LiveWire

Artgal says:

You are on the correct path, Maynard!

To ‘turn the other cheek’ was in a message from Jesus known as The Sermon on the Mount. Christ’s message to those gathered was to respond to those who persecuted them for their faith with love – to pray for them (which is what is meant ‘do not resist an evil person’). He made himself an example when at the time of his crucifixion He said, ‘Forgive them, Father, for they know not what they do.” That is how Christ wants his followers to view those who persecute them: they act in ignorance and hatred of the Christian because they know not what they do; they do not know Christ!

In the book of Luke, Jesus spoke of self-defense and made it clear Christians are to do so as permitted by law: “When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own palace, his goods are in peace.”

There is a clear distinction between those who are common criminals and those who persecute Christians. Someone who is a common criminal knows exactly what they are doing; someone who does not know the Bible does not understand Christianity, and the insults, mocking, lies, etc. launched toward followers are done out of ignorance – and yes, hatred and fear of the unknown.

One of the tests of Christians is to avoid arguing their faith (not saying one should not engage in discussions – even spirited ones, but you cannot threaten, quarrel or force upon people), to treat those who are ‘offended’ kindly, correcting misinformation in a gentle manner; to be a good and able teacher and to love those who persecute you because, again, they know not what they do. Turning the other cheek is truly about picking your battles carefully and following the example that Christ laid out in his time on earth.

There is nothing in the Bible that says Christians are to be doormats or to even be silent in the face of evil. To ‘turn the other cheek’ simply means that we are to not break out in a fight or to shout down those who perform their petty torments because of the walk with Christ. It’s an understanding that those who behave with hostility toward you are going to be met with ‘killing with kindness’. Doesn’t mean they will always respond in kind, but it does mean obedience to God, and it also means they may test you more to see how you’ll react – and perhaps eventually have a moment of clarity in their own lives based on your example. It has happened – and yes, even a Muslim man who absolutely hated Jews and Christians became a convert simply by the kindness shown to him by a Christian family that came to his aid in a bike accident by taking him into their home, as he had no family here, and helped him in his recovery. The Apostle Paul, someone who ordered the stoning of Christians, became one of the most reverred men of the Bible writing much of the New Testament.

The Bible does say that Christians will suffer the persecution because the world hates them simply because they love Jesus. The persecution takes on many forms whether it’s the Joy Behar’s of the world walking off a stage when Islam is held accountable but taking part in the bashing (along with an ‘expert’ panel made up of a comedian, actor & a Top Chef judge) of a sitting congressman who professes faith, or the Muslim who converts to Christianity, gets caught, and is then doused with gasoline and set on fire. Notice that Rep. John Shimkus (sp?), to my knowledge, turned the other cheek and has not made a public statement about Behar & the Panel of the Terribly Misinformed; I’ll bet he prays for these people.

I will even bet the tormented Christian trapped in tyranny says a prayer for their tormentor as well. In fact, Corrie Ten Boom and her family did just that during the Nazi occupation of Haarlem, Holland during WWII. They were caught hiding Jews from Nazis and sent to various concentration camps. No matter the conditions, this brave family never lost faith – in fact, it grew stronger. They did not simply ‘turn the other cheek’ once the Nazi’s took over; they did resist the evil by hiding Jews in a hiding place in their house and then helping them to transports out of the area to safety. All the while, they prayed for God to change the hearts and minds of the Nazis. Ironically, many years later when Corrie Ten Boom was speaking to a group of people about her experiences in concentration camps, a man approached her. As he came forward, she began to sweat and feel panic inside. Then it dawned on her: he was one of the guards at the camp where she and her sister suffered. After hearing her story, he approached her, began crying then said, ‘Sister, will you forgive me?’ She said it took everything within her as her memories of those dark times flew and also thought of what Christ said about forgiveness. ‘Yes, Brother. I forgive you, ‘ was her reply – that is an example of ‘do not resist an evil person.’

Of course, God expects us to do what’s right in the face of evil. He is very clear about protecting your family, obeying the laws of a nation (unless it goes over His law), and pointing out there are times when you take the hits and times when you stand your ground. In either case, you come out ahead of those who persecute you.