CPTnet
21 March 2008
HEBRON: The Thirteenth and Fourteenth Stations of the Cross—Jesus taken down from cross; laid in tomb


The Thirteenth Station: Jesus taken down from cross

by Jean Fallon

Jesus is taken down from the Cross. 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 murders of eight students in the Jerusalem Yeshiva by a young man, craze by 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 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 settler who has regularly invited CPT delegations to her settlement home. In her sorrow, she invited the delegation to come sit Shiva (a Jewish mourning ritual) 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, Israeli soldiers had invaded her home, torn it apart and took away her four sons. She had no idea to where here sons were, or, whether or not they were still alive… We called those who could help her search, but mostly we could only stand with her in her sorrow and pain. Before she left, we all stood and prayed with her that these lost sons would return 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 power to execute or spare their sons.


The Fourteenth Station: Jesus is laid in the tomb

by Lorne Friesen

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 really happening? The One who loved so much is now lifeless. And so the body is prepared for burial.

But it is not only the body that was buried. The hopes and dreams inspired by Jesus also had to be buried. The disciples had chosen to leave their old professions and their old perspectives. 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 because of the Occupation. (http://www.btselem.org/english/Press_Releases/20071231.asp)

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 hopes, dreams, and a normal, healthy way of life, when a military power occupies their land. Palestinian families tell us that under the occupation they have lost their freedom, security, and dignity. Many live with the fear of home invasions by soldiers, the demolition of their homes by bulldozers, and the murders of loved ones. One Palestinian father said, “I am walking dead.” Israeli families tell us that they live with the fear of rocket attacks 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.