Do not become the evil you resist

We continue this week working our way through the Sermon on the Mount.


Matthew 5:38 "You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.' 39 But I say to you, Do not resist an evildoer. But if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also;

Matthew 5:44 Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,

Quick note: this is not ‘Be a doormat and take people’s abuse.’ We are definitely called to “resist evil injustice and oppression whatever forms they present themselves.” (baptismal vows) Paul picks up the important nuance: Romans 12:21 21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

I acknowledge a bit of wistful (nostalgic?) yearning for the days of the civil rights marches. I would love to have been of an age to participate more directly in a movement both to change laws and more importantly to change people’s hearts.

It is from Jesus' words (and his exposure to the practices of Mahatma Gandhi) that Martin Luther King, Jr. developed the practice of non-violence as a means of effective protest. Just as Jesus reinterpreted the biblical laws for his day, King put into practice their relevance for his own day. For King and others, Jesus' words were meant to be taken literally. Though not all Christians have responded in this way, a plan to retaliate evil with love was central to King's mission.

I pray for the people in Egypt that they may find freedom through nonviolent resistance. If they use the violent tactics of their oppressors it will just confirm those tactics. Only love builds ‘the beloved community.’ (Kings favorite phrase for what Jesus called the Kingdom of God.)