This is the second of two Faith Gap series installments about the following passage:
Matthew 5:39-45 (NIV) "But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also. And if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, hand over your coat as well. If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles. Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you. You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous."
I interact with Christians on either side of the Great Cultural Divide. The surprising thing they have in common, in my opinion, is their shared fear that God is not doing the job, and they must do it instead.
For Christians, it seems the Great Cultural Divide is not only about politics but about morals. Each side views the other as immoral enemies. Each side tends to rail at God, "How can you let evil have its moment?", and then tries to take matters into their own hands.
Of course, God has seen evil ever since The Fall. Yet God allows evil to continue. In fact, Jesus warns us not to get too caught up about this by philosophizing, "He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous." In a parallel text in Luke 6:35, Jesus says, "He is kind to the ungrateful and wicked."
At our roots, we despise these messages, don't we?
But do we trust Jesus enough to accept them?
Look, there's a time and place for political action. Jesus displayed righteous anger at times, particularly at those who would manipulate others; so should we. Jesus commanded us to tend to the least of these, so we should as well.
But we should also accept that everyone receives God's literal and metaphorical sun and rain of blessings, mercy, grace, and loving kindness. Everyone. Every one. We can't stop God from doing it. Not only that, but we're instructed to do the same.
Love our enemies. Pray for our persecutors. Shower them with blessings, mercy, grace, and loving kindness, just as God does. And - a big and - don't assume we ourselves are the only ones who can lay claim to righteousness. We see ourselves as the righteous, not the unrighteous, in this narrative. We should always make sure we're aligning with our Savior's will as described in the Bible.
In other words, if we do God's job, we tend to replace his will with ours. God has things under control, even if it doesn't appear to be so. Let's do our job, which is to discern and obey the Lord's commands, even the parts we don't like.
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