The Essential Jesus – Weekly Bible Readings Turn the Other Cheek (Non-Violence) Bible Readings Matthew 5:38-42 — Turn the other cheek Matthew 26:47-52 — Peter, put away your sword 1 Peter 2:23-25 — Jesus did not return abuse for abuse, neither should we (see also 3:8-9) Acts 7:60 — As Stephen, the first martyr, is being stoned to death, his final words were, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” Luke 23:34 — From the cross, enduring unimaginable agony, Jesus looks out at the crowd and says, “Father, forgive them.” Matthew 5:21-22 — In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus speaks of holding on to anger as a form of violence Matthew 13:24-30 — Parable of the weeds and the wheat Matthew 14:1-21 — After learning of John’s gruesome execution at the whim of Herod, Jesus does not retaliate or call people to arms, but withdraws, then feeds the masses—Kingdom of Herod/Rome versus Kingdom of God/Heaven 1 Thessalonians 4:15 — See that none of you repays evil for evil 1 Peter 3:9 — See that none of you repays abuse for abuse James 1:19-27; 3:1-10; Matthew 15:10-20 — These passages speak to the power of words themselves to do violence My Notes Reflection on Non-Violence An essential action if we are to love our enemies is the action of non-violence. This language is intentional. We could simply say, “peaceful”, but that doesn’t fully capture the intentionality. The non-violence Jesus calls us to (and shows us) is a deep-in-the-bones commitment to resist retaliation and retribution when things are not peaceful. It is an intentional action of resistance that subverts the corrosive power of violence to corrupt our hearts and escalate. In our modern world, non-violence speaks to more than just physicality. The call to non-violence now applies to new realms. Our words. Our online writing. (or liking, sharing, etc.) Our survival instincts are powerful (and important) sometimes surging our veins with an impulse to fight back. Violence begets violence. But non-violence, especially when coupled with the strength to love our enemies undoes the power of violence and creates something new and beautiful in it’s place. This is not an easy path. But is is the best path. And in situations where the powerful oppress the powerless (Pharaoh in Egypt, Apartheid in South Africa, Ghandi in Colonial India, Civil Rights Movement in the United States), non-violence is not only the Christian path, it is the actually the only effective path for change. Where can you practice non-violence in your daily life? How can we turn down the temperature of this culture of fear and division through modeling the non-violent way of Jesus? Recommended Reading: ”The Violence of Love” by Oscar Romero ”God has a Dream” by Desmond Tutu