A BETTER NATURE

What does it mean to turn the other cheek? Is this a literal call or is it a principle that goes deep down to the roots of God’s love and being? Perhaps it’s a call to be wholly changed by His spirit, to see with a bird’s eye view rather than a finite, lateral sight from our own limited understandings. Turning one’s own cheek threatens ourselves because it challenges us to be above the desire to have our pound of flesh or to strike back at some perceived slight because it offends us. Oftentimes our righteous anger does not come from His spirit but from the pit of our fleshly, fallen selves. And we go forth with quick and easy soundbites that justify our points of view.

Everything of what Christ taught, the whole of His teachings centered around mercy, sacrifice and a long suffering love toward the sinner. Inner purity were His intentions, such as when He took the religious Pharisees to task for being about the cleanliness of the outside of the cup while ignoring keeping the inside clean as well. Matthew 23:25. And we are told to go the extra mile for someone that speaks against us. Matthew 5:41 Love your enemy, pray for them instead of holding onto any acrimony.

Has He not said to endure the slap that follows? The slap is symbolic of any personal offense or insult to ourselves. If we were to get alone and think on it, how would Christ respond? Should we call those out who have offended us? Call them out publicly and threaten separation from them as we draw our lines in the sand because of a stance we take or should we remember His longsuffering nature? He was no fool nor was He a doormat, but He saw the whole of the picture when He dealt with the broken hearts of men. As with all things there are exceptions where a stand must be made. But oftentimes it doesn’t match up. He isn’t about your comfort or feelings, because we are to be about a fallen world.

Make no mistake, this is no call to pacifism or to letting oneself be assaulted, robbed and taken advantage of but it revolves around the human need for justification and retaliation. Especially when we are quick to take sides and vilify others who we feel are in the wrong. I take this to my heart as well.

I understand how frayed the threads of our society are these days. I understand uncertainty. But remember, the world watches and looks on how as to how we conduct our lives. They look to see if we really walk in the shoes of the gospel of peace or if we are hypocrites who are quick to pass out judgement, pettiness and drawn battle lines. Christ came meek and lowly, He didn’t come as a warrior king as the Jews expected. His Kingdom dynamics are diametrically opposed to how we feel they should work.

It would be best to remember Jonah who didn’t heed the Lord’s call to go to the Ninevites because he knew of His mercy, compassion and His heart that did not want any to be lost. Jonah 4:2 And Jonah, in his ire and desperation railed against God’s mercy for those people that had oppressed his own folk. A people who would ultimately go on to oppress them in the not too distant future. He was understandably distraught over this, but he lacked the spirit of Christ to help guide him. But we have an advantage Jonah didn’t. We now have the Spirit to guide and comfort us in all things. To help us see the aerial view that the Lord holds.

Remember who has called you and who we are to model. For such a despairing time as this you were called.