Jesus taught, “Resist not evil,” (Matthew 5:39). What he meant was “resist not evil in a manner that makes you evil as well.” Understood in the context of his time, turning the right cheek to force the Roman soldier to strike you as an equal, freely carrying the occupier’s pack for an extra mile (after having been forced to carry it the first mile), and stripping oneself naked in debtor’s court to show the injustice of the economic system were all powerful, nonviolent acts of resistance (see Walter Wink, The Powers That Be). His death on the cross was no less an act of resistance, while his resurrection an even greater one. We live in a time of many evils: some small, some great; some fully realized, some about to be unleashed. How do we resist? Or perhaps more profoundly, how do you resist?
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.