Wondering Thoughts

Wars are Poor Chisels

The past is prophetic in that it asserts loudly that wars are poor chisels for carving out peaceful tomorrows.
Martin Luther King, Jr.

I ran across this quote in my studies this week and don't recall ever seeing it before.  One lesson from history is that we never learn from it. 

Tis the Season--More Money for War

It came upon the midnight clear,
That glorious song of old,
From angels bending near the earth
With news of joy foretold,
"Peace on the earth, good will to men
From heaven's all gracious King."
The world in solemn stillness lay,
To hear the angels sing.

These are the words I heard the other day from a familiar Christmas Carol, "It Came Upon The Midnight Clear," by Edmund Sears.  It's hard to hear them and read the newspaper at the same time, with the latest news of the $70 billion check just signed for the war.  Perhaps the next stanza is telling for our times as well,

Yet with the woes of sin and strife
The world has suffered long;
Beneath the Angel-strain have rolled
Two thousand years of wrong;
And man at war with man hears not
The love-song which they bring;
O! hush the noise, ye men of strife,
And hear the Angels sing.

Peace Post

"Peaceable Kingdom"  from Sunday, December 9, 2007
My sermon at FBC, Shreveport (this was the one from the Sanctuary Service"

Peaceable Kingdom--the Painting

I'm preaching from the lectionary texts--Isaiah 11:1-10, Matthew 3:1-12--for this Sunday as we light the Candle of Peace.  There are some great paintings out there that illustrate Isaiah 11, but I like Edward Hicks'. Read the background to it here.

"Going Commando for Jesus"

Peace Post #4

In the last of my Peace Posts, I focused on what Jesus had to say to the crowd of his time in regard to how they could resist the mistreatment of their captors by turning the other cheek. I’ll continue with another tactic he gave them before moving on to how the early church resisted violence peacefully.

Jesus taught the crowd that “if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, hand over your coat as well.” A casual reading of it would leave one to believe that Jesus is teaching them to take the abuse and, in a way, ask for more. A deeper look, though, shows an important tactic. I refer to Walter Wink’s explanation here, as it shines the most light and makes the most sense.[1]

Wink reminds us that Jesus was speaking to the poor, those who were used to getting sued for not paying their loans. The imperial system was charging exorbitant interest, taking advantage of the poor. These people had all their property and money removed and just had clothing to give. Jesus said that when it came time for the unjust creditor to require a person’s undergarment, he should give the outer garment as well. This would leave the debtor to exit the courtroom completely naked, shaming the creditor for making him so.

As Wink states it,

Imagine the debtor leaving court naked. His friends and neighbors, aghast, inquire what happened. He explains. They join his growing procession, which now resembles a victory parade. This is guerilla theater! . . . The Powers that Be literally stand on their dignity. Nothing deflates them more than deft lampooning.[2]

I think this interpretation fits with what else Jesus said here, especially in light of the turning of the other cheek, as well as his challenge for them to walk the second mile. This interpretation of Jesus’ words here show, once again, not a coward but a Messiah with shrewd tactics and an incredible sense-of-humor. Just the kind of Jesus I want to follow!

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[1] Walter Wink, The Powers that Be, (New York, Doubleday, 1998) p.p.101-102

[2] ibid

Jesus and the Other Cheek--Peace Posts

“If anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also.” Matthew 5:39 

This is one of those phrases still commonly used, yet frequently misunderstood. I always struggled with this teaching of Jesus, wondering how it could be practically followed. I mean, how can you invite someone to abuse and beat you? How could I counsel an abused wife, for instance, to offer her husband another side of her face to pummel? What would be accomplished with such behavior? My problem was in misunderstanding what Jesus meant.  A closer look reveals what Jesus was really saying. 

Jesus wanted his followers to resist violence in a creative, tactical way rather than letting the powers that be overcome them. His way for them, though, was not violent. To know what this means, we must understand how Jesus’ crowd would have understood it.

The crowd hearing this sermon for the first time would have known that the left hand was the “unclean” one in their culture. It was unclean because it was used for unclean tasks To hit someone with it, then, was to treat him as unclean; to degrade him To hit someone with your right hand (which would be on the left cheek) would be to admit that he was your equal; as one who is not unclean. So, what Jesus was teaching them to do was to deprive their oppressors of degrading them and forcing them treat them as equals. As Wink states, “By turning the cheek, then, the ‘inferior’ is saying: ‘I’m a human being, just like you. I refuse to be humiliated any longer. I am your equal. I am a child of God. I won’t take it anymore.’” [1] 

Brilliant! And now it makes sense.

Proper interpretation, understanding Jesus’ words within their context, shows us one who is the master at understanding and directing human behavior for good, not a cowardly door-mat.  Every bit of his method was peaceful.

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[1] Walter Wink, The Powers that Be, (New York, Doubleday, 1998) p.p.101-102

Jesus' Call to Peacemaking

"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called the children of God." (Matthew 5:9)

This is what Jesus had to say atop a mountain a couple thousand years ago. It’s amazing to consider how these words impacted the crowd gathered around Jesus that day as well as to consider how they have affected people throughout history. Scholars and other people have had a diversity of opinions about those words and how they are to be interpreted. The message is clear, however, when looked at within the historical-cultural context in which he made them. 

What hearers atop the mountain would have understood this word “peacemaker” to mean was one who works on behalf of God to bring his order of things in the world. Or, as Brian P. Stoffregen states it here, “to be agents of God who are actively establishing shalom.” I also like how Brian McLaren puts it in The Secret Message of Jesus,

. . .the kingdom that Jesus portrays exercises its powers not in redemptive violence but in courageous, self-giving love, and its goal is not victory on its own terms but rather peace on God’s terms. That peace—that Shalom—means far more than the end of conflict; it evokes a balanced and integrated “life to the full.” Jesus speaks on many occasions about his radically different approach to power—an approach that deconstructs dominance patterns in religion, family, education and government . . . and sees greatness in service instead of domination. (p.150)

Jesus spoke these words to a group of people who were longing for a political messiah to come their way who would lead them on another exodus, this time out of the bondage of the Roman government and empire. They were looking to Jesus to be such a Messiah. In case any of them were wondering, Jesus went on to clarify how to be peacemakers, giving such examples as to turn “the other cheek,” “go another mile,” or “bless those who curse you.” 

Walter Wink has been one of the most helpful scholars to me on this topic. His book, The Powers that Be, gets at the context and meaning better than any study I’ve seen, focusing in on Jesus’ “

Third Way

”. He holds that Jesus was not teaching nonresistance to evil, but rather non-violent resistance. The kind of peacemaking tactics Jesus taught were intended to resist not only the empire but also the religious oppressors within his own religion. This kind of resistance would bring peace. I left the office yesterday without the book and, consequently, can’t do a summary of his thoughts without it. I googled Wink and found an article that has some of the same material in the aforementioned book. Read here for some of his thoughts on these words of Jesus. (I’ll address peacemaking techniques from the Sermon on the Mount in future posts, using Wink’s work, but this post is just an introduction to Jesus’ call to peacemaking) 

Other instances of Jesus as reported in the Gospels—his choice of using words rather than fists or a sword, his willingness to endure the shortcomings of his friends/family/followers, his understanding of his role of peace as seen on his entrance to Jerusalem in a way that countered Caesar’s show of conquest and threat of power, his ability to love his enemies even as they insulted and crucified him, and others--show Jesus continuing on the pathway of peace, giving example of how followers were to be peacemakers.

Next Friday: What Jesus meant by “turn the other cheek” and a quick summary of how the early church lived as peacemakers.

Peace Out

I have been wanting to post some thoughts on the issue of peace and have come to the conclusion that it is best to just pick a day of the week as a regular time for peace posts.  The title of this blog is not just for looks--my blogs are a bit wondering and random at times.  The topic of peace is never-ending and so I'll post on it at least once a week, on Fridays.  It will deal with everything to Jesus' words about peacemakers in the Sermon on the Mount and his methods of peaceful resistance, and to what is currently taking place with posturing about nuclear bombs and Iran. I'll also deal with the Just War Theory and its various interpretations in history.  I'm hoping it to be lively, with lots of good debate and comments from readers.