Exodus 2:1-10
Now a man from the house of Levi went and married a Levite woman. The woman conceived and bore a son, and when she saw that he was a fine baby, she hid him three months. When she could hide him no longer she got a papyrus basket for him and plastered it with bitumen and pitch; she put the child in it and placed it among the reeds on the bank of the river. His sister stood at a distance, to see what would happen to him.
The daughter of Pharaoh came down to bathe at the river, while her attendants walked beside the river. She saw the basket among the reeds and sent her maid to bring it. When she opened it, she saw the child. He was crying, and she took pity on him. “This must be one of the Hebrews’ children,” she said. Then his sister said to Pharaoh’s daughter, “Shall I go and get you a nurse from the Hebrew women to nurse the child for you?” Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Yes.” So the girl went and called the child’s mother. Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Take this child and nurse it for me, and I will give you your wages.” So the woman took the child and nursed it. When the child grew up, she brought him to Pharaoh’s daughter, and he became her son. She named him Moses, “because,” she said, “I drew him out of the water.”
INHALE
Lord, teach me to love my enemies
EXHALE
That I might love like You
Peacebuilding: Justice, Human Rights, and Nonviolent Resistance
Daniel Munayer
Questions
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Daniel Munayer, a Palestinian theologian and peace practitioner, challenges the colonial language of “peacebuilding” and “reconciliation,” observing they have lost credibility among Palestinians and other oppressed peoples because they are often used to legitimize ongoing oppression rather than dismantle it. As a result, reconciliation must be reconsidered in ways that address cycles of violence and center justice and freedom.
Drawing from his family’s story and his work on the ground, Daniel calls for a theology of co-resistance — one rooted in justice, mutual solidarity, and the leadership of the oppressed. Citing the example of the Pharaoh’s daughter in Exodus 2, Daniel positions co-resistance as a framework through which persons coming from a position of power recognize that injustice is their issue as well, and the oppressor class and the oppressed class can begin to restore their relationship.
In the New Testament we find examples of those who profit from oppression (Matthew the tax collector) and those who violently resist it (Simon the zealot), abandoning their old ways to follow Jesus. A theology of co-resistance challenges the discourse amongst the oppressed that reconciliation and liberation are mutually exclusive: that reconciliation can only be prioritised once justice and liberation are achieved.
In the practice of peacebuilding, Daniel contends we must critique empire and build an alternative. Ultimately, the goal of liberation is to be in correct relationship — a loving relationship — with God, our neighbors, and creation.
1. What challenged you in this message? What resonated?
2. In what ways does the unnamed princess of Exodus 2:1-10 enact solidarity with the oppressed Hebrew people? In what ways do the Hebrews enact solidarity with the princess? Can you think of any other biblical examples of co-resistance?
3. Consider your own context. Where are the injustices and what might acts of co-resistance look like?
4. What stories of co-resistance in the Palestine — Israel context are you aware of? What specific actions have resonated with you?
5. Daniel observes that in peacebuilding, we need to critique empire, but we also need to build an alternative. What do you imagine an alternative would look like?
Are there any individuals or organizations that you know of that are already engaged in acts of co-resistance in your local, regional and global contexts?
If you don’t know of any research a few.
Identify one way that you can support their work and commit to enacting it this week.
God of the oppressed and the oppressor,
We repent of our desire to be peacekeepers when you call us to be peacemakers.
Give us eyes to see the injustices we are complicit in, and ears to hear the calls into co-resistance. Let us be brave in our critiques of empire and bold in our vision for an alternative.
Let us walk with You in the ways of true and just peace.
Amen.
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