Rulers are interrogating John the Baptist. Why would members of the ruling class “from Jerusalem send priests and Levites to” interrogate a somewhat obscure man? Perhaps they are disturbed by his nonconformity. Nonconformity, no matter how seemingly small, could be reason enough for the rulers to interrogate him. John’s nonconformity is personal and social. He is the son of a priest but seems to be separating himself from the whole ruling class system. Living as he does in the desert certainly separates him from any of its status. John’s lack of status, his being an outsider, is confirmed by his torture and death a short time later at the hands of that same ruling class. Status in the system is thus exceedingly important. It distinguishes between those who do the interrogating, torturing, and killing and those who get interrogated, tortured, and killed.
Interrogation is currently being practiced by the U.S. ruling class, especially the euphemistically titled “enhanced” type – otherwise known as torture. The torture is described as an exceptional practice by an exceptional nation. But as the story of John the Baptist, Jesus, and so many other nonconformists show, such practices and the empires that institutionalize them are not exceptional at all. They are age old and routine. That is certainly true as far as the U.S. Empire is concerned. It has been practicing torture since its opening days of slavery, Jim Crow, and the KKK. Torture has been institutionalized through the military, the CIA, and the School of the Americas. Torture was even exported so as to be practiced by the U.S. against Vietnamese civilians through the Phoenix Project during the 1960’s and 70’s. Also by the U.S. supplied Operation Condor program against the people of Central and South America in the 1970’s and 80’s. Torture was practiced by the U.S. backed death squads of El Salvador (e.g. El Mazote) in the 1970’s into the 1990’s. Also, by the U.S. driven war on drugs against Columbia and Ecuador in the 1990’s and beyond. This history brings the U.S. Empire into its 21st century with its age old and routine interrogation practices. Torture is ordered and or practiced by Bush, Rumsfeld, Tenant, et al, and especially Dick Cheney (“We also have to work, though, sort of the dark side.”). All of these torturing rulers have the support of a majority of self-titled Christians. (Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life).
Self-titled Christians who support empire now would have supported empire then. They would have been in the Sanhedrin in and in the military interrogating, torturing, and killing the one they claim is their Lord and Savior. Such supporters need to step out of empire’s darkness and into the Light of Christ.
Prayer: Spirit of Light, renew in us and our faith community life-giving practices.
Question: How did Christianity descend into this tortuous state?
December 14, 2014 Gospel John 1:6-8, 19-28 Third Sunday of Advent