This is the third, and final part of my notes from Rob Bell’s calling all peacemakers tour, on which he recently spoke in Glasgow. Part 1 and part 2 notes are also on the blog.
So Rob pointed out that the Kingdom of God is here, right now, and is present. The message of Jesus is to return (to repent) and get back into a right life. BUT: We live in an evil, dark world. A world with fighting and turmoil and pain. What does Jesus say to that?
Jesus says if someone hits you on the right cheek, turn the other one. Remember that for the Jews, the right hand was the clean hand, used for eating and handshakes. The left hand was used for…..well, not polite stuff anyway. You’d want to wash your hand. So the left hand was unclean. So you would only strike someone with your right hand, as otherwise you would be unclean. You had two options - a right hand fist to the right cheek (hitting with a fist was indicating that person was your equal - remember it was all about relative status) or secondly, to slap - to strike an unequal, with the back of your right hand; this would be done only to a slave, a minion, a soldier below you, to someone less human than you. You can’t hit the right cheek with the right fist, so must have been a slap, must have been as if to a slave. So when you turn the cheek, you now would be hitting with the fist, treating the person as an equal. Simple way of turning things upside down. So moved from unequal to equal. Takes away power, co-ercion. Treats me as equal, validates me.
If someone takes your coat, then give your shirt also. Remember that the Jews would have had 2 layers - a shirt, then a coat. So if someone sues you and takes your coat (what if you have only that left, 80-90% tax rates at the time - Jews had been conquered, there was a big army, which was in need of high revenues, so there was a high tax on people conquered - e.g. census at Christmas for purpose of counting people). People were losing family lands. People oppressed, people who are poor, people having to get hired out hourly, people hired to work on their own land - shame, humiliation, guilt. All you have left is your coat. You are poor. Jesus says to give to them your shirt also. Why? Because viewing nakedness of another is shameful for Jewish, on person who viewed it. Crippling shame. Again, this turns things upside down. The master would then say “stop doing that”, put your clothes back on. Oppressed person is now acting, the master begging him to stop. A practical way to deal with the situation. Genius is that the aggressor may change his heart and give the coat back
Jesus says if demanded to walk 1 mile, then go another one. Romans mastered the place, these are the people who invented crucifixion. These were not nice conquerors. Roman soldiers could demand that you walked with them, to carry their pack - even if on Sabbath, you had no choice, even if it meant being apart from your family, treats you like an animal. BUT Roman military rules restricted this to 1 mile per person. So if you then walked another mile, the Romans had to beg you to stop - otherwise they would be in trouble with the military commanders. Romans then begged you to stop. Roman doesn’t want to be caught punishing this person. Fearless. Go the 2nd mile. Put the Roman in an awkward situation. Ask him to do something.
The world we live in suffers from lack of imagination.
When we suffer wrong there are 2 approaches we usually take:
- do nothing. Pacifism. Turn the other cheek. Take it. God loves you. Jesus gave my spine to someone else. Not what Jesus is advocating.
- strike back. Pick up the sword and swing. Corresponding level of aggression. “Let me tell you about those gossips so you can pray better for them” etc. At that moment you have just lost.
Jesus is giving a 3rd way. Not passivity. 3rd way theology. Jesus pioneered non-violence. Gives us imagination
- turn the other cheek. Do not co-operate with anything that humiliates you. Preserve the image of God. Protect the humanity.
- holding out the possibility that the aggressor may have a change of heart. May say what am I doing. E.g. Freeze practices of Danish resistance. Chose a random time, e.g. thurs 2.07, held a 2mins freeze. Saved thousands of people, allowed thousands to escape WWII with their conscience intact.
- is there a 3rd way here? Can I do it differently?
- how can you get to the oppresssor asking to stop?
3rd way
- tremendous creativity
- massive courage
THE CROSS
- first seen as an icon 300-400AD, funnily enough the same time as the Romans died out. Crucifixion was a genius tool for oppressors - kills people, they suffer for a time, most people can see it and heed its warning. The cross only became art when people who had seen crucifixion died out. - YET WE SING SONGS OF THE CROSS & ITS POWER. HAD COSMIC IMPLICATIONS FOR FIRST CHRISTIANS. GOD RECONCILES ALL THINGS TO HIMSELF THROUGH THE CROSS. God makes peace with all things. Very real reconciliation. The work has been done, it’s about trust through the cross & resurrection.
BUT REMEMBER THAT THIS RECONCILIATION REFERRED TO ALL THINGS. Reconciliation - trusting Jesus is where it starts. Cross is our personal encounter with Jesus. Christ wants to put each of us back together. Cross is the only hope.
As church experiences shalom together He works inside us, bonds us to others. We then understand we need to bring shalom to the world. God wants to reconcile himself to all things.
The world today
- 6bn people
- USA 300m
- UK 60m
This is only 8% of the world population.
- 1 billion people do not have clean drinking water
- 2.6bn people do not have adequate sanitation - leads to lower immune rates etc
- 780-800m people are hungry due to no food
- 2.2bn children. 1bn live in poverty (absence of basic necessities)
- 2bn no electricity
- 80% live in sub-standard housing
- 1bn can not read or sign their name
- Wealthiest 1% have same net worth as poorest 57%
- 1bn people live off <$1/day
- 2bn more <$2/day
THIS IS NOT SHALOM
- 20% of the world consume 86% of world’s resources
In Rwanda there was a woman who was very poor - a micro-finance loan was given, she bought a stall, built house & owns it, uniforms & food for kids & they go to school. Able to pay the loan back. $40 loan. Given to someone else. Etc etc. £1 off tickets for Rob Bell went to turami, to micro-finance in Burundi where $90 is the average annual income. Repayment rate on micro-financeloans is 98-99% globally.
All the spare money from the tour will go to turami. “I’m in the shalom business.” Lets set out to bring shalom. Catch a vision for being a peacemaker. Bring shalom to the world.
Peace & Shalom.
Thanks for the notes-good stuff!
Chris, thanks for the feedback. I was the only geek there blogging it I think but it’s a good way of making me listen to what he said and then think it through afterwards. There’s so much depth to what he says that I sometimes miss first time around.
…appreciated the notes, Duncan
Thanks JL, no problem