Violence In The Name Of Jesus Series

Saint of God, ,

If Jesus opposed wealth and power and did not come to have a political influence upon mankind, nor wanting hierarchy nor distinctions between human kind then what? This has been called an impossible dream of society, though communities reading the gospels have, over the years lived up to the dream. Such people are called dreamers or idealists. Practical matter require discreetness. Jesus did not deny that. Politics, calculation, compromises - all those things are "matters of Caesar." Let Caesar take care of them. Jesus work and demands are of a different order.

If Jesus ( and I use the Greek propositional if, if and it is true) was opposed to all of the above then He must have been opposed to their invariable instrument, violence! Of all the teachers of nonviolence - more than Gandhi more than Martin L. King more than the Dalai Lama, Jesus was absolute and inclusive in what He forbade: I say unto you which hear, Love your enemies, do good to them which hate you, Bless them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully use you. And unto him that smiteth thee on the one cheek offer also the other; and him that taketh away thy cloke forbid not to take thy coat also. Give to every man that asketh of thee; and of him that taketh away thy goods ask them not again. And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise. For if ye love them which love you, what thank have ye? for sinners also love those that love them. And if ye do good to them which do good to you, what thank have ye? for sinners also do even the same. And if ye lend to them of whom ye hope to receive, what thank have ye? for sinners also lend to sinners, to receive as much again. But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil. Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful. Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven: Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.

(Luke 6:27-38 )

Throughout the history of the church tremendous ingenuity has been expended to compromise these uncompromising words. Jesus is too much for us. The churchesf later treatment of the gospels is one long effort to rescue Jesus from His "extremism."

Jesus consistently opposed violence . He ordered Peter not use his sword, even to protect His life. Then said Jesus unto him, Put up again thy sword into his place: for all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword. (Mat 26:52 ) And yet we have recorder in history that thousands in the Crusades, would take up the sword to protect the site of that place where Jesus lay down His life.

So gentle reader if one cannot use violence to protect the Lord of heaven, what can one justifiably use it for? When Pilate questioned Jesus if He was a king, Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence. (John 18:36 )

Many would make Jesus belong to a particular political party or group, and/or make America a theocratic nation , that our founders were wanting this to be a Christian Nation. They want this country, this state to be politically "Christian", they are not following Jesus, who says that His reign is not of that order. If on the other h, ( I told you long before that I was a Libra-the scales you know everything must balance ) they ask the state simply to profess religion of some sort ( not specifically Christian), then some other religion may be conscripted for that purpose, but then Jesus will not be among them [ why is it that the very name of Jesus is not allowed to be spoken of in the public arena ?]

If people want to claim they do battle for God or in His Name, they cannot claim that Jesus has called them to this task, sine He told Pilate that His ministers would not do that.

Jesus, unlike the other Jews of His time, renounced Theocracy. That involved religion in state violence, and He never accepted any violence as justified! He specifically renounced political opposition to the Roman oppression saying " And Jesus answering said unto them, Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's. And they marvelled at him. (Mark 12:17 ). He did not oppose to paying the Roman tax, though He was accused of doing so ( Luke 23: 2 )