Violence in Times of Peace: A Reading of Jubilee from the Northern Triangle of Central America

The Jubilee as a Model for Peacemaking

The concept of jubilee formed part of a long, legal tradition peculiar to the ancient Near East, that had as its purpose the benefit of the citizen through the writing-off of debts and freedom for those subjected to slavery (Hartley, 1992: 429). ³ These measures ultimately contributed to the restoration of the social and economic equilibrium of the region’s peoples (Gane, 2009: 121). However, unlike those of other nations, the legislation of Israel was not conditioned by the need or despotism of a government, but was ruled by a cyclic design given by God (Milgrom, 2001: 2169). Thus the biblical notion of jubilee, having been instituted for a nation that had no king, did not reflect the benevolence or expedience of a particular governor but rather revealed the character of the God of Israel. The ‘year of Jubilee’ proclaimed in Leviticus 25:10 points towards characteristics of YHWH that are manifested in inclusion, reconciliation and rest for the unprotected, and commands the people of God to act in ways that display the attributes that its God reveals through the legislation. Thus God’s will is to regulate and restore the economic and social relationships of his people, and his desire is to serve those of the nation most in need.

In looking at the Northern Triangle of Central America, it is possible therefore to discuss what jubilee tells us about the different ways in which the attributes of the God of Israel can manifest themselves, even in the midst of violent contexts. We can explore the ways in which inclusion, reconciliation and rest, which the Jubilee proclaims, can become a paradigm of pacification, via the people of God, for the people who are currently suffering amid violence.

The Jubilee as Inclusion

‘Inclusion’ is one of the modern values that Western democratic countries claim as their own. ‘Exclusion’ is defined as a behaviour that is beyond the borders, as it were, of the civilised world, for which it acquires categories such as “nonmodern” or “nonWestern”, which is, in all senses, condemnable (Volf, 1996). Nevertheless, when the actions of ‘civilised’ nations are examined thoroughly, it can be observed that exclusion is much more common than has been recognised. Visible signs including racial discrimination and segregation, the emergence of neo-Nazi cells in Western countries, and the increasingly ultra-nationalist policies of certain leaders of world powers should trigger acknowledgement as to how exclusion is present and even being normalised in the world.

In his book Exclusion and Embrace, Miroslav Volf (1996) warns about this issue, defining exclusion not only as certain actions that impinge upon the bonds that connect all human beings to each other, and which develop into the consideration of the ‘other’ as an enemy to be scorned and avoided, but also as actions that do not recognise the importance of the difference and otherness of individuals. Hence they limit the possibility of human interdependence, conceiving of the ‘other’ as an inferior person who must be assimilated or subjugated. ⁴ From this perspective, inclusion by contrast would involve both the strengthening of inter-human links and the affirmation of diversity as a necessary prerequisite for identity formation and interdependence.

In addition, many of the laws regarding the debt that prevailed in Israel can be interpreted under the logic of exclusion that Volf proposes. For example, the laws endangered the bonds of fellowship that characterised the people of God: not being able to survive economically and not being able to pay off an outstanding debt, an Israelite could offer himself for sale (Leviticus 25:39), changing his bond as a brother to that of a labourer. ⁵ This in turn created an Israelite social identity for the ‘enslaver’, and the establishment of a better economic position for those in this grouping could establish the Israelite labourers as an inferior group prone to subjugation.

However, the Jubilee law requiring the freeing of slaves moves into a logic of inclusion. In the first place, the bonds of fellowship are strengthened by a demand to consider history: no one may be called a slave, for all have been liberated from the yoke of slavery in Egypt to become servants of YHWH (Leviticus 25:42). This means that the fellowship ties of the Israelites must not be dependent upon economic conditions or work relationships but upon an identity that is based on God’s liberating acts for his people. In the second place, differentiating limits are clearly established: the Israelite could not be treated as a slave (v.39), could not be treated harshly (v.43) and could only remain as a labourer until the year of liberation (v.41). These differentiating limits acted as a brake on the tendency to subjugate (which is a particular characteristic of human beings), and as an incentive, amid the differences, to recognise the other as a collaborator to rely on in the service of YHWH. In this way, the identity of the Israelite was based on his relationship with the other (different and equal at the same time), and on the way in which this relationship was shaped by the divine attributes. Therefore, the Jubilee notion of inclusion strengthens the identity bonds based on divine attributes and builds bridges from existing differences.

Given the violent panorama in which the northern region of Central America is immersed, this paradigm of inclusion seems defiant. Facing the gang problem, governments have tilted towards exclusion, minimising the bonds with these highly dangerous people, exacerbating the breaking apart of the social fabric and enacting legislation that reinforces a collective rejection and stigmatisation (Fuentes, 2015). Laws have been created, such as the ‘Plan Escoba’ in Guatemala, the ‘Leyes de Cero Tolerancia’ in Honduras and the ‘Mano Dura’ and ‘Super Mano Dura’ in El Salvador, which are aimed at capturing and penalising gang members, not only for their crimes, but also simply for being gang members (Marroquín Parducci, 2016). In addition, in prisons gang members have been separated from other inmates, and been subject to special measures, which strengthens not only the social disengagement of gang members and their rejection of society, but also their criminal identity (Fuentes, 2015).

Therefore, as a consequence of the inefficiency of governments in containing violence, many communities of faith in Central America (and especially those that, due to their economic status, are not severely affected and therefore have neglected their work) ignore the problem or remain passive in the face of the giant challenge that violence represents. Many churches do not have violence prevention programmes, and neither do they minister to groups at risk of violence in their communities; and they do not even accept into their congregations people who were previously involved in violent groups. Does Jubilee have relevance for our violent societies? How could the inclusion aspect of the Jubilee concept move our faith communities to action?

Firstly, the principle of Jubilee strengthens the existing bonds between each and every human being, be they gang members or not. Just as the bond of fellowship in Israel depended on God’s historical acts alongside them, within our violent societies the bond that still joins us is the divine image that God has placed in us. Inclusion invites us to consider the gang member as a divine creation with dignity, which is in part the evidence of God’s image in this person. As exclusion moves us towards separation, inclusion pushes us towards bonding. A society will therefore only be able to be peaceful if the image of God is recognised in every one of its members; a violent society will move towards peace to the extent that the divine bonds that join us together are recognised as stronger than the historical rivalries that separate us.

This task becomes a priority for Central American faith communities, since in many cases gangs will only accept their members leaving and integrating into civil society if they do so through the evangelical church (Cruz et al., 2017; Dary, 2016). The testimony given by José Cruz is an example of this reality: ‘Pandillera, 19, an ex-gang member, who joined the 14-year-old, declared: “Nothing more than being a Christian [is necessary to calm down after gang involvement]. Teach [the gang members] the testimony of what God has done in our lives’ (Cruz et al., 2017: 62). ⁶

The role that the church can play in the construction of new identities that lead to inclusion is thus not only vital for society but also for the lives of the gang members themselves. Indeed, in the countries of the Northern Triangle of Central America, the only possible link between gang members and society is through communities of faith.

Secondly, Jubilee calls out faith communities to build bridges with gang members amid the existing differences. The inclusion that the Jubilee promotes does not try to make the differences invisible. On the contrary, it is because differences exist that Jubilee is a possibility, as a paradigm of liberation and pacification. It is because gang members exist that the God of Israel has initiated a familial encounter. Thus faith communities, as a way of imitating the God they worship, should agree to meet any person that has fallen into the clutches of a gang. Furthermore, communities of faith must build identities based on their relationship with them, articulating their mission in favour of reconciliation. Facing up to this reality, the testimony of Nelson Moz, pastor of a church in San Salvador, in a community besieged by gangs, is enlightening:

The church was in the community but it was not of the community. It spent a stretch of history as in a bubble, with the boys [gang members] throwing fire in the street. A gang member sitting in church wasn’t recognised as part of the church. The church only maintained the ritual part of its life. It is not possible to continue hiding in temples! Before, we thought that Christian missions should be directed to Africa in search of those not contacted by the Word of God, but the uncontacted ones are in the corner, they are the gang members of Barrio 18 and it is our duty to bring them the Word of God. (Martínez, 2017) ⁷

For this reason, Nelson Moz’s church has been dedicated to rescuing gang members from Barrio 18 since 2012, has opened its doors to create a refuge for ex-gang members, has started a bakery to employ ex-criminals and makes prison visits to make possible the familial encounter that God offers to all.

Only a church that crosses the borders of ‘otherness’ will be able to contribute to the peace process in societies in the Northern Triangle of Central America. Only if the church abandons its desire for uniformity and embarks upon the task of embracing and including those who do not dress like it, do not talk like it, do not act like it, will it be able to be part of the liberating acts of God, and a witness to a time when violence gives in to real peace.

The Jubilee as Reconciliation

What is reconciliation? Reconciliation is the restoration of relationships after a grievance or rupture. Traditionally, such restoration has been linked to the concept of justice. The countries of the Northern Triangle of Central America understand these concepts and, after their civil wars, have taken the road to reconciliation, yet expecting justice to be done regarding the war crimes that were perpetuated in the past. ⁸ However, is this retributive justice the best way towards reconciliation? Volf (1996) states that one problem with retributive justice is that it can be interpreted as a ‘fair’ revenge and, given that revenge feeds violence, in many cases the violence-revenge-violence dynamic becomes an endless spiral. In Central America, the anti-gang laws which have sought retributive justice have not accomplished their objective and in certain ways have in fact enabled the violence cycle to increase (Fuentes, 2015).

In light of the above, the following question is surely imperative: is there another way towards reconciliation? Answer: yes, there is. Another way towards reconciliation is based on forgiveness. There is no reconciliation without forgiveness. As Elsa Tamez (2017) recently stated, Infinite justice opposes the justice of God because while retributive justice calls for revenge, the justice of God calls for infinite forgiveness through grace (Tamez, 2017: 285). ⁹ Is justice excluded? By no means. For as Volf (1996) states, forgiveness is not a substitute for justice but rather works as a framework within which justice can truly be meted out. Besides, he adds, each act of forgiveness raises justice up, drawing attention to violation, and at the same time renounces the right to complain. While retributive justice is never satisfied, forgiveness breaks with the past and halts the violence-revenge chain.

Jubilee is undoubtedly a legislation of forgiveness. The laws of the Old Testament regarding debt provided the possibility for an Israelite brother to sell himself as a servant to another brother, to sell his property or even to sell his offspring (Leviticus 25:25, 39, 41). In the book of Nehemiah, it is recorded how the loan system led to an oppressive advantage for creditors over debtors, obliging the latter to fall into an endless cycle of debt (Nehemiah 5:1-13). Hence, the promulgation of jubilee provides the possibility to go beyond retributive justice, placing the forgiveness of debt at the heart of the socio-economic relationships of people. The liberation of a brother and his offspring (v.41), and their properties (v.28), reflects an ethical attribute of the God of Israel: a God that forgives debts. However, it also reflects the identity of this people in accordance with the attributes of God: a people of forgiveness. Among the people of Israel, reconciliation, that is, restoration of relationships, was mediated by the forgiveness proclaimed in the Jubilee.

In the contexts of Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador, forgiveness is obviously a difficult path to take. The demands of justice, revenge and retribution are exacerbated by the innumerable violent acts that occur every day. The interweaving of violence and revenge not only involves the gangs, but also the security services, and even civil society. Before this dilemma, the question arises: how can the Jubilee provide a model of forgiveness and reconciliation for society?

First, the Jubilee challenges the social and faith communities of the Northern Triangle of Central America by unlimited forgiveness. The forgiveness that leads to reconciliation must be offered to a society without restriction. This offering of forgiveness implies an acceptance of the idea that all members of a population have committed violent acts against each other. Therefore everybody, not only gang members, needs collective forgiveness. Just as the people of Israel forgave the debts of their brothers, so the Central American people must forgive those who have offended them. ¹⁰ Peace in Guatemalan, Honduran and Salvadorian societies will only come if the decision is taken to forgive each other. Faith communities are called to be communities of unlimited forgiveness, where forgiving is encouraged, forgiving is taught and forgiving takes place. Forgiveness begins by opening the doors of our communities to those who have offended us. This is why the people of Eben Ezer Church in El Salvador have decided to accept gang members among them, to sit next to them, sing with them and walk together towards forgiveness and reconciliation (Martínez, 2017). Justice without forgiveness is just a temporary fix: pacification without forgiveness is intangible. Justice that leads to true reconciliation is the one mediated not by revenge, but by forgiveness.

Second, the Jubilee poses the challenge of what Tamez (2017) calls infinite forgiveness and un-retaliating grace. For Tamez, this type of forgiveness is fully represented in the command Jesus makes to forgive 70 times seven. The forgiveness which leads to reconciliation is not only that which forgives everyone but that which forgives everything. While retributive justice is unable fully to compensate for an offence, infinite forgiveness is able to overlook such an offence. Society must forgive all the harm done by gang members; gang members must forgive all the offences committed by rival gangs; security forces must forgive all the lives that gangs have taken; gang members must forgive governments for the years of repressive measures and exclusion that have been directed against them. Christian communities additionally have the mission to fulfil Jesus’ prayer: ‘Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors’ (Mt. 6:12). Reconciliation mediated by infinite forgiveness is the only way to reconcile a historically violent society. The countries of the Northern Triangle of Central America need to forgive – to forgive themselves and to accept forgiveness. Violence will only die out through the ‘life’ offered by forgiveness.

The Jubilee as Rest

Rest in the Old Testament tradition is constantly associated with the idea of the sabbath. The concept of Sabbath as a rest day can be traced back to the narrations of both origin (Gen 2) and Exodus (Ex 16:20). However, already by the time of the Deuteronomist reissue edition of the Exodus laws (Deut 5: 12-15), the Sabbath rest has been refocused on social dynamics (Brueggemann, 2007: 206). ¹¹ This is why Brueggemann considers that the Sabbath, rather than a weekly ritual celebration, became a characteristic feature of Jewishness as an alternative way of being in the world. ¹² From this perspective, it is not strange that Ringe (1997) observes that the Jubilee is based on the laws of the sabbatical year, ¹³ and concludes that the Jubilee is the maximum expression of the sabbatical principle and its most radical social possibility (Brueggemann, 2007). The Jubilee, therefore, represents not only a novel legislation characterised by strong social concerns, but also an alternative of God for the ‘good living’ of his people, and the fullness of his shalom, from the idea of sabbatical rest.

As a result, the idea of rest is reaffirmed in the Jubilee as going far beyond individual wellbeing because, more than that, it reconfigures relations between brothers (Lv 25:35), restores and reunifies family nuclei (Lv 25:10), returns homes and properties to families (Lv 25:10) and gives the earth rest (Lv 25:11). All relationships, not only human ones, are restored and protected under divine rest. In this way, the rest of Jubilee is intimately linked to shalom, which represents peace across all areas: with the sibling, with the family, with society, with the earth. Shalom is the word that represents the biblical vision of a community embracing all of creation (Brueggemann, 1982: 16). The proclamation of the Sabbath rest of the Jubilee was the proclamation of the shalom of the God of Israel. In this way, the concept of shalom ends up being related also to the Latin American concept of ‘Buen vivir’. ¹⁴ It is here that the horizon of the Latin American reader intersects with the horizon of the biblical redactor. Buen vivir, in Latin America, like shalom, is linked to respect for the environment, the proper use of natural resources and the correct use of territory (Díaz Martínez and Cancino, 2013). In short, the rest of Jubilee embraces both the expectations of biblical shalom and the dimensions of Latin American good living.

This has profound repercussions for the conflict situation of the Northern Central American Triangle, since the goal pursued becomes not simply a pacification of the wars between gang members and governments, but a state of integral peace for all creation. The search for rest invites us to eliminate not only violence, but also any obstacle that prevents the shalom of God: the exploitation of humans by humans, the improper use of land and any other type of injustice that is insulated, perhaps even by law. How can the ideal of shalom expressed in the Jubilee be embodied in the process of pacification in Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador?

First, it is incarnated in day-to-day interpersonal relationships. The search for peace is present in daily situations of life when, instead of looking for conflict, harmony is preferred. It is cultivated in families, in workplaces, in communities of faith. Peacebuilding is experienced when employers treat their employees with dignity, when a teacher treats his/her students with respect, when parents guide their children carefully and when church leaders do not forcefully impose their beliefs on congregations. In a society under the shalom of God there is no place for oppression, for workplace abuse, for abuse against women, for ethnic violence or for economic structures that foster inequality. ¹⁵ The true rest to which the Jubilee calls us is not an abstract and distant concept, but a way of life, a way of being and coexisting in the world.

Second, it is incarnated in daily relationships with God’s creation. While contemporary societies have a utilitarian vision of the world, the rest proclaimed by the Jubilee invites us to enjoy the beauty of creation in communion (Sherman, 2005). While every day our individualism vies with the divine design of nature, the shalom of God cries out for the preservation of the world that he entrusted us to care for. This peace must be desired, but also sought for in the divine presence that sustains everything created. For this reason, Moltmann (1993) concludes that there will never be peace with nature without the experience and celebration of the God who provides sabbath rest.

The rest of Jubilee makes us fix our sights beyond ourselves. As in the story of Job, God intends that we observe a deeper form of life that unfolds in all of creation, and that wellbeing is not limited to the interests of a few people, but to the interests of everyone created (Vaage, 1996). Peace begins with everyday life but exceeds it; a culture of peace starts in interpersonal relationships but is not limited to them. Only an integral peace will be able to stop the escalation of violence faced by the countries of the Northern Triangle of Central America. A culture of violence can only be pacified with a culture of rest, with Buen vivir, with a daily life that reflects the shalom of God.

Conclusion: The Fulfilment of the Jubilee

In the New Testament, the way of being that Jesus develops is closely linked to the echoes of the Jubilee that the prophets had announced in their discourses to the people of Israel. It is no coincidence that, in the synagogue, Jesus reads the following words originally spoken by the Prophet Isaiah:

The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,

because he has anointed me

to proclaim good news to the poor.

He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners

and recovery of sight for the blind,

to set the oppressed free,

to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour. ¹⁶

The year of the Lord’s favour seems to be a reference to the Jubilee year. If so, Jesus declares himself anointed to proclaim that the expected year of Jubilee has come to Israel. While the Old Testament prophet looked to the future, Jesus reinterprets it for the present and announces its fulfilment in his words and ministry (Croatto, 1999). This message has a double connotation: for the oppressed and captive, for those who suffer violence and exclusion, for those who suffer troubles day to day due to the prevailing conditions, it is undoubtedly good news; however for those who benefit from violence, for those who oppress and exclude, for those who generate suffering and delight in the suffering of others, these words are a threat (Ringe, 1997: 76). For the people of Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador, the announcement of the jubilee year is a balm for their wounds; the words of Jesus give hope to life.

So, if Jesus associates the Jubilee with his ministry, what is the role of the church? If the mission of the church is to follow the agenda of Jesus, what is the role of individual communities of faith? The answer may be found in the same portion of Isaiah that was read in the synagogue: to proclaim and live out the fulfilment of the Jubilee in Jesus.

The phrases ‘proclaim good news’ and ‘proclaim freedom’ refer to the same action: to raise the voice to tell people that in Jesus the year of Jubilee has begun. The communities of faith of the Northern Central American Triangle must announce that the inclusion, reconciliation and rest of Jubilee have been inaugurated by Jesus. There is hope of peace, there is hope of reconciliation; there is hope because Jesus has inaugurated hope. The mission of faith communities is to spread this good news, because those who suffer violence need good news. A church that, in the midst of a violent society, does not announce peace, has not understood its mission in Jesus.

The actions of ‘recovery of sight for the blind’ and ‘set[ting] the oppressed free’ speak of Jesus not only announcing the Jubilee but fulfilling the Jubilee by his actions. Jesus is the Jubilee. In line with Jesus, ecclesial communities must embody the Jubilee within their mission. Churches should reflect the peace that is only achieved fully in Jesus. In the Northern Triangle of Central America, churches should be communities that promote inclusion, work for reconciliation and live out the rest that God offers. Only a church that lives under the Jubilee inaugurated by Jesus can be a reconciling entity, salt and light in the middle of a sea of violence.

This is a theological challenge for communities of faith because historically the Protestant church has resisted being involved in socio-political events in the region. ¹⁷ This attitude may have its origin in two particular attitudes that have influenced the Central American Protestant theological panorama. One of these is an evangelical fundamentalism that withdraws from the political sphere as a means of social reform, rejects all forms of ‘social gospel’ as a form of theological liberalism and holds an escapist eschatological perception that minimises the efficacy of the church in the face of contemporary problems. The other is a classic feature of Pentecostalism and Neo-Pentecostalism that possesses a Manichean vision of the world (spirit vs. matter, church vs. world) and an anthropological pessimism that generally prevents communities of faith from acting in the ‘secular realm’ (Míguez Bonino, 1995). ¹⁸ Faced with this reality, the Jubilee challenges churches to question their theological paradigms, to redefine their image and to refocus their actions towards the daily problems of their parishioners and communities. The church needs to repent and realise that its mission is not the ‘production’ of cults, motivational preaching and daily meetings, but that its mission, its true and most urgent mission, is to participate in the restoration of peace and the transformation of societies through the inclusion, reconciliation and rest that biblical history offers in the tried and tested principle of Jubilee.

Although there is apathy in many congregations, there are more and more churches that, like the Eben Ezer Church of the Colonia Dina in San Salvador, realise that their mission is ‘in the corners’, e.g. with Barrio 18 gang members (Martínez, 2017). This new attitude has not originated in the big convention centres of ‘mega-churches’ but in the small congregations that are within marginal, violent communities, that remind us of the small mustard seed of the Lukan Parable (Lk 13: 18-19). Along the same lines, one of the leaders of a Pentecostal church in Barrio El Limón, one of the most dangerous neighbourhoods in Guatemala City, concludes that:

… the church that does not impact its community is not doing anything. We have to recognise the problems of the area where we live, we have to get their attention so that they know Christ, because we are convinced … that is why we are here, because Christ changed us, the precepts of Christ are valuable, they work for practical life and transform – the gospel of Christ transforms. (Dary, 2016: 130) ¹⁹

Only in Jesus can the Jubilee principle be fully fulfilled. Only in the transforming power of his presence can a violent society be transformed into one of peace. Monseñor Romero, during the violence of the Salvadorian civil war, had this hope in Christ when he affirmed:

Christ is the amen of humanity to God. In Christ, the hopes of all peoples, of all men, are made amen, because in Christ the promises of God are made ‘yes’. In Christ is the zone where the person in need, the sinful people, the societies as, without hope, look to the hope of a God who still loves us. (Romero, 2000: 157) ²⁰

Roque Dalton, a Salvadoran prophet/poet, once wrote: ‘In El Salvador, violence will not only be/ The midwife of History./ It will also be the mother of the child-people,/ To say it with a figure/ Completely removed from all paternalism’ (Dalton, 2000). ²¹

This fragment of the poem reflects how much the culture of violence has seized the collective imagination not only of El Salvador, but of the entire Northern Triangle of Central America. So that history does not keep repeating itself, so that violence does not continue to engender more violence and in order for deaths to stop, inclusion, reconciliation and rest are needed. Jubilee invites us to believe that Jesus has inaugurated hope, to believe that peace is possible, to live, and to live together in hope. In Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador it is not a time of war, but there is no peace. A jubilee for countries at war represents pacification, but for the Northern Triangle of Central America it represents true peace in times of peace.