Jim did a great job earlier this week explaining the proper and improper uses for the command “An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth” and introducing the saying: “An eye for an eye will make the whole world blind.”  This saying points out that no one is innocent.  It’s first documented to have been said in 1914 by a parliament member named Mr. Graham, arguing against capital punishment. He cleverly pointed out that everyone in the Canadian House of Parliament would be blind and toothless if we all practiced this rule from Exodus.  It was used again by Martin Luther King, Jr., by Fischer to explain Gandhi’s peaceful methods, and in Fiddler on the Roof. *

Jesus disputed many Jewish and first century practices.  He challenged us to practice peace by turning the other cheek, going the extra mile, and giving two cloaks when asked for one. People sometimes misinterpret this to mean that Jesus tells us to put aside our sense of self and to be a “doormat,” but Jesus meant no such thing.

How would you describe Jesus?  If you think back to all the stories about him in the gospels, you may conclude that Jesus stood firm in his beliefs, was an activist who worked to make the world a better place, and worked hard to tell and show people who God is.  You may call him a rule breaker, a leader, an activist, a peacemaker, and a compassionate person.  You may call him the Son of God, Messiah, Savior, King of kings, or Prince of Peace.  You would not likely describe Jesus as someone who gave in easily, as a wimp, indifferent, undecided or wishy-washy in his beliefs.  Jesus was a person on a mission to share what he knew about God, and he stood passionately firm in his mission, even in the face of death.

Taking Jesus’ actions and character into consideration, you might conclude Jesus is calling us to nonviolent resistance.  This is exactly the conclusion Walter Wink came to and wrote about in his book, Engaging the Powers: Discernment and Resistance in a World of Domination.  Wink explains that in the first century, the social custom was to strike someone on the cheek with the back of their right hand to assert authority over a lower class.  Fighting with fists was reserved for someone with equal status.  So, if the person struck were to turn the other cheek, as Jesus suggested, this would have presented the striker with a dilemma.  In Jesus’ culture and time, people did not use the left hand to strike people since the left hand was used instead for “unclean” purposes.  Therefore, they would not be able to strike the person backhanded, and would be forced to either stop the beating or to hit them as an equal.  Wink points out that giving a person two cloaks or going the extra mile also had implications of nonviolent, active resistance to injustice. **

Jesus is called the Prince of Peace.  In “Biography Online” he is listed as one of the top people who have contributed to peace and is described as: “Jesus Christ.(2BC – 7 AD) Jesus taught a radical philosophy of love and forgiveness. These teachings formed the basis of Christianity.” and quoted as saying, “Blessed are the peacemakers for they will inherit the earth.” (Matthew 5:9) ***  Jesus is an active contributor and leader for peace.  As Jesus’ disciples, we need to work alongside him, being peacemakers.

Read Matthew 5 (yes, again!), and remember: God loves YOU unconditionally!

Annie

* http://quoteinvestigator.com/2010/12/27/eye-for-eye-blind/

** Wink, Walter (1992). Engaging the Powers: Discernment and Resistance in a World of Domination. Fortress Press. pp. 175–182.

*** http://www.biographyonline.net/people/world-peace.html