I am hearing more and more people tell me that Jesus’ call to love our enemies, to turn of the other cheek, to not complain when someone takes your possesions, to do good to those who do evil to you… well, it’s just nonsense. It’s another example of exageration found in the early Christian writings.
I’d love to tell you that I’m hearing that from serious realpolitik sorts of people, but I’m increasingly hearing it from churchgoers and even from clergy. And sometimes from people who have been formed in the Anglican tradition.
And to be honest, there are times that I struggle with trusting Jesus’ enough to believe that turning the other cheek when someone does evil will ever bring justice.
But if you look back in recent history, even just in the last century, you find example after example of people successfully following this teaching and changing the arc of history.
You can view the sermon directly by using this link.
It’s a very difficult teaching, especially in perilous times. MLK lost his life, and his family a husband/father. John Lewis got terribly beat up. You mentioned maturity; it takes a lot of that to truly embrace “whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it”. To be clear, I accept the teaching is true and right. I’m just concerned that it’s a massive commitment in practice. Also, Jesus didn’t tell soldiers they couldn’t be soldiers any more.. he addressed their conduct. Which leaves me uncertain about the seemingly grey area *between*, say, personal suffering on the one hand, and when domestic internal conflict escalates to a formal state of civil war on the other. If it’s in our power to use arms to protect a vulnerable, terrified group from certain harm, then surely ethically that’s the right thing to do (assuming all other options have proved futile, including escape).
I pray a kind of Buddhist prayer for those I have difficulty with, such as our current President: May you be free from suffering and its causes, may you have true and lasting well being. I try not to overinterpret this prayer, but I hope that is it praying for a change in those prayed for as well as a change in me. Even if it is not “effective” in changing someone else, it is effective on me, to prevent my demonizing people so that I can maybe see how God loves them too, much as we (perhaps God included, but that’s up to God) hate many of their actions. This in no way dulls my impetus to resist, to act on the Gospel to the extent that God enables me to see the Truth clearly. The prayer does help reduce having hate eat away at me. That would be a way of letting the enemy win from within. Peace, brother!