By Mike Vincent
On earth, there is often a tension we must live in.
Jesus’ words promise us that towards the end things will start to spiral. There will be wars and rumours of wars. These are not a sign of the end but rather a sign that points to the end. This gives us hope because we are getting closer to the end. Soon we will be with the Father and He will be with us. What an exciting thing to look forward to!
The tension comes in when we hear of the wars. Not only can this cause us tension within ourselves as we can become empathetically fearful, but we know that as we get closer to the end things will start to unravel more, and we can expect an escalation. And so, we are filled with joy as we long for our Father, and dread as we hear of war and think of the devastation.
What should our response as Christians be when we hear about the wars? Does it matter? What side should we be on? Who do we support? Who do we shun? Whose cause is just? Who is innocent and who are the oppressors?
There are a couple of things I would like to bring out as we look at these:
- The polarization of this age
- God’s heart vs Man’s heart
- How we respond to violence
Our digital age is a marvel! We are more connected and more informed than ever before. We have incredible access in real time to global news, not only that but we are invested in what happens elsewhere. In our ‘global village’ we care about incidents of floods, famine, disasters, and wars. It affects us at a personal level and in many occurrences at an economic level. They say that every story has three sides: your side, my side, and the truth and unfortunately, we are often the victims of someone’s monetarily driven opinion. We are then required to funnel the content thrust on us into only two options: for or against. To hold a different view of the majority, be indifferent, a fence sitter, or even to withhold your opinion in this age is to side with the oppressor. Extreme is all we can be, there is no middle ground, and while in other spheres we are not encouraged to be binary, when it comes to these issues it is our only choice.
Violence has always been part of sinful man. The Bible opens with a tranquil jungle scene that is soon marred by the dirt, separation, and shame of disobedience, followed almost immediately by murder. Genesis 4 sees Cain murdering his brother. What follows are stories of violence, murder, and death. Clan against clan, tribe against tribe, nation against nation. The heart of man is truly wicked. The heart of man is given to violence, this has been true in the past, is very prevalent in our age, and will continue to continue into the future. And then the end will come.
As believers in Jesus, we are called to live differently, our counterculture, Holy Spirit-empowered existence should permeate our traditions and preferences, and this should filter our opinions and affect how we interact with our world. We are called to be the light to the world, to live differently and to allow our good works to help others see the goodness of the Father. Jesus is the focal point of our spiritual expression, what He said and how He lived.
A plain reading of the Sermon on the Mount shows how he is reshaping us from seeking the letter of the Law back to finding God’s heart. Jesus helps us turn towards the standard that the Father is looking for in the areas of good works, anger, adultery, divorce, vows, the needy, prayer and fasting, money and possessions, judging, and violence and revenge.
Matthew 5:38-48 NLT
“You have heard the law that says the punishment must match the injury: ‘An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say, do not resist an evil person! If someone slaps you on the right cheek, offer the other cheek also. If you are sued in court and your shirt is taken from you, give your coat, too. If a soldier demands that you carry his gear for a mile, carry it two miles. Give to those who ask, and don’t turn away from those who want to borrow.
“You have heard the law that says, ‘Love your neighbour’ and hate your enemy. But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven. For he gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and the unjust alike. If you love only those who love you, what reward is there for that? Even corrupt tax collectors do that much. If you are kind only to your friends, how are you different from anyone else? Even pagans do that. But you are to be perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect.
Jesus here is helping us to live with God’s heart. Revenge, violence, murder, hatred, and war are all consequences of sin and the fall. Jesus’s teachings point us to live differently, and this part of the Sermon on the Mount helps us to quell violence. We are to turn the other cheek and love our enemies, all of them. As Christians, we cannot celebrate war or violence and we are called to help slow its progression as we help to expand the Kingdom of God. This means that we cannot choose sides in violent conflicts. Rather we are called to work for peace and find creative solutions for non-violence. With Jesus as our example, we cannot be ones who use violence to resist evil but rather be ready to show acts of grace.
Jesus was punished, beaten, and slaughtered for us, his enemies. This act of grace paved the way for us to be able to be with the Father. Perhaps our love for our enemies and our creative acts of compassion for them will pave the way for them to come to know the Father too. They might not, of course, the results are not up to us, yet we can trust that the Father is always working. God is not for violence and war is not in the heart of God. When we are baited into choosing sides, we miss our role as light shiners. What should we do then? We should pray! Pray for mercy for both sides in whichever conflict, that we would see everyone as carriers of the image of God and not relegate them to the box of enemies. We can pray that we will be light bringers to every situation, for creative ways to show love to our enemies, and not remain silent but rather help show God’s heart for all people. As I come to the end of this blog, I would like to leave you with this final verse.
Romans 12:14-21 NLT
Bless those who persecute you. Don’t curse them; pray that God will bless them. Be happy with those who are happy, and weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with each other. Don’t be too proud to enjoy the company of ordinary people. And don’t think you know it all!
Never pay back evil with more evil. Do things in such a way that everyone can see you are honourable. Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone.
Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God. For the Scriptures say, “I will take revenge; I will pay them back,” says the Lord.
Instead, “If your enemies are hungry, feed them. If they are thirsty, give them something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals of shame on their heads.”
Don’t let evil conquer you but conquer evil by doing good.