When did we see Jesus naked?

Yesterday I attended a webinar organised by Sarum College, Salisbury, UK and The Queen's Foundation, for Ecumenical Theological Education, Birmingham, UK. The theme was:

'When Did We See You Naked?': Holy Week Reflections on the Crucifixion and Sexual Violence

The webinar took its point of departure in the parable of Jesus recorded in Matthew 25. Jesus says that he was hungry, thirsty, a stranger, naked, sick, and in prison. Based on how people (we) responded to Jesus’ needs, people (we) were judged and sent either to punishment or eternal life. It is a tough text. This time the focus was on how Jesus describes himself and our reactions to that. The Church has tried to respond to persons in hunger or thirst, to strangers, to people in prison or in sickness. But what have we done with the nakedness of Jesus? 

We are now in the Holy Week. It is Maundy Thursday. Tomorrow it is Good Friday, and we listen to texts about Jesus’ suffering under Pontius Pilate. In the webinar we were reminded about this. A connection to Jesus’ nakedness was established. Under the heading “The Soldiers Mock Jesus” we read:

Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the governor’s headquarters, and they gathered the whole cohort around him. They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, and after twisting some thorns into a crown, they put it on his head. They put a reed in his right hand and knelt before him and mocked him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” They spat on him, and took the reed and struck him on the head. After mocking him, they stripped him of the robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him away to crucify him (Matthew 27:27-31 NRSV).

A cohort is a large group of soldiers. Hundreds of them. Think of the situation? How is it to be stripped in that context? Isn’t that an example of sexual violence? Jesus is stripped at least two times according to these few verses. And most probably a third time when he is led away to be crucified.

In the webinar the speakers reminded us how women and girls are being exposed to sexual violence. And they drew parallels to the torturing of Jesus. Another example came from the Caribbean where the whole slave trade is an example of the same. How people have been stripped and abused. And how this still affects people. It is about bodies that are treated the same way as Jesus’ body was. It is sexual violence.

I did not follow the webinar to its end, but I felt a challenge to Churches’ traditions during Holy Week. Do we ever connect Jesus’ suffering to sexual violence? For me this was an eye opener. When I reflect on the Passion I will from now on, in a renewed way, include all victims of sexual abuse. And the question from Matthew 25 will be there:

I saw Jesus naked. How did I respond?

Its’ Maundy Thursday. Yet another Thursday in Black. Towards a world without rape and violence.

Children’s mighty Easter sermon

This Easter has been different. We usually attend all the Easter services in the same church. From Palm Sunday with the serenity of Maundy Thursday, the dramatic story told on Good Friday and with the culmination of joy on Easter Day.

So far we haven’t decided which congregation to join. We have attended services at the Lutheran Theological Institute (LTI), with the Scottsville Methodist Congregation, in the Anglican Cathedral of Pietermaritzburg and in the Lutheran churches in Macebisa (PMB), Imbali (PMB), Sobantu (PMB), Elsies River (Cape Town), and Batho (Bloemfontein). Our plan was to celebrate Easter at LTI but it has been closed over Easter. So we went to the Anglican Cathedral of Holy Nativity on Maundy Thursday and today, on Easter Sunday. Good Friday we felt the services in the Cathedral were either too early or too long, so we joined the Lutheran Congregation in Hayfields (Kreuzkirche – Church of the Cross), which belongs to the Lutheran Church with German origin (ELSCA-NT). (The reason was, that this was one of the few churches nearby that had published their service roster on their web site. And the service was in English on this occasion).  The church is mainly a white church but they are involved at LTI and I hope that in the future this church and our own church, ELCSA, could join.

Sprinkling of water in the Cathedral of the Holy Nativity

Both in the Cathedral of the Holy Nativity and in Kreuzkirche much focus was put on the sermons. But the liturgy is more elaborated in the Anglican tradition. So, on Maundy Thursday there were both washing of feet and stripping of the altar. Today we enjoyed the renewal of our baptismal vows with the sprinkling of water. But the sermon was a bit longer then we usually find in the Anglican cathedral. The best sermon, though, the children presented. Totally unexpected! The Dean invited all the children at the end of the 2½ hour service. He asked one of the Sunday school leaders to estimate how many they were and the leader answered: 40! The Dean seemed satisfied and started to give out sweets to the children. We prayed hard, because more than 40 kids approached the altar. When the sweets were finished 8 kids still waited for their treats. I really felt for those children but also for the Dean. I could have done the same.

I promise that you will get sweets if you come next Sunday!

Probably not the answer the children wanted. So we all held our breath. Then one of the older girls, who had already received a piece of chocolate, came forward and gave hers to the youngest among the eight. She was followed by another and soon the youngest had got sweets and the oldest had willingly given up theirs. We were impressed! And so was the Dean. What a mighty example in today’s world and today’s South Africa were entitlement and corruption are such major problems.

The Very Revd Ndabezinhle Sibisi, gathers the Sunday school children to give them sweets.