This commentary is by Rev. Devon Thomas, pastor of the Ascension Lutheran Church in South Burlington.
Last week was Holy Week, and the detainment of both Rümeysa Öztürk and Mohsen Mahdawi, as well as the refusal to return Kilmar Abrego Garcia to the United States, took up the headlines. It may feel coincidental that this was all happening as Christians remembered the unjust detainment, trial and execution of our Lord and Savior, but it is not insignificant.
Many Vermonters believe our democracy has been sliding into authoritarianism, but now we’re seeing it firsthand. All of us should be in opposition to this blatant attack on due process and our First Amendment right to protest and free expression. As a Pastor and a Christian, I must personally express my dismay and disappointment that so many people who profess to follow Jesus Christ would choose to defend this injustice, hiding behind the Cross of Jesus without understanding what that Cross represents.
There is a reason Christians represent themselves with the symbol of a tool for execution. The Cross represents the totalitarian powers of the world and the blatant authoritarianism that Jesus entered Jerusalem to protest. As we celebrated Easter, we remembered that Jesus put his life on the line to protest the unethical and unjust mistreatment of the poor, women, migrants, the sick and people of other faith traditions. Jesus welcomed all people to his table, asking them to share food with him in a spirit of fellowship and love. Jesus criticized those who would leave others to suffer while at the same time hoarding privilege and wealth for themselves.
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and of the plate, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. You blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and of the plate, so that the outside also may become clean.” (Matt 23:25-26).
Holy Week served as a reminder of the love and justice Jesus embodied, and resurrected after Christ’s death on the cross.
We are living through a time where those who would honestly listen to the teachings of Jesus Christ should be able to see some frightening parallels. A Christian should know what Jesus would call us to do in this moment, where civil liberty and human rights are eroding around us. No U.S. administration should have the power to arbitrarily send U.S. residents to an El Salvadorian prison camp, as this administration has done to Kilmar Abrego Garcia. Because of Holy Week, I must recognize that I have a responsibility as a follower of Christ and a citizen of this nation to loudly and publicly condemn the actions of this administration and its use of ICE to infringe upon the rights of our U.S. residents. I know that I share the feelings of most Vermont residents in saying what has happened to Mohsen Mahdawi, Rümeysa Öztürk and Kilmar Abrego Garcia could very soon be happening to any of us who choose to speak against this administration’s actions.
I will close this letter by reminding my neighbors that Holy Week was a time of hope for the resurrection. Even though a loving and compassionate person like Jesus was unjustly executed, Christians profess that love will be resurrected. I think our nation needs a resurrection right now, and I hope we can rediscover the love for our neighbors that Jesus tried to teach us.
