My article from this week's edition of the Rockford Squire:
In recent weeks, I have had conversations initiated by parishioners, acquaintances, and strangers alike, about the meaning of several sayings of our Lord, such as “Love your neighbor,” “turn the other cheek,” and “those who live by the sword will die by the sword.” Some of them even specifically requested that I include my answers here in the newspaper!
On the surface, these verses might appear to command passive
suffering by Christians confronted with danger, but on other occasions Jesus
Himself uses a whip to cleanse the temple of greedy merchants (John 2) and instructs
His disciples to buy swords (Luke 22:36), and He, along with Peter and John the
Baptizer permit soldiers and centurions to continue in their vocations and even
the strict Old Testament law excused from punishment individuals who kill
defensively. Even when the early church prohibited
military service, it was because it required idolatry to Caesar, not because of
the use of force.
When these passages are viewed within their context and when
the reader takes the time to ensure he is not reading his personal biases into
the text, we find that Scripture prescribes boundaries for the use of force,
but without prohibiting its defensive use.
So, “turn the other cheek” (Matthew 5:39) prohibits violent retaliation
for non-dangerous offenses rather than passivity in the face of danger.
When Jesus admonishes Peter about his use of the sword at His
betrayal in the garden (Matthew 26:52), Peter’s offense is not the use of
force, but ignoring Jesus’ prediction that He would be betrayed and crucified
and standing in the way between Christ and the Cross.
To obey the command to love one’s neighbor, the Christian
sometimes faces the necessary choice of which neighbor to love. For example, a man might need to love his
family first by preserving their safety, their property, and his ability to
continue to provide for them by dispatching an attacker or robber, rather than
showing mercy on the one who seeks to harm them or deprive them of the things
necessary to sustain their life.
God desires that all people would live in peace with one
another, and at the Last Day, He promises to bring that to fulfillment. Until then, He certainly warns Christians
about the dangers of rebellion, revenge, and offensive use of force, but on
occasions when confronted with danger, it has been the consistent witness of
Scripture and church history that He authorizes the innocent to use force against
the malicious in defense of self, others, or property, precisely as an act of
love for those under our care and in keeping with the justice of His own
character.
