Turn the Other Cheek
Turn the other cheek
Matthew 5:38-42
38 “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for
a tooth.’ 39 But I
say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the
right cheek, turn to him the other also. 40 And
if anyone would sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. 41 And if anyone forces
you to go one mile, go with him two miles. 42 Give
to the one who begs from you, and do not refuse the one who would borrow from
you. [1]
Devotion
In the times which we
find ourselves, following Jesus command to turn the other cheek is extremely
difficult. For example, how is it possible to turn the other cheek when someone
is looting your store or worse yet burning it down. Should not one defend one’s
own property.
However, the commands
of the sermon on the mount are difficult to follow during the best of times.
And these are definitely not the best of times. Jesus, however, is not
interested in making the Christian life easy to follow. We are to lay down our
very life for one another if necessary.
The violence we see
on our streets is the fruit of centuries of mistreatment of people of color by
those of us who were lucky enough to be born with white skin. While it is true
that the looters and vandals are merely opportunists looking to do some damage
to property while they can get away with it. The majority of protesters are non-violent
and simply are out to make the point that too many times in recent history a
person of color has been victimized by those supposed to serve and protect them.
During this time, we
as white people must listen carefully to what the people of color have to say
to us. We must work toward reconciliation with our brothers and sisters of
color. We must demand that police and law enforcement personnel treat the person
of color the way they treat white people. That no person regardless of skin
color gets their God given right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness
denied without due process in a court of law.
Compassion must be
the course of action for such a time as this. Empathy for those wronged by our
system of justice. Make no mistake about it. The vast majority of our police
officers and court officials seek to do the right thing by all people. However,
we must eliminate from the ranks of our police and court system who would ill
treat our neighbors of color. Only then will the dreams of equality of all people
be realized in a peaceable world.
Jesus bore the cross
for all people sins. Whether they be white, brown, or black. We must begin to
realize that all people are our brothers and sisters wherever they are. May God
help us to do this. Amen
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