Posted by
Jack on Tuesday, December 19, 2006 5:13:34 AM
"Do
not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek,
turn to him the other also. And if someone wants to sue you and take
your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. If someone forces you to
go one mile, go with him two miles. Give to the one who asks you, and
do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you." (Matthew 5:39-42)
Jesus warned His followers, "Small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it." (Matthew
7:14) We are now entering the narrow road. Many will drop out of class
here with these commands. These commands are tough. It would be far
easier to obey commands forbidding us to eat certain foods, drink
certain liquids, or ingest certain chemicals.
But
Jesus is commanding us to take it in stride when we are cheated,
oppressed and abused. He is not asking us to be wimps. Instead, He
commands that we be strong. It takes strength to resist fighting back
or getting even. And it takes faith that our God is just. He will
avenge.
I would much rather be the abused than the abuser. "For
we know him who said, 'It is mine to avenge; I will repay,' and again,
'The Lord will judge his people' It is a dreadful thing to fall into
the hands of the living God." (Hebrews 10:30,31) "Our God is a consuming fire." (Hebrews 12:29)
Our pursuit is discipleship, following the life and teachings of Jesus.
It is commands like this that make us salt to the earth. The closer we
come to obeying these commands, the more unique we become from the rest
of the world. It is things like this that make us stand out. The more
we conform to the world's behavior, the more we lose our saltiness and
become worthless.