Reading the Gospel of John through Palestinian Eyes by Yohanna Katanacho

Author:Yohanna Katanacho
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781783687930
Publisher: Langham Creative Projects

However, when the ruler does not uphold justice, he or she is no longer an agent of divine wrath over wrongdoers but is an agent of oppression. In such cases, God must be obeyed even if it entails resisting the authority of rulers.

The Bible is full of examples in which people of faith, conscience, and virtue challenge governors for the sake of extending justice and the kingdom of God. The apostles Peter and John, for example, say to the leaders of Jerusalem, “Which is right in God’s eyes: to listen to you, or to him? You be the judges! As for us, we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard” (Acts 4:19–20). When the high priest and the Sanhedrin interrogate the apostles of Christ, seeking to prevent them from spreading truth, their answer is, “We must obey God rather than human beings” (Acts 5:29)!

Having discussed Judas and his worldview, it is fitting to reflect on Peter from a Palestinian point of view. It is evident that Peter is a central figure in the book of John. This man is known by several names, including Peter, Simon, Simon son of John, Simon Peter, and Cephas.[6] Regardless of his name, he is a loyal person who loves Christ and is even willing to die for the sake of his master.

Indeed, these are impressive claims, but Peter had to be tested to demonstrate that his actions lived up to his words. He went through a difficult test. Would he deny Christ under religious and political pressure? If he admitted his relationship to Jesus, then he would become an enemy of the Jerusalemite religious leaders as well as powerful Rome. Perhaps he would lose his head. But if he denied Jesus, he would deny his most important life discovery. He would deny himself and the calling on his life to be salt and light in a dark and fallen world. Furthermore, he would deny the way of love, loyalty, peace, and justice. He would deny human rights and adopt the path of fear. In vain, he would be seeking to save his life. He would be blinded by his selfish interests, forgetting that those who abandon truth lose everything. Peter struggled with two choices: should he declare his identity or hide it? He failed the test and even denied his own identity.

Let us reflect on Peter from the perspective of Palestinian Christian citizens of Israel. We, too, face the question of whether to hide or declare our cultural, religious, and political identities. We are Palestinians culturally, Christians in our faith, and we are also citizens of Israel. This combination presents several challenges, especially in light of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and the rise of religious extremism in the Middle East.

Returning to Peter, he went to the house of the high priest and a female servant asked him: “You aren’t one of this man’s disciples too, are you?” (John 18:17). She expected a negative answer and Peter gave her a clear negative answer as he replied, “I am not” (18:17).

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.