Just when you thought you were getting the hang of this revolutionary idea, just when you were beginning to see that a reconciliation strategy is the way to go, your enemy decides on a new peace-breaking strategy along the lines of a verbal insult, a physical assault, or hitting you with a nasty lawsuit. Now what?
Sooner or later that new heart of yours—the stony, dead heart God himself resuscitated to life through faith in Christ Jesus, that heart—is going to be tested severely now that it is alive. You may be surprised to learn that Jesus invented the test. You may even cringe when you hear how he would have us respond to the test. Here is what he said: “You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ But I tell you, Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” (Matthew 5:38-40,44).
This may be the hardest of all of Jesus’ teachings to put into practice. It is so counterintuitive that most of us privately react with something like, “You can’t be serious!”
First, we need to pay close attention to Jesus’ opening sentence. It describes retaliation or revenge. (Jesus was not telling battered and abused individuals to accept their lot and roll over for some more abuse, as some have incorrectly suggested.) The Savior was teaching us that hitting back leads to more conflict and eliminates our opportunities for demonstrating love for the individual who just (literally or figuratively) struck the initial blow of a new conflict.
Second, we need to remember that within a few short months, Jesus would himself be similarly tested before the Sanhedrin, in Pilate’s courtyard, and while being nailed to a cross. He turned the other cheek for your sake and mine—and, yes, even for the sake of those who were unjustly executing him (Luke 23:24). Imagine what our eternal future would be like if Jesus had decided to use his power to take revenge for all the unjust things people had done to him (Matthew 26:52-54)!
But let’s back up to that part about loving someone who is striking you. That’s always the sticking point for sinners like us. From the world’s perspective, someone who is treating you with such disdain deserves your hatred and wrath. Worse, we live in a world that reinforces the strike-back instinct in a thousand different ways—from our political agendas to the games we play. Many of us have taught our kids to strike back with even greater force to teach the enemy a lesson he or she will never forget.
Again, this is not God’s way. God does not want us seeking revenge. He has promised to punish the ungodly himself (Deuteronomy 32:35).
Our faith is about a lot of things—peace, hope, forgiveness, eternal life—but at the very core of our beliefs, Christianity is about the kind of love that drove Christ to the cross, even for his enemies. That’s the only real answer to conflict—LOVE—godly agape love. What a radical concept! It will, no doubt, test your faith to the limit. But with a new heart, fashioned in the likeness of your own Savior’s heart, you will pass the test because he passed the test.
Lord Jesus, help me love my enemies, even when they are hurting me and hating me. Give me the strength to turn the other cheek when they go on the attack. And fill my new heart with a burning love for those who show nothing but disdain for me. Amen.
Excerpt from Devotional Thoughts for Christians in Conflict.