I had a good trip home to Liberty, and maybe I'll get around to writing about it. Or maybe those thoughts will sink down into that morass of vague feelings too distant to put into precise language.
But I did have one Easter thought I wanted to share. If you can talk about the suffering of Jesus and not be outraged to the point of insanity with our prison system, from "correctional" institutions stateside to military prisons to CIA black sites to partnerships with autocratic foreign governments, you need to read your Bible again.
Torture is one of those lines in the sand. You cannot be a Christian and not be adamently, vehemently, passionately, vocally, obnoxiously, ceaselessly against our government torturing people. It seems like every day we learn more details about how expansive have been the variety of injustices conducted in our name. It is disgusting.
It must stop.
Update: Apparently, I'm a little restless tonight. A long weekend must have done me good.
It occured to me that the passion narrative is a remarkably detailed description of the situation we face today. The authors make a point to tell us that Jesus was subjected to various forms of accusations, degrading and humiliating treatment, physical discomfort, and extended stress positions. Was this exceptional treatment for a high value target? Nope. Two common criminals are in similar stress positions next to him. Are the writers sympathetic to the needs for such tactics? Nope. In fact, the perpetrators, from jailors to priests to the masses, are made to look most misguided and despicable. While vile, is the response at least justified, given the threat of the day? Nope. Again, the authors are quite clear. What is done to Jesus is both wrong and counterproductive.
Interestingly, the Romans seem not to have needed to render the prisoners blind and deaf, and they left them so close to each other that they could actually interact--and even have visitors, of a sort, in this public place where all could see.
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