Love Your Enemy into a Change of Heart

Col 3:12-17 / Lk 6:27-38

Today’s gospel has been used to justify all sorts of opinions, including the most extreme forms of pacifism. And that’s not what it’s about at all. This gospel is about what we’re supposed to do when someone oppresses us or unfairly takes what is ours. The first instinct, of course, is to counterattack — get him before he gets you. But Jesus has a different answer. Your first response, he says, should always be to try to convert your oppressor. Try to get him or her to see how wrong their deed is and then change their minds.

"If someone takes your coat," says Jesus, "give him your shirt as well." That surely sounds like pacifism. But not so fast! Jesus’ contemporaries wore no undergarments. If they gave their oppressor their shirt, they’d be left there naked. And that was Jesus’ point: Embarrass the thief into rethinking his theft, which was leaving his victim stark naked.

"When someone strikes you on the cheek," says Jesus, "turn the other cheek." To strike that other cheek involves either changing hands or striking in a contorted way. Once again, it creates a delay during which the malefactor has a chance to rethink what he’s doing.

Our first goal should always be to convert the wrongdoer. Sometimes it will work, and sometimes it won’t. And when it doesn’t, the right of a legitimate self-defense is there. Jesus’ point is simple: You may have to end up using force to defend your rights. But don’t start with force. Start with a sincere attempt to convert your adversary. It won’t always work. But sometimes it will. And it would be a shame to miss that "sometime."

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