Human Resources (HR) at work has decided to rescind the at-risk letters, properly evaluate who they can afford to lose across the department of health, and resend layoff letters on Easter Monday. For better or worse, at least they are following the union contract now. The language in the union contract is outdated and does ot apply to the reality at work. It stipulated that people whose jobs are being terminated can steal jobs from people with the same job classification, but lower seniority. The problem is “Research scientist” can mean bench scientist, informatician, data manager, epidemiologist, data analyst, and computer programmer. Most people are not more than two or three of those things, but in theory, as the contract is written, an epidemiologist who has never worked in a lab could steal the job of a bench scientist. HR decide entirely on their own based only on minimum qualifications, with no input from relevant supervisors.
We all anticipate any job stealing will go badly and lead to even more chaos than that introduced first by the botched at-risk letters, then in the next few weeks by the mass layoffs (not to mention the 120 people who have already been laid off and whose work halted overnight). I’m feeling especially jaded as I try to continue the Lenten readings.
My reading today was from Matthew 27:27-31. This was another “Imagine yourself in the scene” activity. I am watching, perhaps as a Roman soldier, or a slave, someone without power or agency of my own. Other soldiers drag Jesus into the room, strip him, and dress him in a military tunic. I think as a revolutionary and a threat to Roman rule, they see him as a soldier, anyway. The crown and reed feel over the top and tell me far more about them and their fears and insecurities than they do about Jesus, who refuses to respond to their bullying. Then, bullying unsuccessful and victim unprovoked, they claim back the tunic and return his clothes.
The discussion questions fall flat for me.
Question 1: Could I endure pain without complaint? Given the way I spoke out after I was sexually assaulted, I’m guessing not, and that’s fine with me. Silent suffering does no one any good.
Question 2: Could I ignore ignorant criticism? It depends. I often wear a headscarf and have been coded as Muslim both by people who greet me with an excited “Salaam aleichum” and by people who actively shun me or say things like “Go back to your own country.” I see no point in telling the latter I was born in Wisconsin, so I ignore them. I also ignore the people who see my Pride accessories and tell me I’m going to hell. Much like the soldiers, their behavior toward me tells me they are insecure, perhaps afraid, and I pity them.
Question 3: What do I want Jesus to tell me as he suffers? Nothing. I want Jesus to focus on whatever he needs to focus on and the random soldier/slave/bystander I happen to represent is irrelevant. I wonder at the arrogance that must be necessary for someone to expect to be the primary focus of anyone in pain. Where is their compassion?
At work, we are all suffering through the uncertainty and anxiety together. We are all trying to support each other and give each other grace even as we suffer ourselves. Then someone from HR will say, in effect, “Look at me! I’m sorry for the anxiety you feel, but not really, because it’s all about me! Don’t you feel sorry for me?” And we are all just staring at the latest email full of platitudes, or listening to the latest HR meeting (no chat, no Q&A, no way for us to interact) full of more platitudes and think, “Feel sorry for you? When you won’t give us any straight answers and deliberately keep us uninformed? Are you mad?” I do not want to be like HR, ever. If someone is suffering, my focus should be on them, not me. Even if I am suffering, if they are, too, I would never want to expect their support, and if they offer it anyway, I should feel honored, not entitled.
The image below is of two beaded camels wearing bridles and saddles. Read more about it on deviantArt. I have very few beaded soldiers (Starfleet officers, a Romulan commander, and a knight from the show Merlin) and none of them are from Jesus’ time, so instead you get a a couple fancy camels that might have been part of Herod’s procession.
This post is part of my Lent 2025 Imaginative Readings series.
