It’s only in the Garden of Gethsemane, when Judas and the Roman soldiers arrive to arrest Jesus, that the early community — the disciples of men and women, the first church — finally come to understand Jesus. There they realize just how serious Jesus is about life-giving nonviolence. Lent invites us to come to the same realization, but unlike the disciples, to stay the course of nonviolence with Jesus, come what may.
Under the cover of night, in the first act of violence by a disciple, Judas kisses Jesus and betrays him, and the soldiers move in for the arrest. In the second act of violence by a disciple of Jesus, Peter himself takes out a sword, strikes at a soldier and cuts off his ear. Jesus will have none of it.
“Put back your sword, for those who take up the sword will surely perish by the sword.” These are the last words of Jesus to the church before he was executed, and it’s the first time they recognize the depth of his nonviolence. What do they do? They all run away. Read more
Sources
- John Dear SJ in National Catholic Reporter
- Image: Bible People