April 24, 2007...10:28 pm
Matthew 5:38-42 - Don’t Resist An Evil Person
“You have heard that it was said, ‘AN EYE FOR AN EYE, AND A TOOTH FOR A TOOTH.’ But I say to you, do not resist an evil person; but whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also. If anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, let him have your coat also. Whoever forces you to go one mile, go with him two. Give to him who asks of you, and do not turn away from him who wants to borrow from you.”
Sure seems like Jesus is teaching here that if someone does evil to you, if you are his follower, you shouldn’t do it back. When someone talks bad about your momma, you shouldn’t say something about their momma. When someone cuts you off in traffic, you shouldn’t speed up, tailgate and honk your horn. Most Christians understand that they should not respond with evil in these situations - although at times it is difficult.
But what about if someone steals from you? What about if someone threatens you? What if someone attacks you physically? What if one nation drops a bomb on another nation? How do those who follow this command respond then? To me, it doesn’t seem that there are limitations to obedience to Christ on this or any issue. What if someone does something really bad to you, should you still forgive them 70×7? What if you have preached the gospel earlier in the day when another perfect opportunity arises? These might seem silly, but I highlight them to illustrate that we should always be ready and willing to obey the words of the one we have confessed as our Lord.
Bottom line, if someone does evil to you - we cannot respond with evil. If we do, we are no different from the one who began the evil to begin with.
I have heard arguments that Jesus is not talking about physical violence when he says “if someone slaps you on the right cheek, offer up the left also” but rather that was a way of being insulted - do we have any evidence of this being true? Or is that just an attempt at a way out of the tense situations that might arise for those who follow Christ?
I have also heard that motive plays a role in this - if someone attacks you to get your wallet, and you beat them up to stop them, you haven’t done evil because you weren’t malicious - hmm…seems like the same exact action though. What do you think?
Clearly we resist evil by fighting against sin in our own life and we are told to “resist the devil and he will flee.” But Jesus says we cannot resist evil with evil - because as I have said above, we become just like the evil that is being done to us. Or perhaps as the verse says, we are not to resist evil people - because our true warfare is spiritual and that is why we do resist the devil….Thoughts?
8 Comments
May 6, 2007 at 3:52 pm
Hi Victor,
I am in agreement with some of your points, however I wonder if part of the problem is that we are misunderstanding the context of Jesus’s remarks. Is it really “evil” to defend one’s family? Are Jesus’s words to be understood as never allowing for a Christian to defend his or her self under any circumstance? I’m not so sure anymore. I’m revisting this issue in light of new info and have linked some arguments for Christian self-defense for discussion purposes.
Steve
http://www.defenseissues.com/
http://www.defenseissues.com/TurningtheOtherCheek.html
May 23, 2007 at 12:46 pm
I was reading yesterday about the “myth of redemptive violence” and the author of the book made some interesting points - why do we believe that to respond to violence with violence doesn’t make the retaliation violence? Do we have Scriptural support for that perspective?
Steve, you bring up some good questions I hope others will speak to.
What points in my post did you agree with?
May 23, 2007 at 2:34 pm
We believe that because of our cultural situation. We are brought up with Western 21st Century ethics, this includes the Age of Reason and Kantian ethics. Kant declared that the “ends justify the means”. Therefore, to protect one’s family is a loving act, whatever I do toward that end - the means - is justified. Jesus on the other hand does not lay out duty-based Kantian ethics. He lays down principle-based ethics. In a principle-based system the ends do not justify the means. Therefore it is loving to protect one’s family, but it is not loving to do so with violent force.
June 11, 2007 at 9:41 am
Well stated, John. If I’m not mistaken, aren’t there even specific moves in martial arts that are designed to block and disarm, but not injure the attacker? Also there is the possibility of driving off a would-be attacker (a loud noise when a thief is trying to break in at night, for example). There are other ways to protect and defend than just “beating the crap out of the guy.”
June 19, 2007 at 12:11 am
So, does violence = evil?
js
3
May 27, 2008 at 1:28 pm
If a rapist comes into your home and threaten your family you wont offer him the next victim. You will stop him efficiently. If he is stopped and survives it with minimal damage then so be it, but if he is killed in the process of the struggle than it there was no other way.
Notice that you do not wish and desire to kill him, but that you protected your family.
This means practically that if : such a person comes knocking at the door late at night and brings again and commands one of the family members to come out and I was just going past the tool box on the way down the stairs. I would hide and when the intruder was come in to my doorstep I would knock him with the force of my hammer in the back of his head. Now he will be unconscious lying on the floor. Now we decide to not kill him but we certainly bind him and call the police.
May 27, 2008 at 3:26 pm
interesting comments Ivar. Thanks for logging on.
Do you think your strategy fits well with Jesus’ command to love one’s enemy and do good to those who hate you? Also, when someone does evil to you, don’t do evil back?
Looking forward to your thoughts.
May 29, 2008 at 9:48 pm
Amen brother. Where have you been all my life?
It’s always amazing to me how often we ignore this critical issue. The utter selflessness of Christ, the call to forgive time and time again against our very nature is such a defining point of Christianity. And yet it seems as if this incredibly central part of our faith is often ignored today. I’m glad to see other people out there noticed this too.
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