and paradigm.

Join with Jesus, this Palm Sunday in creating a turmoil in the context of empires, manifested as caste, class, patriarchy, race, religious nationalism, etc.  Join with Jesus this Palm Sunday in the mission of liberation that he has embarked against Caesars and their policies and join with Jesus and his co-citizens who boldly and courageously shouted against the dominant ideologies and stood undeterred even to the extent of being blamed as ‘anti-nationals’. Join with Jesus in a procession against the ‘honour killings’ that keep happening unabated in the name of caste. Join with Jesus this Palm Sunday to publicly express our solidarity in action with ‘exiled citizens’, ‘refugees’, ‘migrants’, ‘undocumented asylum seekers’, ‘homeless’, ‘excluded’, ‘marginalized’ and join with them in their struggles for justice.

Wishing you a Meaningful Palm Sunday.

Rajbharat Patta,

18^th March 2016 

Picture courtesy: http://blog.youversion.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/jesus-welcomed-into-jerusalem-1024x461.jpg

Mother Mary had a Song for her Son, What Song do you have for your Children? : Mothering Sunday 2016

(A picture of Mother Mary and Jesus from African tradition as found in the Church of Annunciation at Nazareth) 

Mary’s song, the Magnificat, (Luke 1: 46-55) is a description of Mary's aspirations for her son Jesus and reveals her role as a mother. When most mothers sing lullaby to their children, Mary has a very revolutionary song that she had to sing when she was pregnant with Jesus. There should have been several songs available for Mary in Nazareth those days, for she could have either chosen a hymn from Psalmody or from their regular hymnal, but she chose to compose a contemporary song of justice, her own yearning for her society, and sang it for her son Jesus. Her situation and context of oppression and discrimination, demanded mother Mary to sing this radical song of justice. This song reveals her mothering quality, her dream for her son, and raised Jesus with those values and ethos and Jesus eventually lived up for all those that her mother aspired and raised him with. This song could have been the song that Jesus heard her sing daily, and learnt it as an anthem of justice for his mission in his life. 

Mothering Sunday is an opportunity for parents to compose and sing songs for their children, penning their dreams and aspirations for their children. This Sunday then calls us as parents to commit ourselves to raise our children in fulfilling our aspirations for a just society. May we like mother Mary get inspired to sing songs of justice for our children. I specially remember mothers like Radhika Vemula mother of Dalit martyr Rohit Vemula, Meena Devi mother of Kanhaiya Kumar, President JNUSU and several other mothers whose names have been undocumented, forgotten and erased by the dominant patriarchal society, for they as mothers sang songs of justice and liberation for their children, and their children lived out their dreams for a just world. Thanking God for the gift of motherhood, and remembering all our mothers for their love, care, sacrifice and dreams for their children. Mother Mary had a song for her son, what song do you have for your sons and daughters? Here  is her song... what is your song? 

Luke 1:46-55

⁴⁶ And Mary said,

“My soul magnifies the Lord,
⁴⁷     and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
⁴⁸ for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant.
    Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed;
⁴⁹ for the Mighty One has done great things for me,
    and holy is his name.
⁵⁰ His mercy is for those who fear him
    from generation to generation.
⁵¹ He has shown strength with his arm;
    he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts.
⁵² He has brought down the powerful from their thrones,
    and lifted up the lowly;
⁵³ he has filled the hungry with good things,
    and sent the rich away empty.
⁵⁴ He has helped his servant Israel,
    in remembrance of his mercy,
⁵⁵ according to the promise he made to our ancestors,
    to Abraham and to his descendants forever.”

Raj Bharath Patta,

camp: Bogota, Colombia 

4th March 2016