retaliation

9:45 pm - Monday, 25 June 2012

First off, WOW I cannot believe I've already been here for over a month! That means that my halfway point is very quickly approaching. I'm going to have to take a survey of what I've done so far and what I still need to do.

Now, to the real meat of the day...heads up, I'm still chewing over this and it's not fun for me to think about, although I think it's important to revisit from time to time.

In church yesterday, we approached the subject of retaliation. We're reading through Matthew, working our way through the Sermon on the Mount. We picked up the passage in chapter 5, verses 38-42:

"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 the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if anyone would sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. And if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. Give to the one who begs from you, and do not refuse the one who would borrow from you." (ESV)

Along with the passage, we read an editorial article from the local newspaper remarking on the prevalence of quick tempers and the tendency of people to retaliate quickly when provoked. (For example, at a footy game, road rage, or just plain whenever one feels like it.) It asked the question, "What the h*** is wrong with us?!"

We batted the topic and the question back and forth. The main points we reached were as follows:

Jesus was speaking in this way to Jews, who knew the law and had been raised with a thorough understanding of everything it said. He also knew that it was nearly impossible for the Jews of His day to separate the actual desire of God from the twisted and convoluted traditions that accompanied it. We need to stay in context when reading this passage. They (like us) had become a society of litigation, where people were sue-happy and they had no qualms about bringing the tiniest little matters to a courtroom and demanding their restitution.

However, the people had twisted the original meaning and purpose of the law. If you read in Numbers and Deuteronomy, you quickly see that the "eye for an eye" principle was in answer to the question, "What happens when someone is wronged?" It was God's desire that people seek out justice for the victim, and the proper repayment was to give just what had been taken. If a man killed another man's animal, he repaid the man or replaced the animal. It was the social judiciary policy that created a sense of justice and restitution in the culture.

There was one major problem: There were people involved. As anyone in ministry can tell you, that's the one minute that everything starts getting all messed up. The aspect of "justice" became a type of revenge. Instead of seeking what was the right thing and the desire of God, people had turned it into an 'I'm going to get what I deserve' party that put the victim's own right and agenda as the main goal. Rather than causing the person in the wrong to do the right thing and repay the victim, it became a prideful way to backhand the one responsible into doing far more than God required. It became a situation where social justice became social injustice, and it was applauded and encouraged by the people.

Jesus was not disagreeing with what God had said, nor is He rewriting the book on justice. He is speaking to a specific group of people about a specific problem that needed to be addressed because it involved the attitude of the heart and obedience. He is urging the group of self-serving religious people to put aside their own agenda and what they claim as their "right" so that they can make their priority something of eternal significance.

This is important: Jesus was not saying to never defend yourself, nor was He saying never defend the victims. We are definitely not called to be doormats for everyone else to walk upon, and we are most definitely called to stand up to defend the weak and helpless. He was clarifying God's intent and giving us an avenue by which we can separate ourselves from what the world does and showing ourselves as people of grace who follow a loving God. I may have every right to retaliate or get even--the world even goes so far as to tell me that seeking revenge is the right thing to do--but I am choosing to obey what Christ desires and be obedient to the standard which He sets for me. I should be choosing to forgive for the sake of peace, not retaliate for my own personal pride. If someone doesn't stop the cycle of retribution and revenge, it will swallow everyone involved.

Besides, in Romans 12:17-21, Paul writes that God will have the justice. "If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, 'Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the LORD.'..for by so doing you will heap burning (or fiery) coals on his head." (vs. 18-19, 20b, ESV)  Basically, God says, "Be still and let Me handle it."I hate this idea, because it goes against everything in me, but I recognize that it is truly the right thing to do'; it is no longer an issue of "Do I get what I deserve?", but rather "Am I doing what God desires me to do?" I don't like thinking about it and I am most definitely still learning how to even think about it properly (much less begin to do it), but it's nice to know I'm not the only one on the journey.