Editor’s note: Below is an excerpt from Faith in the Face of Empire: Te Bible through Palestinian Eyes by Mitri Raheb (Orbis Books, 2014).


P


entecost was more than a vision. It provided a transformational experience for the disciples. Aſter the Roman Empire executed Jesus, the


disciples were understandably frightened. Te move- ment created by him came to a standstill; its raison d’être seemed to have failed. It appeared that the empire had won. Te resurrection didn’t bring about change. Following the resurrection the disciples remained scared and behind closed doors. Only aſter receiving the Holy Spirit were they able to


recover their courage and to focus again on their mis- sion. Te Spirit not only took their fear away but gave them a real sense for mission and direction. If not for the resurrec-


“I have to walk to the pulpit Sunday after Sunday to ‘translate’ Scripture to those sitting in the pews. And as a pastor I refuse to separate the reality of this world from the reality of the Bible by preach- ing a ‘cheap gospel’ that neither challenges reality nor is challenged by it.”


Mitri Raheb, pastor of


the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land.


tion, the disciples might have spent their entire lives mourning Jesus. It is so easy for the oppressed to dwell in mourning and almost revel in whining and self-pity. Without the Spirit the disciples would have continued life as usual in the shadow of the empire. One of the biggest


temptations for oppressed people is feeling too com- fortable in the role of the victim and to enter into a “blame game,” cursing


the empire. A major problem for victims of all empires is to identify so strongly with this role that they become double victims: victims of the empire and victims of themselves. Sometimes, when I hear some Jewish people talk, I


feel as if they speak with a monopoly on victimhood. Sometimes I feel that some Palestinians feel that they must compete with the Jews over who is the greater victim. And sometimes when I read articles and books by Middle Eastern authors, I come across a conspiracy theory that makes the Arabs mere victims of the superpowers. It is both reassuring and comfortable to feel oneself a victim because then one is neither responsible for


the situation nor accountable. But even the weakest victim is also an actor who has to make choices and decisions—and assume responsibility. Simply blam- ing the empire doesn’t help. In fact, it makes the victim feel more depressed, more helpless and more hopeless. Playing the role of victim might assist those who are oppressed to gain some sympathy, but not necessarily respect. On Pentecost it was the Spirit who enabled the


disciples to overcome the notion of victimhood and to reach out as a people with a mission, as people who had something to say and something to contribute. Yes, they remained victims of the empire, but that was not their sole identity. Victimhood is a negative identity. Te Spirit empowered the disciples to develop a positive identity, and consequently they ceased whining about their master who fell to the empire. Instead, they went out proclaiming the risen Christ,


the former victim, now Lord, once dead and now alive. It is this Spirit who made history in Palestine. If the first disciples had gone forth blaming the empire and trying to elicit sympathy, Christianity would not have been born. If the first disciples had believed all that they had to share was the bad news of the cruelty of the empire, they would have remained unnoticed. Te cruelty of the empire is not breaking news. … Te world, dominated by the empire, is full of such news. Te Spirit empowered the disciples to proclaim the


good news, which was different from that of the empire. Te disciples went out with the conviction that they had a message to share and that the world was waiting for just such a message. Te world understood that if good news could hail


from Palestine, then a miracle must have occurred. What the Middle East sorely needs today is this Spirit


that helps people overcome their victimhood, assume responsibility and undergo transformation from the status of objects in world history into subjects, actors and positive contributors toward a new soci- ety. It is not enough that the Middle East gave the “Holy Books” to the world. Te region must, in the 21st century, contribute some- thing other than its oil reserves. 


Author bio: Raheb is president of Dar al-Kalima University Col- lege, Bethlehem, and of the Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land. He is a


pastor of Evangelical Lutheran Christmas Church, Bethlehem.


June 2014 25


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