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A few
years ago, while Diane and I were on a cruise, we met a couple at dinner that
happened to be from a nearby town here in central Florida. The man was from a
ranching family, and since we shared the same dinner table every day, we heard
many wonderful stories about Florida life years ago.
One
evening, when he learned that I was a deacon, he told us that his family was one
of the few Catholic families in the area. He said he used to get beat up a lot
in school because of his faith, but then laughed and said, "I got used to
it."
Years
later, he told us, he ran into an old classmate who had become a Baptist
minister. As they talked, the man said he had recently converted to
Catholicism, a journey that began when he used to see our new friend get beat
up in school.
"You
were a big guy, but you never retaliated. You just took it and went on. I
realized I was witnessing the Sermon on the Mount in action. That got me
interested in the Catholic faith."
Whenever
I think of him and then read the Sermon on the Mount, especially the words of
today's Gospel passage, I find myself wondering whether I am savable.
How
often do we find ourselves treated badly by others? How often do people take
advantage of us? And how often do we want to respond in kind? It's so very
human, isn't it? We get angry, or hostile, or indignant, all because we were
treated badly. And, Oh, we do find ways to get even, don't we?
As we
just heard, Jesus rejects this, the Mosaic Law spelled out in Leviticus [Lv 24:19-20] and
Exodus [Ex 21:24], the idea of "an eye for an eye..." It's often what is called
lex talionis, or the law of retaliation. In truth this law really wasn't an
encouragement to take revenge, since revenge was often excessive. No, the law
stressed that punishment for an assault should be restricted, and never exceed
the suffering experienced; i.e., an eye for an eye. From a human perspective it
seems reasonable, and is certainly present in many aspects of our criminal law
today.
But
Jesus calls us to something greater, something so un-human it can only be
divine. And it's another of those hard sayings that fill the Sermon on the
Mount. Jesus just seems to overturn everything the world believes to be right.
What
does He tell us? Don't repay evil with more of the same. Instead, offer no
resistance to the one who does evil. Then He utters that famous command:
"turn the other cheek" [Mt 5:39]. But He doesn't stop there. If someone takes
your coat, give him the rest of your clothing. If someone asks for your help, double
it. And don't turn away beggars and borrowers.
As you
might imagine, not many Christians spend a lot of time mulling over these verses.
Best to ignore them. After all, Jesus is probably exaggerating - a little
Jewish hyperbole. A bit of a maybe if we ignore it it'll go away sort of
thing. But Jesus doesn't say things He doesn't mean...so what exactly does He
mean? Should we take Him literally?
And who
should we imitate, some movie action-hero, one of those Arnold Schwarzenegger
characters who makes sure the bad guys pay, or Jesus Christ, who let the bad
guys nail Him to a Cross, and then forgave them? Jesus certainly turned the
other cheek, didn't He? He didn't resist as they spat at Him, beat Him, and
then killed Him.
After
all, Jesus wasn't defenseless. What did He say to the Apostles in the garden?
"Do you think that I cannot call upon my Father and he will not provide me at this moment with more than twelve legions of angels?" [Mt 26:53]Jesus, you see, is no victim here. He remains in total control. Those who torment Him are barbaric, but Jesus maintains His dignity and His strength.
Is He
telling us, then, that we cannot act in self-defense? Not at all, taking
revenge is very different from protecting oneself, or one's family, or one's
country. No, in urging us to follow His example, Jesus calls on us to use
self-restraint, and in turn to call others to him through love and forgiveness.
Being vengeful is the easy path, the human way, but not the better or divine
way. And we are called to perfection, aren't we?
You and
I don't have to look farther than the headlines or the TV news to see the
results of revenge and retaliation. Too often it leads only to a never-ending
cycle of violence.
And
keep in mind, when we follow Jesus' example, we are, in effect, turning it all
over to the Father, and allowing Him to act in our lives, just as He has since
the beginning of time. By following Jesus we show that we understand the nature
of our relationship with the Father: He is sovereign and we are His children.
In our
first reading Paul reminds us "not to receive the grace of God in
vain" [2 Cor 6:1]. Indeed, without the constant flow of God's grace, you and I can do
nothing good. We need His Holy Spirit acting within us. Only then, when we are
open to the Spirit, will God act through us to overcome the evil of the world
with good...for we certainly can't do it alone.
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