A Contrary Teaching

I was 17 when I first rock rappelled (or abseiled). My teacher, Doug Kennard, and his wife, Jan, took the dorm students camping and rock rappelling. As we stood over a cliff, Doug tied a rope around, taught me the basics of holding on to the rope and letting it go slowly, and said, “Lean over and let yourself go.” I remember the feeling – How could I purposefully lean backward off a cliff, trust Doug, and climb down a rock? After a few failed attempts, I finally rappelled. I couldn’t overcome the joy of hanging halfway up a cliff and looking around in awe! After that trip, I couldn’t wait to go rock rappelling any weekend Doug and Jan were willing to go.

When people hurt us, the normal tendency is to hurt them back or at least ignore them. But it’s never caring for them enough to do good things for them. Jesus wanted his disciples to go contrary to this instinct.

“I say to you who are listening: love your enemies. Do good to those who hate you. Bless those who curse you. Pray for those who mistreat you. Offer the other cheek to the one who strikes you in one cheek. Do not stop the one who wants to take your garment and tunic. Whatever someone asks for from you, give to them. Whatever s/he takes, don’t you stop him or her.” (Luke 6:27–30)

These would have been difficult principles for the early disciples and apostles to hear. What eludes the English translation is that halfway through these commands, the Lord changed them from plural you (generalized you) to singular you (a particular you; I have marked them in red). That only means that as the Lord was instructing the people to love their enemies, one of those enemies struck a person on his/her cheek to see if that person would love him back as Jesus instructed. Jesus told that victim, “Show him/her the other cheek.” Another evil person wanted to take another listener’s (disciple’s) outer and inner garments, leaving him or her naked in front of them all. Jesus said to him, “Don’t stop him/her; let him/her have your outer and inner garment.” Another enemy demanded something else, and Jesus said, “Give to him/her what s/he wants.” The listeners couldn’t stop those who wanted to take whatever they had – perhaps their daily food, drink, clothing, or livelihood.

These weren’t theoretical teachings; they were happening just as the Lord was teaching them to do so. The enemies tested them to see if they would follow Jesus’s teachings.

Even now, people want to know – practically – would Christians follow “the teachings that are contrary to natural inclination”? Would they actually let their clothes go, their jobs go, their houses go, their families go, take a beating, praise those who scoff at them, etc.? Would we live as Jesus wanted us to live, or would we retaliate?

*P.s. Please pray for those in Maui affected by a great fire. Many have lost everything they have, and nearly 35 lost their lives.