The Tridiuum is three days of Jesus’ passion and death: Maundy Thursday/the Last Supper, Good Friday/the Crucifixion, and Holy Saturday/before his Resurrection. Whether you are religious or not, this is not that sort of post. I am not here asking you to take these things as the literal truth. I want you to look at this as metaphor with me.
An empire is a place (country, ‘realm’) with a dominant center and subordinate peripheries: the geography is in a parallel hierarchical arrangement as the people living within that empire. Those in the center are the dominant group, and those who succeed well enough in that realm are sent off to further subordinate the peripheries (also, to prevent them from threatening the central power). The imbalance of power in the peripheries is extremely apparent to those who live there, which is why the chief priests and Jewish officials who felt threatened by Jesus appealed to Pilate-they saw the huge power imbalance and, perhaps, felt that offering Jesus up to Rome would give them a bit of a leg up on promotion day. So Jesus is publicly humiliated, executed, and buried in hopes that his disruption to the social structures-religious, political, societal-would go away. Except, those disruptions didn’t. His followers (regardless of whether you believe in his literal or figurative resurrection) DON’T go away, and his movement and vision grow. Religiously, obviously, people are worshipping differently and upsetting the Temple system. Politically, they’re organizing power differently. Not threatening Rome, but not supporting the Jewish authorities (who were really hoping association with Pilate would help their careers). Socially, they’re caring for one another and trying to create a little utopia where food, care, and shelter are provided to and from all. It doesn’t last, but the symbolism is powerful. Within ~40 years of Jesus’ death, the Temple in Jerusalem is destroyed and with it the historic symbol and site of Jewish identity. On the level of the Babylonian exile, but it’s ongoing.
One person, one countercultural idea, complete destruction of the world as they knew it.
We’ve been told that to prosecute those in the Epstein files would completely collapse the system-it’s too big, too far-reaching, too destructive. But why are we at this point? Because for decades, Epstein intimidated and bribed official after official to avoid being held culpable. Promises of job advancement, introductions to the right people, ‘career defining moment’ if you just make these charges go away. The story of Epstein is the story of power and influence and empire (Washington, Palm Beach), and those on the periphery (FL DOJ, West Palm Beach). Alex Acosta. Alan Dershowitz. Countless others. And what now? Now he’s dead, but Pam Bondi’s DOJ did everything it could to continue to harm survivors. Not for Epstein this time, but for promotions and job security in Trump’s second term. Now Bondi is out (a lot of good sucking up to Pilate did for the Temple officials, too). Acosta wasn’t part of this administration. Many, many people did everything they could to protect power, to be cozy up to empire and money and connections. And it’s all empty. Because no matter how much you try to get in with empire, empire only protects itself. Everyone everyone else is collateral.
Now, maybe you’re not Christian but maybe you’re with me so far. Here’s why Good Friday matters to the victims. The story isn’t over. Jesus did not stay dead and gone. Maybe you think he didn’t exist or did stay dead, I’m not here to argue that. But the can of society-changing worms opened. Christians suffered a lot when persecuted by Rome, but they were glad a lot, too. We read of a lot of joy and love and peace in the early Christian community. Far more than nowadays, it sure seems. But also? Empire did fall. I really, really hope we can stand with the victims of every manifestation of empire and evil and “run with perseverance” for the upheaval of evil, death-dealing systems. Change is hard. We get fearful, huddled around ‘us and ours’. We blame the Other. We fund ICE and pretend like it’s those people who created a world-wide crime ring of victimization of young children, not the white people in power, and those who tried to cozy up to power. Seeing the career of Acosta or Bondi or Noem or other conspirators go up in smoke is not enough. Ghislaine Maxwell in prison is not enough. Because the cancer the Epstein files exposed is still there. There are still children victimized all over. And until we cut it out and bleed the system, we are still stuck on Holy Saturday. The only way out is through.
Actually an Artist 
Leave a comment