There’s a lie that’s been rattling around my mind since federal agents murdered Alex Pretti Jan. 24. It’s the lie that Pretti, an intensive-care nurse at a Veterans’ Administration hospital, was “engaged in domestic terrorism.”
Realistically, dozens of videos have refuted this claim. Politically, some pundits have pointed out this phrase is key to the Trump administration’s legal arguments its agents acted within the law.
Cynthia Astle
As I often do, my reaction to the most recent federal horror show has been to seek out Scripture for reassurance and understanding. Before I could even open my Bible this week a thought flashed into my mind: Jesus engaged in what the current federal administration terms “domestic terrorism.” It’s probably what got him killed by the Roman Empire as a political menace.
This revelation likely isn’t new to biblical scholars, but this week it really clicked for me. The signs of Jesus’ “domestic terrorism” are everywhere in the New Testament.
Jesus counseled his followers to go a second mile when compelled. This subversive advice in Matthew 5:41 was intended to get Roman soldiers into trouble with their superiors. Roman law said soldiers could compel civilians to carry their military packs for a mile but pushing them beyond that was a court-martial offense.
Jesus counseled his followers to be peacemakers (Matthew 5:9). Palestine-Judea was under Roman military occupation in Jesus’ time. The Pax Romana — the imperial peace — came about through conquest and subjugation. Peacemaking requires mutual respect and equanimity, not domination.
Even so, Jesus used force when necessary, but his force was aimed at eradicating evil, not harming people. Overturning the moneychangers’ tables in the temple courtyard (Matthew 21:12) offers the prime example of this principle. Yet Jesus more often counseled his followers to choose nonviolence over force (John 18:10-11).
“Jesus’ consistent message of love challenged and transcended the religious and political forces of his earthly time.”
Jesus confronted authorities nonviolently. When John the Baptist was arrested by Herod Antipas, Jesus went to the heart of Herod’s dominion in Galilee and began preaching the same repentance John had preached (Matthew 4:12-17). When the high priests demanded he silence his followers as he entered Jerusalem, Jesus replied the rocks would shout God’s praise instead (Luke 19:40). Ultimately, his proclamation that God rules creation, not Caesar or any earthly power, frightened religious and political authorities so much they decided only his death would silence the message they viewed as dangerous sedition (Matthew 27:1-2).
Overall, Jesus’ consistent message of love challenged and transcended the religious and political forces of his earthly time. Consequently, killing Jesus couldn’t kill the message of love; it only amplified it.
I see the same thing happening in the subversive demonstrations of people wherever federal agents have invaded — in Minneapolis, Chicago, Charlotte, Memphis, Los Angeles and Washington, D.C. Those who profess Jesus’ message of love do so courageously, defying armed violence with nonviolent witness and documentation, even to the point of arrest, wounding and death.
Yes, in the terms used by the Trump administration, Jesus “engaged in domestic terrorism” against the Roman Empire and its greedy, power-hungry collaborators because they denied God’s love. No doubt I’ll get plenty of angry responses to my interpretation. Be that as it may, I perceive God’s Holy Spirit active in this understanding that so many people live out daily across the United States and internationally.
No, our acts of defiance won’t make us popular with current authorities, nor will they bring us earthly wealth and acclaim. As we see in Jesus’ death, and as we have seen this week in America, such “domestic terrorism” carries a high price. Nonetheless, the more we embrace our capacity to love, the closer we draw to defeating authoritarian rule and building the beloved community Jesus preached.
We are God’s beloved. If spreading the love of Jesus around the world amounts to “domestic terrorism” in the president’s eyes, so be it.
Cynthia B. Astle is a veteran religion journalist who covers The United Methodist Church for BNG.