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[The following is appendix ii in the book God With Us, the Biblical Message of Jesus.]
Extra Credit Bible Study ii
loopholes
. . . that is, in Christ
God was reconciling the world to himself
not counting their trespasses against them,
and entrusting the message of reconciliation to us.
2 Corinthians 5:19
Avoiding Jesus’ message
All this about peace and non-coercive community-creating only makes sense if Jesus is at the center. If you want to avoid the trouble of peacemaking and living nonviolently, go ahead, read your Bible without him at the center. Or, as I did for several years, just avoid what he plainly says which is in full congruence with how he lived and what happened on the cross. Reshape his message. Avoid Jesus and humans can be as warring as they want.
Go ahead, start wars, kill the innocent, torture the people you fear, try to fix things through violence—scapegoat others so you and your family can feel safe; but please don’t pretend that it comes from Jesus the Christ or that he told you to do it.
Loopholes—attempts to evade Jesus
In the face of this data, you might think that Christians would readily accept that Jesus calls his followers to a life based in his teachings and modeled on his life. But we get tired and fearful of fighting evil with good; we cherry-pick the parts of the Bible which we can use to re-interpret Jesus from a non-Jesus-centered perspective and allow us to avoid Jesus’ Spirit. The Christian Church has resorted to scouring scripture for any shred of evidence that could help its members escape the terror of actually following him with our own crosses.
Loopholes are defined as “an ambiguity or omission in the text through which the intent of a statute, contract, or obligation may be evaded.” (Miriam Webster Collegiate Dictionary Tenth Edition, Miriam-Webster, Inc, Springfield, Massachusetts, 1994) From where do these loopholes come? When we see our Bible through a different lens than Jesus at the center, we can find the loopholes. Let’s look at them from a Jesus-centered perspective.
The following “loopholes” are not presented in any special order, nor is the list intended to be inclusive— there are probably more. Yet, these are popular. Without them, we never could have started the Iraq war and called it Christian.
Loophole #1
Some will say: “Didn’t Jesus say: Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth; I have not come to bring peace, but a sword?” (Matthew 10: 34 -39) Of course he did, but in this same context he talks about how each follower must take up the cross and follow [him].
- See, I am sending you out like sheep into the midst of wolves; so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. Beware of them, for they will hand you over to councils and flog you in their synagogues; and you will be dragged before governors and kings because of me, as a testimony to them and the Gentiles.
- Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth; I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; and one’s foes will be members of one’s own household.
- Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever does not take up the cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Those who find their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it. — Jesus Matthew 10: 16-18; 34-39
Jesus is sending his disciples out into the world to share the good news of God’s love and peace. They will invite and challenge others with this message. In spite of the beauty and hope of the message, humans who stake their positions in society on relationships of dominance may very well attack followers of Jesus who do not. He knows he calls his followers into danger. He is not literally directing his disciples to take up swords, but rather to be ready for a life and death struggle.
We are dealing with two metaphors here: one violent, the sword Jesus brings and the cross. Which is more important? Centering our interpretation on Jesus, we will see that the more important one is the cross we are to take up. The less important one is the sword that is opposed to peace. The cross of Jesus the Lord is an overarching metaphor of all scripture; it relates to the Old Testament notions of the blood as life and sacrifice; it has to do with God’s self-surrender in non-violence and invitation to community by coming into the world to love all humanity. Therefore, the cross has priority over lesser metaphors, including that of the sword. Jesus does not teach the sword. He teaches the cross. He does not actually use a sword in his ministry. He actually takes up his cross. And in his continuing work, the sword plays no part except that it is a fearful reaction to the peace that he brings.
The usual human reaction to Jesus, the God of love, is to crucify him. So we understand that Jesus’ reference to the sword does not refer to some sort of violence his disciples are supposed to effect upon the earth. That negates the truth of the cross.
Rather, Jesus calls those who would be his disciples to take up their own crosses. This is direct and specific. We understand what this metaphor means because Jesus shows us in his own act and body what it means. In his cross, he refused to wield the sword; he refused to defend himself with the tools of violence. This is part of the meaning for anyone who would take up the cross.
Violence, the metaphorical sword, follows in the wake of Jesus. It is not directly from him and it is not from his purpose, it is not his goal as defined by the cross. Violence rises up from sin, which prefers to live in fear and sloth, rather than in the Spirit. In some hidden, unknowable way, God may be using that violence for divine purposes, but this is not permission and even less is a command from our Lord for us who follow Jesus to make violence happen. To say it again: that God allows for evil in the world is not permission and even less a command for the followers of Christ to perpetuate evil. (Romans 3:8, 6:1,15)
Loophole #2
Now some will also say: “But then, is it not the duty of government as spelled out in Romans 13:1-7 to bear the sword?” Yes, of course.
- Let every person be subject to the governing authorities; for there is no authority except from God, and those authorities that exist have been instituted by God.
- Therefore whoever resists authority resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Do you wish to have no fear of the authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive its approval; for it is God’s servant for your good. But if you do what is wrong, you should be afraid, for the authority does not bear the sword in vain! It is the servant of God to execute wrath on the wrongdoer. Therefore one must be subject, not only because of wrath but also because of conscience. — Paul Romans 13: 1-5
And if we are citizens of that country, should we not do as the government orders? There was no problem with this understanding when Paul first wrote it: the people who were his audience were not part of the government that could make such decisions. And he may have been writing in a defensive way, to counter anti-government sentiments among early followers of Jesus, or slander that the followers would not respect the government. And Paul speaks of an ideal government, one we hope would exist. Very few governments in history, including the history of Israel, have even approached this ideal and none at the time of Jesus and Paul. Except for this case, it is clear in the rest of scripture that governments are not viewed in such ideal terms. No biblical government matches Paul’s description of government. When faced with governmental authority, Peter and John say: We must obey God rather than any human authority. (Acts 5:29) We don’t know what Paul would have said to a Christian who held the official power of life or death over another. We do know that he submitted himself to government authority, and tradition says that it unjustly killed him for innocently presenting the story of Jesus. He was not telling disciples of Jesus to take up the sword, canceling out what he had just said at the end of Romans 12.
- Do not repay anyone evil for evil, but take thought for what is noble in the sight of all. If it is possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave room for the wrath of God; for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” No, “if your enemies are hungry, feed them; if they are thirsty, give them something to drink; for by doing this you will heap burning coals on their heads.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. — Paul Romans 12: 17-21
We do know that the first Christians avoided military service, that they stood unarmed in the arenas and did not fight back. Did you ever notice how many times Jesus refers to persecution? (Matthew 5:10-12) The faithful in Revelation are those followers of Jesus who refused to use violence even as they showed others the good news and are killed for it. (Revelation 6:9-10) And the power of such faith conquered and transformed the great Roman Empire and the whole of Western culture. Now we usually understand from our culture that peaceful people may be viewed as dangerous (Martin Luther King for example); but if their authenticity is seen (Mother Theresa during her life and King after his death) even the culture admires them. The blood of the martyrs has taught this to our culture.
The problem expanded for Christians when suddenly they became allied to the rulers of the state of Rome in the 4th century. In order to justify the state’s “need” to do violence, Christians generally chose to compromise the message of peace. You can imagine their relief at suddenly not being on the harsh end of the persecution of the whole empire. And those traditions of the god Mars have permeated the church’s self-understanding ever since. While we Christians try to “save” the sinner, we also have decided that we get to judge, with whatever rationale, who deserves to die. And then we Christians work to become effective killers of those we determine deserving of death. This has continued for centuries until we have now created weapons of mass destruction capable of destroying civilization and perhaps all life on the surface of the planet. The demons couldn’t be happier with this proud stance by people who claim Christ.
At best, Christians should regard Romans 13 as a second best, failure-of-true-faith fallback. Yet, it has been the one grand loophole that has become the rule. If you take it first— before Jesus as Lord— duty to the state trumps all other ethics. What would you do if the state ordered that you sell your children into prostitution? Such perversion of the biblical witness has allowed wholesale slaughter and debasement. The Nazis justified themselves from Romans 13. If we allow it to control our understanding of all that Jesus said and did, making his words irrelevant for us, how can we call ourselves his followers or him, our Lord?
We have cowered in fear behind our armies and police. Furthermore, the fact is that we have generally failed to even try the loving-enemies part. Time and again we have failed to feed them, failed to give them drink, failed to enter into their worlds, accept them as brothers or sisters, failed to share and live Good News with them and failed to welcome them into the Kingdom. Or we have failed to call them to God’s justice, failed to stand with their victims and Christ in his community of peace. Yet, then when we have loved our enemies, it has been fruitful. Although imperfect, even the great tolerance— and better yet, acceptance— of other peoples, races, and traditions within the United States is a wonderful example of what can happen when people act as Jesus would have them act.
Loophole #3
Now some will remind us of Jesus’ activity in the temple— knocking over the tables and driving the moneychangers out with a whip. Isn’t that an instance of violence? (John 2:13-17)
The incident surely informs us as to the range of activity on the part of peacemakers; Jesus is making a very public demonstration of the falseness of the temple worship of which humans are capable. Jesus does get angry— at the Pharisees, for instance, (Matthew 23) and tells it like it is right to their faces out in public. There should be no pretense that Jesus was either “nice” or frivolous about people looking and seeing their own hypocrisy and changing their lives. Yet, he clearly refused to kill (or even wound) and he taught his disciples not to organize in any way that would give them the power to kill.
Challenging someone to wake up, as Jesus does time and again to us all, is not the same as cutting anyone off from the land of the living. It is not judging the other. He wants us to wake up so that we can be with him, but this is always an invitation, never an ultimate destruction of another person or a people. At one point in time Paul recommends that the community expel someone, but it is as an attempt to help that person see their problem, confess, repent, and return into the community. (I Corinthians 5:5)
All such actions are subject to gross misinterpretation. Where do we draw the line between coercion and communication? One person’s angry, frustrated invitation to community is another’s slap in the face. Yes, sometimes we only wake up with a slap in the face, but it is dangerous. To do that as an invitation to community might be an act of desperate love or simply a knee-jerk reaction of anger and self-justification.
That it is hard does not mean that we should not try.
At the fast approach of the truck, the loving mother will choose to grab the young child and yank it out of the way, instead of gently inviting the child to retreat.
Loophole #4
Now some will also say something like this: “There is a dichotomy between God’s mercy and God’s justice. We must not simply be merciful, that doesn’t get to the full understanding of God in the Bible; he’s also the God of wrath who justly punishes sinners. As God’s people, we, too, should punish sinners.” This Biblical analysis misses the meaning of the New Testament and the full image of God that Jesus gives. The justice of Christ is the cross . . . it was to prove at the present time that he himself is righteous and that he justifies [this is a legal, judicial word] the one who has faith in Jesus. (Romans 3: 26) That Paul uses the legal word here is significant because it can mean that God’s act of mercy in the cross is also, in the same act, his act of justice. God is right and just and holy because God makes right and just and holy anyone who has faith. God’s righteousness is not found in the trueness of God’s ability to measure what punishment is perfectly fair, rather God’s righteousness is found in God’s absolute openness to relationship with anyone who simply wants it.
It is all one in Jesus. In Jesus, justice and mercy become one.
So, Paul will conclude, all we need is faith. This is a central point. There really is nothing we can do to deserve God’s mercy. Our sins are canceled. We just stand before God in awe as God welcomes us into a relationship of community with himself and humanity.
Throw away the false dichotomy of justice and mercy. The mercy of God and the justice of God are one in that they have the same goal: Family relationship with God— God with us. For the Christian, God’s justice is God’s forgiveness and reconciliation. The goal for the Christian is the establishment of community. Anything less is an arrow that misses the mark.
In Jesus— God with us—there is indeed a destructive violence, but it is destructive of that which destroys. When God is with us, all idols that, among other things, manifest themselves in judging anyone apart from the unique love of Christ—the love that removes everyone’s sin and brings us into community with God—are demolished. For those who would cling to their personal power, there will indeed be great loss when God hands out the ultimate judgment. “You can’t take it with you”––but you will take all of the love, faith, and hope you have given and received. (I Corinthians 13:8a,13) If we have staked our life on things other than these three, then there will be destruction for us! Yet, we know that life is more than empty self; we know that in our heart of hearts, it is love and faith and hope and all the experiences and relationships born out of them that are really worth keeping around for eternity.
You see, when we respond to God’s love in faith, our idols fade away. They don’t matter anymore. They were ridiculous to begin with.
So God in scripture may use a metaphor of violence—The God of peace will shortly crush Satan under your feet (Romans 16: 20)—not to indicate that Christians should be out stomping hard on anything or anyone, but as a way to describe the power of Christ’s love over sin’s vacuous promises. God is creating the Kingdom of God here on earth. We pray that in the prayer Jesus taught his followers: thy Kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven. That which is not loving, including systems of war and justice that wear a mask of Christianity, every form of human judgment, will be utterly and ultimately discarded in favor of the love of God in Jesus Christ.
If we want to effect the justice of God, then we will carry the cross of God’s ultimate, merciful love, the cross of Christ as well as our own cross, into the battle with evil. This is what Jesus did. This is what we are to do as well.
- Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” — Jesus John 20: 21
From here to there
I hope I have clearly asserted the nonviolent, non-coercive nature of Jesus’ mission and that Jesus calls his followers to lovingly build community with all.
Reflecting upon this message of peace, for myself, it suddenly is not some sort of minority opinion about what Jesus is about or the Biblical message centered in Jesus is about. If you look at the Bible through this Jesus-lens the peace of Jesus is there without question. It is who Jesus is. Something is very different than what many Christians are living as the center of the faith. Much of the history of the Christian religion seems to be one massive accommodation to the warring side of humanity. Worse, sometimes the Christians have been in the front of the cheering line. When we look at the Biblical evidence of Jesus, the man who is God, the man whose Spirit continues to move and work throughout the world, Jesus is a man of peace.
Frankly, for myself, I have avoided pressing this vision of Jesus’ peace because I was intimidated by it and because I, too, wanted to get along. But when I have accepted that God has created a way for us to be and has lived and shown us this way in Jesus, I have been far more ready to receive life.
- Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid. — Jesus John 14: 27
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