THE CROSS IN THE MARKETPLACE An Easter resource book from Iona
Dave Broom
www.ionabooks.com
Copyright © 2014 Dave Broom First published 2014 Wild Goose Publications 4th Floor, Savoy House, 140 Sauchiehall Street, Glasgow G2 3DH, UK www.ionabooks.com Wild Goose Publications is the publishing division of the Iona Community. Scottish Charity No. SC003794. Limited Company Reg. No. SC096243. ISBN 978-1-84952-294-6 Cover image adapted from photo © Warren Goldswain All rights reserved. Apart from the circumstances described below relating to non-commercial use, no part of this publication may be reproduced in any form or by any means, including photocopying or any information storage or retrieval system, without written permission from the publisher. Non-commercial use: The material in this book may be used non-commercially for worship and group work without written permission from the publisher. If photocopies of small sections are made, please make full acknowledgement of the source, and report usage to CCLI or other copyright organisation. Dave Broom has asserted his right in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988, to be identified as the author of this work. Overseas distribution: Australia: Willow Connection Pty Ltd, Unit 4A, 3-9 Kenneth Road, Manly Vale, NSW 2093 New Zealand: Pleroma, Higginson Street, Otane 4170, Central Hawkes Bay Canada: Novalis/Bayard Publishing & Distribution, 10 Lower Spadina Ave., Suite 400, Toronto, Ontario M5V 2Z2 Printed by Bell & Bain, Thornliebank, Glasgow ®
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General contents Introduction
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The shape of the book and some suggestions on how to use it An Easter pilgrimage
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Palm Sunday: a service of commitment
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Maundy Thursday: a ceremony of foot-washing, Agape or Communion, the stripping of the church, and a vigil for ‘the disappeared’ and for prisoners of conscience 66 The stations of the Cross
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Seven meditations for Good Friday: people on the margins Good Friday dispersed worship: a service of lamentation Holy Saturday: a service of waiting and hope Easter Sunday: a dawn service (‘He is not here’) Sources and acknowledgements
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148 158
123 139
Contents in detail Introduction
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The shape of the book and some suggestions on how to use it
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PART I: AN EASTER PILGRIMAGE An Easter pilgrimage: Introduction
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Every year they went to Jerusalem
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Stop 1: The voices of experienced pilgrims (the MacLeod Centre) Stop 2: The voices of young people (Iona Village Hall) Stop 3: The voice of Zebedee (Martyrs’ Bay)
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Stop 4: The voices of Roman soldiers (the Crossroads)
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Stop 5: The voices of different generations (the Machair) Stop 6: Voices for justice and peace (Port Ban)
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Stop 7: The voices of farmers (the road through Maol farm)
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Stop 8: Caesarea Philippi and the voices of questioners (the bench overlooking the Nunnery and the Sound of Iona) 42 Stop 9: The voices of women (the Nunnery)
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Stop 10: The woman at the well (the well outside the Abbey) Stop 11: The voices of pilgrims (the Cloisters)
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PART II: HOLY WEEK Palm Sunday: a service of commitment
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Maundy Thursday: a ceremony of foot-washing, Agape or Communion, the stripping of the church, and a vigil for ‘the disappeared’ and for prisoners of conscience 66 The stations of the Cross: Introduction 6
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Jesus is condemned to death (the voice of the woman with the alabaster jar) Jesus carries his cross (the voice of the man with the water jar) Jesus falls the first time (the voice of the High Priest’s servant) Jesus meets his mother (the voice of the landlord)
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87 90
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Simon of Cyrene helps Jesus to carry the cross (the voice of Simon of Cyrene) Veronica wipes the face of Jesus (the voice of Veronica)
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Jesus falls for the second time (the voice of Judas Iscariot)
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Jesus meets the women of Jerusalem (the voice of the woman caught in adultery) Jesus falls for the third time (the voice of John Mark)
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Jesus is stripped of his garments (the voice of the High Priest’s servant-girl) Jesus is nailed to the cross (the voice of Barabbas)
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Jesus dies on the cross (the voices of the Roman Centurion and the Roman Sergeant) Jesus is taken down from the cross (the voice of Martha) Jesus is laid in the tomb (the voice of Joseph of Arimathea) Seven meditations for Good Friday: people on the margins: Introduction
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116 118 123
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Where soldiers curse Reflection 126 Netball in Ghana Reflection 128
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The margin and the centre Reflection 130 Breaking the mould Reflection 132
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Building boats 132 Reflection 134 7
Love at the end of life Reflection 135
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Rebuilding hope in a garden Reflection 138
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Good Friday dispersed worship: a service of lamentation Holy Saturday: a service of waiting and hope Easter Sunday: a dawn service (‘He is not here’) Sources and acknowledgements
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171
148 158
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To all those who have companioned me on the Iona journey over the years, particularly those staff, volunteers, guests and day-trippers who shared the 2012 season
I simply argue that the cross be raised again at the centre of the marketplace as well as on the steeple of the church. I am recovering the claim that Jesus was not crucified in a cathedral between two candles, but on a cross between two thieves; on the town garbage heap; at a crossroad so cosmopolitan that they had to write His title in Hebrew and in Latin and in Greek (or shall we say in English, in Bantu and in Afrikaans?) at the kind of place where cynics talk smut, and thieves curse, and soldiers gamble. Because that is where He died. And that is what He died about, and that is where Christ’s people ought to be ‌ George MacLeod, Founder of the Iona Community
THE CROSS IN THE MARKETPLACE
Introduction I became aware of politics early in the 1980s. President Reagan’s decision to site cruise missiles at Greenham Common and Margaret Thatcher’s resolution to close the coal mines galvanised my political consciousness and that of many of the people around me – at school we talked of little else. The Cold War was looking hotter, The Sun newspaper pronounced ‘Gotcha’ as the Royal Navy sank the Argentine cruiser General Belgrano with a loss of 323 lives, and whole swathes of traditional working-class communities were facing the future with fear. I’d listened to a lot of punk records, been on a few demos and worked voluntarily for the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament. But I was wrestling with a question: how does all this relate to my experience of the Church? I’d experienced a lot of Christianity that seemed completely unrelated to the real world of poverty, unemployment, racism, war, exploitation and nuclear weapons, and a lot of punk bands and activists who seemed very engaged. I’d been seeking authenticity from the Church and I couldn’t find it. But there was a great authenticity in those 1980s’ punk bands who exhorted you to ‘Pay no more than £2.99 for this record!’. Punk famously had a doit-yourself attitude: organise your own gigs, fly-post the details, press your own records, bypass the music industry and its exploitation (and links to the arms trade). It seemed to me that this was where Christianity should be at! Why was the religion of Jesus – the wandering mendicant, the radical firebrand, the thorn in the flesh of the authorities and powers of his time – so tied up with moneyed, right-wing big business? Two things happened to me: I spent a few weeks working in a Franciscan community, where I read Jim Wallis’ autobiography The New Radical, and I came across the Iona Community at Greenbelt Festival. I first worked on Iona in 1989. It was the first full season of the newly built MacLeod Centre and I actually met George MacLeod when he came up for Community Week (I was very young and a bit overawed!). I liked what the Iona Community was saying and what it stood for. I remember John Harvey was Leader at the time. The week he came up we had a meeting about what we should do to resist the poll tax, meanwhile justice and peace worker Helen Steven was busy trying to take the UK government to court over introducing the tax to Scotland before it came into force in England – contrary to the Act of Union. The Community had an unashamed commitment to
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CND, among other grassroots campaigns. Finally I had found a place where people were not prepared to disconnect their spirituality and their politics, their work and their worship. The gospels when I read them at the time – really read them – seemed to me to have the same vibrancy and authenticity that I had found in the protest movements and punk. I could imagine St Mark in an army surplus combat jacket telling you to ‘Pay no more than 3 shekels for this story of Jesus!’ The gospels are about real people trying to understand who Jesus is. They are about a God who shows his option for the poor: who spends his time with the outcasts of society and those on the margins. A God completely connected to human life in all its rawness and pain. A God who comes to us in Jesus, born in a stable, cared for by a frightened teenager and an old man; betrayed by his followers, and dying at the hands of an occupying power in a manner reserved for terrorists. George MacLeod puts it better than I ever could: I simply argue that the cross be raised again at the centre of the marketplace as well as on the steeple of the church. I am recovering the claim that Jesus was not crucified in a cathedral between two candles, but on a cross between two thieves; on the town garbage heap; at a crossroad so cosmopolitan that they had to write His title in Hebrew and in Latin and in Greek (or shall we say in English, in Bantu and in Afrikaans?) at the kind of place where cynics talk smut, and thieves curse, and soldiers gamble. Because that is where He died. And that is what He died about, and that is where Christ’s people ought to be … 1 This book comes out of all my experiences then and since. It comes particularly out of my time spent on Iona in 2012 working as Resident Sacristan for the Iona Community. It is a text that, although written by me, emerged out of the context of where I was and the people I shared community with that year. Sometimes I wrote dialogues with specific folk in mind. I could ‘hear’ them say the words. So to all of them: thank you. And to everyone else: may this book be useful, challenging, encouraging and frustrating in equal measure.
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The shape of the book and some suggestions on how to use it This book is divided into two parts. The first part is the Easter pilgrimage, which happens just before Holy Week.The second part consists of services marking the events of Holy Week. The book can be used in several ways. It can be read by an individual – that’s fine! It’ll work that way. Use it over the Easter period as a resource for the deepening of your understanding and devotion and as a springboard for action. It can also be used by a group or congregation. You can use all the parts, as I have included full resources for all the major Easter services. Or you can pick and choose and use the parts that will work with your congregation or situation. For example, you may not be able to do the pilgrimage, or the dispersed worship on Holy Saturday, but you might like to use all the resources for Good Friday. Again, that’s absolutely fine; I have written each part so that it can stand alone. Dave Broom
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PART I: AN EASTER PILGRIMAGE
AN EASTER PILGRIMAGE
THE CROSS IN THE MARKETPLACE
Introduction Since the earliest days of the Iona Community there has been a weekly pilgrimage on Iona. It is a highly enjoyable and challenging event that not only allows pilgrims to see parts of the island that they might not otherwise get to, but also to spend time in prayer and reflection, building community with those round them, and committing themselves to action once they leave Iona. The pilgrimage is often the watershed moment of the week. The common challenge of mud and rain and distance brings people together in a way that nothing else can. For Easter 2012 we wanted to keep this spirit, but also do something specifically for the start of Holy Week. This is what emerged. The basic premise of this Easter pilgrimage is that folk are going to Jerusalem for the great festival of Passover. There is excitement in the air as usual – but this year the anticipation feels greater. Many people have heard about this strange teacher, Jesus: they know he’s going to be there and they’re anxious to see him. Along the way they encounter different people who’ve met him, and who tell the crowd what he’s like. Gradually a picture begins to emerge … Although these scripts were written for a pilgrimage around Iona they can be easily adapted to a more urban setting. For example, the voice of Zebedee would work very well outside the local chip shop! Consider your area and choose locations that you think would work best. Allow enough space for folk to gather and watch. The actors for these scripts were pilgrims who travelled with us, but it would also be possible to place people strategically in different locations prior to the pilgrimage: as the pilgrim crowd nears that old lady sitting on the bench in the park with her Jack Russell, she might suddenly stand up and tell her story. The man waiting for the bus may have been at the feeding of the 5000; the Big Issue seller might turn out to be one of the mustard seed farmers; the two men sitting outside the pub, Roman soldiers, and so on. If you do act out the scripts in this way it would be a good idea to give your actors something that will identify them (such as a palm cross) so that, as the crowd draws near, it is obvious that this is the person (or people) that they should be listening to, so that they don’t just walk merrily past!
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Also, it is not necessary to act out all the scripts.They could be used as part of a service, along with prayers, readings and reflections; or, depending on your circumstances and the mobility of your congregation, at different stations around a church. When I organised this pilgrimage on Iona I had 33 people just in the immediate acting roles, as well as a whole host of supporting characters and ‘logistic support’ – musicians, tea makers, van drivers … I, of course, had two full centres of guests and a whole staff team to choose from! It is not necessary to have quite so many people, and, depending on the size of your group or congregation, people could double up on different roles. What is important is to try to get as many people involved as possible. I wrote with gender and a range of ages in mind in an attempt to be inclusive. Another important consideration is that less is definitely more. The folk who went to Jerusalem for Passover were ordinary people like you and me.The scripts come out of the ordinariness of people’s lives, and in some cases I encourage you to use people’s real names. Avoid, at all costs, the temptation to dress fishermen in tea-towel headdresses, Roman soldiers in plastic helmets – or anyone in the ubiquitous bin bag, a stalwart of church drama productions. People should just read the dialogues in their ordinary clothes; there is no need for any props (apart from a Mars Bar possibly in ‘Voices of different generations’). Throughout the pilgrimage the voice of the narrator crops up from time to time. It is probably best to keep this role to one or two people in order to give continuity to the piece.
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Dramatis personae Voice Narrator Stop 1: Voice 1 (older man) Voice 2 (older man) Voices A, B, C, D Stop 2: Child 1 Child 2 Dad or mum Narrator Reader Stop 3: Narrator Zebedee Housewife (Rebekah) Stop 4: Roman Sergeant Younger Roman soldier Narrator Stop 5: Narrator Child Mother Older man Stop 6: Voice 1 Voice 2
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Stop 7: Narrator Farmer 1 Farmer 2 Reader 1 Reader 2 Stop 8: Questioner 1 Questioner 2 Narrator Stop 9: Narrator Voices 1, 2, 3 (three women of differing ages) Reader Stop 10: Voice 1 Voice 2 Reader Stop 11: Voice 1 Voice 2 Disciple Jesus Voices of the crowd Roman Sergeant
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Every year they went to Jerusalem Voice: And it came to pass, when the time was come that he should be received up, he steadfastly set his face to go to Jerusalem … (Luke 9:51, KJV) Narrator: Every year they went to Jerusalem. The greatest to the least. Young and old, rich and poor. Jerusalem, Jerusalem … To celebrate that pivotal act in their history when God had saved the whole nation: snatched them, at the very last moment, out of the hands of Pharaoh. Every righteous Jew wanted to be in Jerusalem at the temple for Passover. And every year they went. A plodding line of people, donkeys, sheep, wagons, bags and belongings. Merchants selling their wares. Pickpockets finding easy targets. Roman soldiers – edgy and anxious, tough and frightened of the crowd. Every year they went. But this year something seemed different. You couldn’t quite put your finger on it, but there was something in the air. There were rumours circulating, graffiti on the walls, strange tales of what had been happening. Messengers shouting in the street. Something felt, well, different …
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Stop 1: The voices of experienced pilgrims (the MacLeod Centre) This first stop is probably best acted by two older men, one slightly younger than the other and with vague traces of his youthful idealism left. Voice 2 is definitely a comical, grumpy old man role. These are two people who have been to Jerusalem for Passover many times and they’ve seen it all before. It’s a good idea to use real names here to give it the personal touch. Voice 1: So, (name), Jerusalem again? Voice 2: Yes, (name), seems to come round so quickly, doesn’t it? Passover. Voice 1: I find they all blur into one a bit these days, (name). Same old faces, same arrogant Roman soldiers, same crush when you get there. Voice 2: Same high prices in the hotels! Voice 1: You can say that again – cost me an’ the wife an arm and a leg last time! Voice 2: I just keep hoping there might be something different one time. Voice 1: Have you heard about this Galilean preacher? The one they call Jesus. Voice 2: The firebrand? Youth of today – don’t know they’re born! Voice 1: He’s going to Jerusalem this year and all his fans are going with him … It’s an ill wind … Voice 2: Who are those people over there? Aren’t they his followers? What are they saying? 22
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Voice 1: I can’t hear. Let’s get a bit closer … We did not want to go Voice A: He called me but I did not want to go. I had some business to attend to – private business. I was a self-made man, fired by the spirit of free enterprise. It took a lot of my time, most of my time … that’s the way it is with private business. And he expected me to give it up when he called: give up my independence and go public, give up competition and go co-operative. I did not want to go. Voice B: He called me but I did not want to go. I had a relationship to attend to – a private relationship. I was involved with one person whom I coveted, adored and who kept me infatuated … that’s the way it is with some private relationships. And he expected me to give it up when he called: give up my obsession for one person and love everybody; give up caring only for one individual and start caring for the world. I did not want to go.
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Voice C: He called me but I did not want to go. I had some money to attend to – private money. I had inherited a small fortune from my parents; I had made some fast money on the stock market, and I was making inroads into the black market … that’s the way it is with private money. And he expected me to give it up when he called: give up my private wealth and share it around; live on less so that others could live on more. I did not want to go. Voice D: He called me but I did not want to go. I had my faith to attend to – my own private faith. I was devoted to a god whom I imagined was like me. I worshipped that god my own personal way … that’s the way it is with private faith. And he expected me to give it up when he called: give up my private faith and make it public; serve God in society and not just in my soul. I did not want to go. Voice A: He called us, but we did not want to go. We did not want our business, our love, our fortune, our faith to be infected and affected by his touch. Yet we went.
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We gave up everything and lost more. And we gained the Kingdom of Heaven. John L. Bell, from He Was in the World 2
Narrator: We are a pilgrim crowd – come, let us go to Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover …
Stop 2: The voices of young people (Iona Village Hall) This is a good dialogue for two children and one parent. Child 1: Are you going to Jerusalem? Child 2: Yeah, I have to: Mum said so. I don’t want to go. I want to stay home and watch TV. You been before? Child 1: Yeah, it’s all right. And they say Jesus is going to be there this time. Child 2: Who’s Jesus? Child 1: Don’t you know? He’s amazing! You know how most adults are really boring, always talking about their jobs and bills and stuff? Child 2: Yeah, and roads! They’re always going on about roads. Child 1: Well, Jesus isn’t like that, he’s really different. I went to my aunt’s wedding, right? And there was all this water – and he turned it into wine.
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Child 2: You’re winding me up! Child 1: It’s true, honest. You ask my dad (mum), he’ll (she’ll) tell you. Listen to this story … Dad (or Mum): On the third day there was a wedding at Cana in Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. Jesus also was invited to the wedding with his disciples. When the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus said to him, ‘They have no wine.’ And Jesus said to her, ‘Woman, what does this have to do with me? My hour has not yet come.’ His mother said to the servants, ‘Do whatever he tells you.’ Now there were six stone water jars there for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding twenty or thirty gallons. Jesus said to the servants, ‘Fill the jars with water.’ And they filled them up to the brim. And he said to them, ‘Now draw some out and take it to the master of the feast.’ So they took it. When the master of the feast tasted the water now become wine, and did not know where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), the master of the feast called the bridegroom and said to him, ‘Everyone serves the good wine first, and when people have drunk freely, then the poor wine. But you have kept the good wine until now.’ (John 2:1–10, ESV) Narrator: Jesus said: ‘I came that they might have life and have it abundantly.’ (John 10:10, ESV) Reflection: After the first few years of any community’s life, disillusionment sets in. For each of us the initial enthusiasm of beginning a community, or first joining one, gives way to daily routine. The romance wears off as we realise that the exciting experiment has become something that demands the commitment of our whole lives. Each of us faces the meaning of our choices and of being committed with very human people in not-so-extraordinary circumstances; yet the love, growth, freedom and fulfilment of community can only be experienced as we make those commitments. The choice for community means a choice against the leading values, rewards and life patterns of our culture. Sometimes the power of the culture reasserts itself with new force, and the things we left joyfully behind to join community become attractive again, especially at crucial transition points like marriage, family and vocational crisis. For a community’s long-term survival against the assaults of the culture, at least two paths can be taken. 26
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One would create an alternative system that protects people from the culture. Very strong, even rigid, corporate structures can be used to create an environment that is self-sufficient. Every community is tempted to find its security in structures which replace the securities offered by the society. But such structures can dominate, control and stifle growth. The second path creates a community environment that generates faith. The power of the culture is confronted primarily not by a community’s structures but by the deepening faith of its members. This path requires more risk but produces greater maturity and truer security. We seek to walk the second path, to live in such a way that our personal and corporate spiritual disciplines help us see and understand the movement of the Spirit in our inner lives, our community, the churches and history. To sustain us over the years, our disciplines must not be used to protect us from the world, or from one another, but to deepen our faith so that we can give more of our lives for the sake of Christ. These disciplines include prayer, solitude and spiritual direction. The relationship that each of us has with Jesus Christ is the building block of community and that relationship needs to be affirmed and renewed in prayer.3 Jim Wallis, from The New Radical
Stop 3: The voice of Zebedee (Martyrs’ Bay) This is a light-hearted dialogue looking at the Easter story from the point of view of Zebedee, abandoned by his sons who’ve gone off to follow Jesus. If you live in a town this would be a good stop to have outside the chip shop. This script is best acted by an older couple; an established couple in your congregation would be perfect and add to the comedy value. Narrator: Passing alongside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew the brother of Simon casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. And Jesus said to them, ‘Follow me, and I will make you become fishers of men.’ And immediately they left their nets and followed him. And going on a little farther, he saw James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, who were in their boat mending the nets. And immediately he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants and followed him. (Mark 1:16–20, ESV) Zebedee: Fresh fish, buy my fresh fish. Special rates to a beautiful lady! Got a nice piece of halibut here, my darling. Take a piece home for your husband’s tea. All got to go now, my love – all got to go, before I do anyway! 27
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Housewife (giggling): Is it really fresh? Zebedee: As a daisy! You can’t get fresher fish in all of Palestine, or my name’s not Zebedee Silverstein. Housewife: Zebedee? Zebedee: The very same, and at your service. Purveyor of fine fish since 25 BC. Housewife (thinking): … Zebedee Silverstein. We were at school together! It’s me Rebekah. We were in Mr Bitterman’s class. Zebedee: Well, so we were! Rebekah Goldberg! Housewife: It’s Rebekah Cohen now, Zebedee. Zebedee: Oh, I’m sorry! But how are you? We used to sit next to each other in double Hebrew, didn’t we? Old Bitterman, blimey! He was a tyrant! Housewife: Didn’t your sons leave you and go off with the Teacher? The Galilean? The one they call Jesus? Zebedee: Yes, they did. And I haven’t seen hide nor hair of them since! Housewife: But isn’t this a family business? 28
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Zebedee: It’s a crying shame, that’s what it is! A crying shame! I’d never have treated my old man like this. And he worked this business up from nothing. Nothing! Came here with one net – and look at us now … But that’s the way it is these days. People have no commitment to anything. Sons come and go as they please, wandering off with long-haired layabouts, trying to ‘find themselves’, or whatever other nonsense they come up with. Housewife: But what about your wife? How does she feel about it? Zebedee: Well, sometimes I wonder if she hasn’t had her head turned by it all as well! She’s off with James and John and the Teacher most of the time too! But she takes a pragmatic approach, my old lady, I’ll give her that. She went and saw the Teacher the other day and she asked him straight: seeing as how James and John were giving up everything, could he at least guarantee them decent jobs in this Kingdom of his, when he gets it off the ground? Housewife: And what did he say? Zebedee: He asked them all if they could drink the cup that he was going to drink. Housewife: What did he mean? Zebedee: None of them really knew! But they said they could. He said that they would drink the cup, but that he didn’t have the authority to grant them any sort of job. Seemed a bit of a copout to me! Housewife: You do know, Zebedee, that my husband and his brother have also gone off with the Teacher? Zebedee: Rebekah Cohen! Of course! You married Simon Cohen, didn’t you? From the year above. 29
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I remember when he was prop forward in the school rugby team! Isn’t he one of the Teacher’s main men now? Housewife: Yes, he’s off with the Teacher a lot these days, and he’s changed his name to Peter. We do see him from time to time, and sometimes the Teacher stays with us. I’ve got my old mother living with me; she’s not so well these days. Six months ago I thought I’d lost her altogether, but the Teacher came to Capernaum that afternoon, came into the house and held my mother’s hand. Within minutes she was back to her old self! She started singing, cooking and bossing them all around. Zebedee: That’s incredible! So you’ve heard him speak? Housewife (laughing): Oh yes, many times! I felt the same as you at first, Zebedee, but you have to hear him. He’s not like anyone you’ve ever listened to before. Zebedee: Maybe I should, maybe I should! It certainly seems as though everyone around me has gone mad for this. When is he coming back again? Housewife: He’ll be here tonight. Why not come to our place for tea? He’ll be speaking there. Zebedee: Thank you, Rebekah, I think I’ll take you up on that. See if I can find out what’s going on! Housewife: See you at six then. I have to warn you though, Zebedee, once you’ve heard him, you might never be the same again. Zebedee: Oh blimey, I can’t go off wandering the countryside too! The hired lads are a good bunch but they can’t run the business forever! This fishing of men is all very well but we can’t all starve, can we? Is anyone doing any actual fishing any more?!
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Stop 4: The voices of Roman soldiers (the Crossroads) You need an older and younger man for these parts. It’s the night-watch. The sergeant is on his rounds checking his men. We are in first-century Palestine but we are also in all times. This is a heavier stop than the last one and points to what is to come. The reference in the dialogue to Pilate’s triumphal march into Jerusalem (which Jesus deliberately mimics) is taken from Marcus Borg and John Dominic Crossan’s book The Last Week (HarperCollins), a remarkably thoughtprovoking and challenging book that guests and staff studied during Iona Easter Week, 2012. Sergeant: You all right, lad? Soldier: Yes, Sarge … Er, Sarge … Sergeant: Yes, lad. Soldier: It’s a bit dark, isn’t it? Sergeant: You getting nervous, son? Got the wind up? How long you been in the army? Soldier: About a year, Sarge … Well, 8 months actually. Sergeant: You’ll get used to it. Seen any action? Soldier: No, not really. I’ve been on ceremonial back home since basic. Sergeant: Ha! Spit and polish and blanco. Not much ceremonial here. You be careful, son. Watch yourself and stick by me. Keep your head down and don’t do anything daft. These people 31
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are trouble and they’ll stab you in the back as soon as look at you, if they get the chance. Soldier: Have you been in many battles, Sarge? Sergeant: You wouldn’t want to know, lad. I was stationed in Syria; part of the detachment that was brought in to sort this lot out after the old Herod died. The place was in uproar and as usual it was the army that had to clean up the mess. You can forget all that ‘hearts and minds’ nonsense that they teach you in basic. This lot are fanatical. They don’t like us and we don’t like them and that’s the end of it, and the Education Corps can keep their Commie thoughts to themselves! It’s impossible to know who’s on your side and who’s about to kill you, so don’t trust any of them. What is certain is that an IED will take your legs off and an AK47 will make a mess of you, so keep your eyes open. One of these days we’ll carpet bomb the lot and have done with it. Soldier: Sarge, have you heard about this Jesus? Sergeant: Where did you hear that name, son? Soldier: Back at the barracks: some of the others were talking. They say he’s a prophet, a revolutionary, that he has a lot of followers and could cause trouble. Sergeant: You be careful who you listen to. There’s too much defeatist talk in this army and too many barrack-room Generals. I’ve heard about Jesus, yes. But it won’t amount to anything. This lot have hundreds of prophets and miracle workers and Jupiter knows what! They appear for a time and either die in the desert somewhere or feel the sharp end of some Roman justice, and believe me that’s the only language this lot understand. 32
AN EASTER PILGRIMAGE
Soldier: They say Jesus is different. That he’s going to do something spectacular in Jerusalem this year. Sergeant: Look, son, if you want spectacular, Pilate is marching into Jerusalem in a few days’ time and several crack legions will be going with him. I think that will be enough pomp for anybody. I don’t think your miracle worker is going to stand much of a chance against that, is he? Trust me, lad, I’ve seen it all before. They come and they go but Rome, Rome goes on, and so do we. A soldier’s life is about taking orders, not worrying about half-witted Jewish mystics and preachers. Keep your nose clean, do your 25 years, and you’ll get your plot of land at the end. And there are plenty of Roman gods, if that’s your thing. Soldier: I guess so, Sarge. Sergeant: That’s right, lad. Now stand up straight and look lively. The Centurion’s coming. Narrator: ‘Take us outside, O Christ, outside holiness, out to where soldiers curse and nations clash at the crossroads of the world’ … 4
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