Be Holy. Be Perfect. Our Gospel and our OT readings this morning present us with two illustrations of how God expects his people to live. Each one describes different things to do, and not to do – however the goal of both readings is to provide us with a framework within which to seek justice and in which we can live out the reality of God’s Kingdom here on earth.
The OT reading however deals with how we deliver justice to others – how we live our lives in order NOT to be people seen by others to be evil. The NT reading deals with how we are to seek justice for ourselves – how we are to respond to the evil around us when we perceive that we are being dealt with unjustly.
On the face of it, the OT reading is simple and not overly difficult to achieve – let those who are less well off than you benefit from your abundance, don’t steal, don’t cheat, and don’t lie to each other. Nothing too arduous with those instructions. Don’t profane the name of YHWH, don’t deal with your neighbour or your hired workers unjustly – don’t hold back money you owe them.
Then there is an instruction to deal well with people living with disabilities – the first anti-discrimination legislation. In essence – the reading exhorts the Israelites, ad us by extension, to be nice to people and don’t be a bully – treat everyone fairly. Nothing overly complicated, unreasonable or beyond the ability of most human beings with any decent view life. It appears that by doing these things we can come somewhere close to following the first instruction: to be holy for the Lord your God is holy!
So that there is how we can ensure that we can live justly in relationship with other people – we can see clearly here what our responsibilities are. In what way, however do we deal with those people we encounter in our lives who have not read the book of Leviticus?
Around the world we attempt to ensure that people are in no doubt as to their responsibilities in relationship to one another as members of communities. We know exactly how we want to be and expect to be treated. The Universal Declarations of Human Rights, is a milestone document in the history of human rights. Drafted by representatives with different legal and cultural backgrounds from all regions of the world, the Declaration was proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly in Paris on 10 December as a common standard of achievements for all peoples and all nations. It sets out, for the first time, fundamental human rights to be universally protected and it has been translated into over 500 languages.
And the cry we hear whenever one of these human rights is transgressed, or in fact whenever personal injury occurs? An eye for an eye! Especially when we are confronted by a particularly heinous murder or other so called ‘capital’ crime – here in Australia we immediately hear the shock jocks and others call for the reintroduction of the death penalty – an EYE FOR AN EYE! In the Middle East – Israel kills a Palestinian and the Palestinians kill three Jews. A handful of Muslim extremist’s slaughter 3000 people and the US begins a war that has seen the greater part of over 1,500,000 people, many of whom are women and children, killed. AN EYE FOR AN EYE
Martin Luther King once said the following: Violence as a way of achieving racial justice is both impractical and immoral. It is impractical because it is a descending spiral ending in destruction for all. The old law of an eye for an eye leaves everybody blind. It is immoral because it seeks to humiliate the opponent rather than win his understanding; it seeks to annihilate rather than to convert.
The OT law of and eye for an eye is the equivalent of the Roman law of retaliation or the lex talionis was in fact a law that had at its heart a view of social justice – it sought to restrict the amount of retaliation that one could seek – retaliation had to be in direct proportion to the wrong committed. In its effect, it was a just law and was not meant to be seen as retribution, but just cause and effect – you do this to someone and this is what you can expect to happen to you.
Unlimited vengeance was the practice before the law of an eye for an eye. It is expressed by Lamech in Genesis. Lamech said to his wives: “If Cain is avenged seven times, then Lamech will be avenged seventy-seven times”! Does that number sound familiar? “How many times should we forgive, seven times?” asks Peter? Jesus said, “Seventy-seven times.” Jesus transforms unlimited retaliation into unlimited forgiveness.
In our NT reading we see something entirely different offered up as the mark of a disciple. Jesus, takes our violent social practices and turns them on their heads.
• “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say to you, Do not resist an evildoer.
• But if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also;
• and if anyone wants to sue you and take your coat, give your cloak as well;
• and if anyone forces you to go one mile, go also the second mile.
• Give to everyone who begs from you, and do not refuse anyone who wants to borrow from you.
• You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.
Some scholars have suggested that what Jesus is doing here is to turn the shame, dishonour and humiliation of the slap, and being sued for your clothes ad being forced to carry a soldiers load for a mile back onto the perpetrator by forcing them to have to face the ignominy of their own actions. However, this requires the one carrying out these acts to actually be moved by the turn of events, and to care – which they may or may not do. Instead of being ashamed at giving a slap once the other cheek is offered –they may offer another slap – they might just be fine with taking all the clothing of the destitute one being sued – they may in fact be glad that no only did they get one mile but they got another mile for free as well!
The point Jesus is making here is not the effect of what we do upon the one who has insulted or dealt evil upon us, but rather, it is the change in our hearts achieved by choosing not to respond in a manner which seeks even ‘just retribution’!
It is the change in us which begins to see that no matter what anyone can do to us, God is in control and God has our best interests at heart. We join with Joseph in Egypt who, upon finally facing up to his brothers who had sold him into slavery, didn’t do the same back to them –but having repaid evil with love, said to them “As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good”
THE PAX CHRISTI VOW OF NON VIOLENCE. I invite you all to make the following vow:
RECOGNIZING THE VIOLENCE IN MY OWN HEART, yet trusting in the goodness and mercy of God, I vow for one year to practice the nonviolence of Jesus who taught us in the Sermon on the Mount:
“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the sons and daughters of God…You have learned how it was said, ‘You must love your neighbor and hate your enemy’; but I say to you, Love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you. In this way, you will be daughters and sons of your Creator in heaven.”
Before God the Creator and the Sanctifying Spirit, I vow to carry out in my life the love and example of Jesus
? by striving for peace within myself and seeking to be a peacemaker in my daily life;
? by accepting suffering rather than inflicting it;
? by refusing to retaliate in the face of provocation and violence;
? by persevering in nonviolence of tongue and heart;
? by living conscientiously and simply so that I do not deprive others of the means to live;
? by actively resisting evil and working non-violently to abolish war and the causes of war from my own heart and from the face of the earth.
God, I trust in Your sustaining love and believe that just as You gave me the grace and desire to offer this, so You will also bestow abundant grace to fulfill it.
Love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you. In this way, you will be daughters and sons of your Creator in heaven. This isn’t possible in our own strength, but it is possible when we rely upon the indwelling of the Holy Spirit within us. Each one of us has the power to respond in love toward those who do evil to us, because of Jesus’ life, death, resurrection and his sending of the Holy Spirit to be our counsellor and guide. It is because we are Christs beloved, and he is our beloved that love can reign supreme in our hearts, in our lives, and in our every action in every day.
