WHAT WOULD JESUS TELL US ABOUT TODAY’S DIVISIONS AND HATRED?

All sides have claimed Jesus as their own. If they are revolutionaries, they claim that Jesus was a revolutionary. If they are pacifists, they claim that Jesus was a pacifist. If they are a socialist, they claim that Jesus was a socialist. If they are capitalists, they might point to the fact that Jesus had once said: “Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my father’s business?” (Luke 2:49). (Just a joke!)

Well, let’s take a look at some of the things He had said in His first recorded sermon, the Sermon of the Mount:

·       “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you. (Matthew 5:6-12 (ESV)

Who are those who are blessed by God?

·       Those who “hunger and thirst for righteousness” not those who take the law into their own hands.

·       Those who are “peacemakers,” not those who intimidate, divide, and use violence as their tools.

·       Those who are willing to endure “persecution,” “all kinds of evil,” and false accusations, rather than taking revenge.

Did these teachings do away with seeking justice? While Jesus’ teachings focused on how we individuals are to treat one another, He consistently affirmed the role and ethics of the court and the government, and not individuals and lynching parties, which were to uphold justice:

·       “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.’ But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the COUNCIL; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire. So if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift. Come to terms quickly with your accuser while you are going with him to COURT, lest your accuser hand you over to the judge, and THE JUDGE TO THE GUARD, AND YOU BE PUT IN PRISON. Truly, I say to you, you will never get out until you have paid the last penny. (Matthew 5:21-26)

Never did Jesus teach us to take justice into our own hands but to allow the legal system to perform the role for which it had been ordained. Even though Jesus had many negative things to say against the religious leadership, He still insisted that they should be obeyed:

·       “The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses’ seat, so do and observe whatever they tell you, but not the works they do. For they preach, but do not practice. (Matthew 23:2-3)

Even though they were hypocrites, they still were to be obeyed! A revolutionary would never have preached as Jesus preached. He even instructed the crowds to obey the Roman occupiers:

·       …“Therefore render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” When they [the Jewish leaders] heard it, they marveled. And they left him and went away. (Matthew 22:21-22)

Jesus seemed to understand that as faulty as the justice system had been under the Romans, it was still preferable to the “justice” of the mob. However, this is the very thing that is being extolled today. Wouldn’t Jesus instead have counseled us to take our grievances to even the unrighteous judge? He even told a parable about the need to persist in prayer, using the example of how the persistence of a widow paid off before an unrighteous judge. Jesus concluded:

·       “And will not God give justice to his elect, who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long over them? I tell you, he will give justice to them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?” (Luke 18:7-8)

However, Jesus also hinted that, in the end, people will become impatient with prayer as a solution to the injustices of this sinful world. Instead, they will resort to their own devices and claim that those who refuse to join in with them are complicit with injustice.

In the end, Jesus prayed for those who were crucifying Him. Is not this to be a model for us as well?