“You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ But I tell you, Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.
Jesus commands a radical reorientation in our notion of fairness where retribution once ruled. As the Kingdom of Heaven arrived and is still to come, the Age of Retaliation was replaced by the Law of Love. Jesus preaches to all who will hear from the side of the Mount that we are to love others as the Father has loved us, willingly surrendering our desire for the return of evil and replacing it with forgiveness and love. In fact, He says, we are to mirror this love in all of our interactions beyond those that involve bodily violence. In the same way that the Father willingly surrendered the Son in order that restoration could occur, we as His disciples are to surrender our ‘rights’ in order that this restoration be modeled to a desperate world.
How foreign this strikes us, especially those of us on two continents who grew up in the MAD (Mutually Assured Destruction) era. Why does the Lord command us to become un-vengeful patsies? The fact is He does not; He commands us to be stronger than those for whom violence is a first reaction. Jesus commands us to rely on His strength and to learn that His non-violent reactions demonstrate immeasurably more power in conflict than our balled fist ever can. This is not capitulation in the face of oppression, it is an initiative of our own discipleship that is in itself resistance of the highest order.
Will we arrive at Calvary this Easter without having grown closer to our Savior and his sacrifice? Discipleship is meaningless unless we apply the lessons of the Teacher to our lives, regardless of how difficult they may be. Yes, it would be easier on these mornings to consider give up reading paperback mysteries for a few weeks than to fear what might happen if I go that second mile. What do we really have to fear though?
LOVE | ACCEPT | FORGIVE 