The Sermon on the MountWalter Wink

Jesus and NonViolence

Developed by Sandra Switzer for classroom use

WWJD?

How to understand the Gospel message about violence...

Did Jesus implicitly and/or explicitly condone or condemn violence?

Sermon on the PlainLuke 6:17-49

“But I say to you that listen....

If anyone strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also....”

Taken on its own, what do you think Jesus is telling his followers

to do?

Sermon on the Mount: Matthew 5:38-41

You have heard it said, “An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.” But I say to you, Do not

resist an evil-doer. 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.

Why did Matthew add “RIGHT”?

Does “Turn The Other Cheek” mean

Passive acceptance of injustice?

What does it mean to “Turn the Other

Cheek”?Do not resist

“Nonresistance”

Turn the other cheek

“Don’t fight back”

Submit

Be a victim

Results in “Doormat Theology

Passive acceptance of Violence

“Do not resist an evil-doer.”

Evil-Doer =Greek Word Antistenai

Antistenai in the NT

Found 71 times

44 times it refers specifically to the moment two armies collide, steel on steel, until one side breaks and flees

Taken in all its contexts, it generally refers to a potentially lethal disturbance or armed revolution

Antistenai-- Greek“Do not resist an evil-doer”“anti” -- “Against”“Histemi” -- a verb in its noun form“Stasis” --- “Violent rebellion, Armed - revolt, Sharp dissension”

A more appropriate translation:

Not “Do not resist the evil doers” but instead...

“Do not react violently against the one who is evil” or...

“Do not return violence with violence”

How did we end up with “Resist not the evil-doer?”

King James Bible

Court TranslatorsDidn’t want commoners to

believe they had any recourse to unjust royal policies.

“Submission is the will of God”

The history of interpretation...

Two Choices: Fight or Flight

The KJV reinforces the notion that we have

Understanding Historical Context of the New Testament/ Jesus’ AudienceRoman Occupation

2000 insurrections crucified during Jesus’ childhood

Dramatically asymmetric distribution of power

Jesus’ audience= oppressed and outcaste

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AkGi9-Mb-r0

Retaliation= Suicide

Powerful > Powerless

Retaliation =suicide

Submission the only NORMAL response

Jesus offers a third option...

Figure it out-- imagine new possibilities

Thinking outside the Box

Gives three separate nonviolent tactics by which his audience (Jews) can resist

Turn the right cheek

Give your cloak as well

Go the extra mile

Jesus

Nonviolent Tactic?

How is turning the right cheek an act of nonviolent resistance?

Left hand= TABOO

Illegal to to hit anyone with one’s left hand

Even gesturing with the left hand carried heavy penalties (Fines/ 10 Days of penance)

Why Not hit with LEFT hand?

Hitting with the back of the hand= humiliation

Reinforces Unjust Social Roles

Powerful

RomansMastersMales

Parents

Powerless

JewsSlaves

FemalesChildren

The ONLY way to strike the right cheek with the right hand would be with the BACK of the

right hand

Was Jesus Reinforcing Oppression?

NO

Turning the other cheek is an act of defiance

Look your oppressor in the eye

What will the Oppressor Do?

Can use the right hand to punch or slap their inferior

BUT, the right hand was used ONLY between social equals

If the oppressor hits with his right hand, he is acknowledging his inferior as his equal

Active Nonviolence

Arises from confidence in one’s inherent value

Courageous: Repression

Empowers the “victim” while disempowering the oppressor’s ability to dehumanize his subordinate

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ft4eTzhaUAc

Second Nonviolent Tactic

“...if anyone wants to sue you and take your coat, give your cloak as well...”

Jean Val Jean stole silver from the Priest, was

apprehended, but the priest says “You forgot

your candlesticks” instead of turning him in

Les Miserables

Traditional Interpretation:‘Give to those who steal from you’

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t-KRbQFtQ0w

If anyone would sue you ...

Coat= Outer Garment

Cloak= Inner Garment

Only poorest of poor gave their cloak as collateral

Roman Imperial Tax Policy and High interest rates drove Jews into debt, forcing them to sell their land (God-given)

Absentee Roman Landlords & Impoverished Jewish laborers

Institutionalized oppression

Institutionalized Violence

Legal Tradition

Judaic law required the cloak be returned each evening

“You shall not take a widow’s garment in pledge.” Deut. 24:17

“Give your cloak as well”

No chance of winning the trial

Refuse to be humiliated

Protest the injustice

Strip Naked!

“You have taken everything... will you take me next?”

Nakedness = A Taboo in JudaismGen. 9:20-27, After seeing his father naked, Canaan is cursed

Shame falls on the person VIEWING the nakedness, not the naked person

Exposes systemic injustice

Educates the oppressors

if anyone forces you to go one mile, go also the second mile.”

Atrocities by soldiers

Prevent revolt

Roman law= 1 mile rule

Jesus: Go more than 1

Why this tactic is effective

The rules are Caesar’s, but not how one responds to them

Asserts dignity & freedom

Emphasizes the injustice of occupation through irony, highlighting it.

Throws the Soldier off-balance

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lQEmyQwRdUo

Elements of Jesus’ Nonviolence

Seize the moral initiative

Actively resist injustice

Expose the injustice

A creative alternative to violence

Assert self-worth, dignity, and humanity

Break the cycle of humiliation

Jesus’ NonviolenceTake control of the power dynamic

Shame the oppressor into repentance

Stand your ground

Force a decision the oppressor is not prepared to make

Recognize your own power

Be willing to suffer rather than retaliate

Jesus’ Nonviolence

Cause the oppressor to see you in a new light

Deprive the oppressor of a situation where violence is effective

Be willing to accept the penalty for breaking unjust laws

Die to your fear of the old order and its rules

Historical ExamplesIn 26 CE, Pontius Pilate displayed imperial standards and displayed them in front of the Temple (idolatry)

Jewish leaders requested they be removed

Pilate refused

A large crowd of Jews lay on the ground around his house for 5 days and nights, remaining motionless.

On the 6th day, Pilate’s soldiers surrounded the Jews

Pilate threatened to cut down the Jews if they refused to accept Caeser’s images

At his signal, his soldiers drew their swords

The Jews flung themselves down again, extending their necks, and declaring their willingness to die rather than transgress the law

Astonished, Pilate has the standards removed from Jerusalem

Confronting a Bully

A small boy with chronic sinusitis

A schoolyard bully who terrorizes the kids on the bus

One day, the boy blows his nose into his right hand, extends his hand to the bully, and says “I’ve always wanted to shake the hand of a real bully.”

The bully backed away as the boy advanced

Never bothered anyone on the bus again

Nonviolence

Cannot read Jesus’ instructions literally

Not avoidance

Not possible as long as one is afraid to confront injustice

For Discussion:

What is ‘new’ about this discussion of Jesus’ teaching on nonviolence?

Were you taught to be passive by the ‘doormat for Jesus’ interpretation of this text?

How might you creatively confront a bully?

Jesus and the Bible

Christian claim: God’s nature and will is revealed to the world through the words and life (deeds) of Jesus

So what does the New Testament tell us about Jesus’ teachings and example concerning nonviolence

Textual Evidence

Matthew 5:38-48 Sermon on the Mount

Luke 10: 3

Paul

2 Corinthians 10:3

I Thessalonians 5:15

2 Timothy 2:24

Peter

1 Peter 2:21-24

1 Peter 3:9

1 Peter 4:1