8/10/2014

Is Jesus A Pacifist?

J. Warner Wallace

  
Many Christian pacifists cite the words of Jesus to argue He would never condone any kind of deadly force (in spite of the obvious justifications for killing allowed by the Old Testament Law). They typically cite the following passage (from the Sermon on the Mount) to make their case: The "obvious justifications for killing" were discussed here:
Luke 6:27-31
“But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. If someone strikes you on one cheek, turn to him the other also. If someone takes your cloak, do not stop him from taking your tunic. Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. Do to others as you would have them do to you.”
Pacifism: "the belief that any violence, including war, is unjustifiable under any circumstances, and that all disputes should be settled by peaceful means." Oxford Languages | Google

WAR: "an intense armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such as mercenaries, insurgents, and militias. It is generally characterized by extreme violence, destruction, and mortality.... Total war is warfare that is not restricted to purely legitimate military targets, and can result in massive civilian or other non-combatant suffering and casualties." Wikipedia
What did Jesus mean here when He said, “If someone strikes you on one cheek, turn to him the other also”? Was Jesus advocating pacifism? If we consider this passage in the context of Jesus’ life, other teachings in the gospels, and the immediate context of the Sermon on the Mount, it’s difficult to interpret it as an effort to advocate pacifism. When Jesus told His followers to “turn the other cheek,” He was referring to personal retaliation rather than to responses related to criminal offenses or actions related to military force. Jesus was not contradicting God’s Old Testament laws regarding the use of deadly force, but was, instead, encouraging His followers to resist the desire to react personally when their dignity or pride had been insulted. He also told his followers to resist lawsuits related to personal finances (Luke 6:40), personal liberty (6:41) and personal property (6:42). This passage involves personal rights and not was not a dictate related to the use of deadly force. While this passage in isolation has been used to make a case for pacifism, it must be read in the context of all Jesus’ actions and teachings. The life of Jesus helps us to understand what Jesus taught and believed about the use of deadly force:  

Someone should remind Detective Wallace that slapping someone on the cheek is a crime: the crime of "battery." Is the crime of battery an act of "love?" Is the use of deadly force "loving?" We are commanded to love our enemies. That's means everybody. No human being on planet earth is not owed the duty of love (Romans 13:8-10). That rules out battery (non-deadly force) and deadly force.

"God's Old Testament laws" -- as Wallace sees them -- were reviewed here.
Jesus Believed Some Causes Call for Aggressive Action
Jesus was quick to act aggressively to defend what He believed was right:		 No pacifist I know opposes "aggressive action." The word "pacifist" is not etymologically related to the word "passive."
John 2:13-16
When it was almost time for the Jewish Passover, Jesus went up to Jerusalem. In the temple courts he found men selling cattle, sheep and doves, and others sitting at tables exchanging money. So he made a whip out of cords, and drove all from the temple area, both sheep and cattle; he scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. To those who sold doves he said, “Get these out of here! How dare you turn my Father’s house into a market!”		 There's no evidence Jesus committed a "battery" against any human being in the temple. They were trespassing in Jesus' Father's house. It is not unloving to ask trespassers to leave. In 40 years, Jesus would incinerate the money changers. It was His House. It's not our house. Jesus is God. We are not. The proper question is not "W.W.J.D.?" but "What would Jesus have us to do?"
Jesus Called for the Use of the Sword
In Biblical times, the only “sidearms” available to people to use for protection were knives or swords. Today’s equivalent weapons would be pistols and automatic rifles. Jesus told his disciples to arm themselves with swords:		 Jesus did NOT "call for the use of the sword." This is a sloppy reading of the Bible.
Luke 22:36
He said to them, “But now if you have a purse, take it, and also a bag; and if you don’t have a sword, sell your cloak and buy one.”		  
Why would Jesus say this? At the very least, Jesus was calling His disciples to prepare themselves for their own defense. And the sword (a killing instrument) was evidently permissible in the eyes of Jesus. False.
Jesus Never Condemned the Life, Calling or Duty of Those Who Exercised Deadly Force
Jesus’ beliefs related to the appropriate use of force gave Him a proper perspective on the role of soldiers who regularly used deadly force. Maybe that’s why Jesus never commented negatively on soldiers with whom he came in contact:		 This is sort of like "woke" Christians (so-called) who say "Jesus never condemned homosexuality."
It's a "true fact" that Jesus never explicitly condemned the Roman Empire for its military invasion of Israel in which thousands of Israelites were slaughtered and an unrepresentative, undemocratic military dictatorship was imposed on Israel by foreign pagans who claimed that Caesar was a god and "Pontifex Maximus" ("high priest") and subjected Israel to slave labor (Matthew 5:41) and put Israel under tribute. Jesus never condemned any of that, so if Italy invades Israel tomorrow, in the same way, you have to shut up about it.
Matthew 8:5-12
When Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him, asking for help. “Lord,” he said, “my servant lies at home paralyzed and in terrible suffering.” Jesus said to him, “I will go and heal him.” The centurion replied, “Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed. For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and that one, ‘Come,’ and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” When Jesus heard this, he was astonished and said to those following him, “I tell you the truth, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith. I say to you that many will come from the east and the west, and will take their places at the feast with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. But the subjects of the kingdom will be thrown outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”		 The great point here is that Israel was not faithful.

12 But the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

It's like Jesus' comment to the Syro-Phoenecian woman:

Matthew 15:21 Then Jesus went out from there and departed to the region of Tyre and Sidon. 22 And behold, a woman of Canaan came from that region and cried out to Him, saying, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David! My daughter is severely demon-possessed.”
23 But He answered her not a word.
And His disciples came and urged Him, saying, “Send her away, for she cries out after us.”
24 But He answered and said, “I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”
25 Then she came and worshiped Him, saying, “Lord, help me!”
26 But He answered and said, “It is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the little dogs.”
27 And she said, “Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs eat the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table.”
28 Then Jesus answered and said to her, “O woman, great is your faith! Let it be to you as you desire.” And her daughter was healed from that very hour.

And the point is that gentiles would have greater faith than apostate Israel. Not that it's OK to invade nations and use deadly force. smh
Jesus praised the faith of the soldier without making a negative statement about his work or life as a warrior. This is similar to the approach John the Baptist took with soldiers who came to be baptized:  
 Luke 3:12-14
Tax collectors also came to be baptized. “Teacher,” they asked, “what should we do?” “Don’t collect any more than you are required to,” he told them. Then some soldiers asked him, “And what should we do?” He replied, “Don’t extort money and don’t accuse people falsely-be content with your pay.” 		  
John also failed to scold the soldiers for the work they were doing. Like Jesus, he didn’t tell these soldiers they should disarm and become pacifists. If Roman soldiers disarmed and went AWOL, they would be executed. Neither Jesus nor John counseled suicide. But Jesus said we were to be wise as serpents and still be as gentle as doves. That takes wisdom.

Certainly, no Christian should voluntarily enlist in an army and become a slave of the empire that fights for a pagan idol (Caesar, son of god and "Pontifex Maximus"). But if you are a slave when you become a Christian, (1) get out if you can, or (2) serve your slavemaster as you would Christ (Ephesians 6:5-6; Colossians 3:22-25).

1 Peter 2:18 (Wycliffe)
Servants, be ye subject in all dread to lords, not only to good and to mild, but also to tyrants.
1 Corinthians 7
20 Let each one remain in the same calling in which he was called. 21 Were you called while a slave? Do not be concerned about it; but if you can be made free, rather use it. 22 For he who is called in the Lord while a slave is the Lord’s freedman. Likewise he who is called while free is Christ’s slave. 23 You were bought at a price; do not become slaves of men. 24 Brethren, let each one remain with God in that state in which he was called.
Jesus Agreed with the Father’s Perspective on War
God occasionally commanded the Israelites to engage in war in the Old Testament (carefully limiting these commands to the justifications He provided for the use of deadly force). The Bible declares the nature of God to be unchanging:		 The "justifications" -- as Wallace sees them -- were reviewed here.
Malachi 3:6
“I the LORD do not change”		  
James 1:17-18
Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.		  
Given the unchanging nature of God and His declarations related to the use of deadly force, consider the following passages:  
John 10:30
“I and the Father are one.”		  
John 14:9-10
Jesus answered: “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you are not just my own. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work.”		  
John 14:24
“These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me.”		  
1 John 5:6-7
This is the one who came by water and blood-Jesus Christ. He did not come by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth. For there are three that testify: the Spirit, the water and the blood; and the three are in agreement.		  
Jesus and God the Father are in perfect agreement about everything. So whatever God says about the use of deadly force in the Old Testament is still true about the use of deadly force in the New Testament. Jesus agrees with God the father because Jesus is a member of the triune Godhead. Jesus certainly agrees that in the Old Testament it was necessary to shed the blood of certain human beings in order to cleanse the land.

All these verses constitute a kind of taking the Lord's Name in vain. As it would be to cite all the verses in the Old Testament that required blood sacrifices and then claim that because God never changes, blood sacrifices are the order of the day in the 21st century after Christ.

Nobody denies that God doesn't change. Citation of those verses in this context trivializes the verses without really giving a careful consideration of the issues.
Jesus is Himself a Warrior
With this in mind, it’s much easier to understand and accept the way Jesus is depicted in the Book of Revelation, where He is described as a warrior at the End Times:		  
Revelation 19:11-21
I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and makes war. His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself. He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God. The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean. Out of his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. “He will rule them with an iron scepter.” He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS. And I saw an angel standing in the sun, who cried in a loud voice to all the birds flying in midair, “Come, gather together for the great supper of God, so that you may eat the flesh of kings, generals, and mighty men, of horses and their riders, and the flesh of all people, free and slave, small and great.” Then I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies gathered together to make war against the rider on the horse and his army. But the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who had performed the miraculous signs on his behalf. With these signs he had deluded those who had received the mark of the beast and worshiped his image. The two of them were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur. The rest of them were killed with the sword that came out of the mouth of the rider on the horse, and all the birds gorged themselves on their flesh.
Yes, Jesus destroyed Jerusalem in AD 70. Is there a single human being alive on planet earth in the 21st century who can point to these verses and say
This verse gives me the right to
  • mount a military invasion and siege of Jerusalem
  • take vengeance on my enemies (cf. Romans 12:19)
  • extort money from others to finance my acts of vengeance (Exodus 20:15), and
  • threaten violence against anyone who tries to compete with my monopoly system of  "justice,"

and be assured God will not hold me guilty of sin for doing such things."

These arguments are so trivial as to approach blasphemy.
So, is Jesus the pacifist some would like us to accept? If we, as Christians, are to model our lives after the life of Christ and be imitators of Jesus (Ephesians 5:1), then we will also find ourselves embracing the view of war Jesus clearly reflected in Jesus’ life and actions. While it is true Jesus never resisted those who would eventually nail Him to the cross, this effort on the part of Jesus was a unique and specific act of submission designed to accomplish the Salvation all of us so desperately need. Jesus’ final act of obedience did not contradict his prior actions and teachings related to the use of deadly force. Jesus was not a pacifist, even though He chose to passively submit His life to save those who trust in Him. Jesus is God. God is not a pacifist. God kills everybody. We are not to imitate the divine attributes of Jesus. We are to obey Jesus' commands for us. And Jesus commands us to be pacifists, not invade other nations.

The idea that Jesus' acts were "unique" is a misapplication of Scripture. It's true that Jesus' pacifism resulted in a substitutionary atonement, and our pacifism will not, but that does not mean we are not to follow in His steps. Read 1 Peter 2. We are commanded to follow in His steps at precisely the point where Detective Wallace would advocate "defensive" lethal force to prevent an unjustifiable killing.

1 Peter 2:18-23
18 Servants, be submissive to your masters with all fear, not only to the good and gentle, but also to the harsh. 19 For this is commendable, if because of conscience toward God one endures grief, suffering wrongfully. 20 For what credit is it if, when you are beaten for your faults, you take it patiently? But when you do good and suffer, if you take it patiently, this is commendable before God. 21 For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps:
      22 “Who committed no sin,
      Nor was deceit found in His mouth”; (Isaiah 53:9)
23 who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously;

Intentionally killing someone is never justified. Jesus never taught that it was OK for us to intentionally kill someone.
J. Warner Wallace is a Cold-Case Detective, a Christian Case Maker, and the author of Cold-Case Christianity  
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