SEVENTH SUNDAY: Year "A"
Mt. 15, 38-48
When Abraham
Lincoln was aspiring to be the President of the United States of America he had
an arch-enemy by the name of Stanton, who never lost a chance to destroy Lincoln’s
good name. In spite of that, Lincoln won the election, and became President. He
surprised his friends by giving arch-enemy Stanton a post in his cabinet. He
defended his action saying: “He is the best man for the job”. And he was proved
right since Stanton give him loyal service. When Lincoln was assassinated,
Stanton paid him this tribute: “Lincoln was one of the greatest men who ever
lived.” When Lincoln won the Civil War, his army officers expected him to
destroy the leaders of the defeated side. Lincoln refused, saying: “Don’t we
destroy our enemies by making them our friends?” That is the spirit of Jesus,
the spirit of not merely of refusing to take revenge but of extending the hand
of service to our enemies.
It wasn’t like
that in the days before Jesus’ revolutionary teaching. The most ancient law we
know of taught an eye for an eye a tooth for a tooth. This law was laid down by
the great king and law-maker, named Hammurabi who lived 4300 years ago. It was
not as gruesome as it sounds, because it was a statute of limitation, also
known as the law of talion. Its object was to limit revenge. For instance,
before Hammurabi, if you did wrong to one member of a tribe, his tribesmen beat
you up and your whole family too. King Hammurabi declared: “No way”. The only
guy who was to be punished was the alleged perpetrator, and the punishment fit
the crime. This was a good idea as it prevented escalation of violence.
Hammurabi sounds like a Christian waiting to be born, doesn’t he? Sorry if you
said yes, for Jesus threw out the law of tit for tat right out of the window.
According to Jesus, if you are serious about playing the Christian, revenge is
a no-no across the board. Smart people advise us, “Don’t get angry. Get even.” Real
uglies shout, “Get angry and get even!” But the Founder of our Faith tells us: “To
return good for good is human. To return good for evil is divine.
Turning the
other cheek. Jesus’ wisdom is practical and liberating. Jesus and his people, living in occupied
territory, were regularly slapped by soldiers or others with more power than
they had, slapped with a right hand with some force, on the victim’s right
cheek. It was the degrading slap of unequals. And one didn’t dare fight back.
Jesus’ words opened a doorway for response that makes the dominant ones think
twice about what they are doing. If you offer your other cheek, the left one,
it is very awkward for the person to hit you again. They would have to hit you
straight on, as an equal. Most would not let themselves get caught in that
awkward situation of having to acknowledge the other as equal.
The same
situation would develop with the incident of being sued for your shirt and then
turning and giving them your coat as well. It would show the creditor up as
grasping and insensitive to the obvious need of his debtor. And anyone who,
under the law, could force you to carry his burden a mile would not know what
to do if you wouldn’t give it back and kept on. Where does thinking like this
come from? This is wisdom born of the presence and the knowledge of God.
Theologian Walter Wink says, “These statements are so radical, so
unprecedented, and so threatening that it has taken all these centuries to
grasp their implications.”
(-
Megan McKenna, Christ all Merciful, pp. 125-126)
Jesus not only
forgave those who crucified him, he even made excuses for them. “Father,
forgive them, for know not what they do.” And Jesus is not done yet. He is just
warming up. He says his people must think not of their rights legal or
otherwise but of their duties. Duties come before rights. A student has the duty
to study, so she has the right to take books from the library. Followers of
Jesus must be concerned not with their perks but with their responsibilities.
No wonder many lawyers of the time wanted Jesus Christ off the scene. Have you
ever wondered why Jesus had no defence attorney before Governor Pilate? I
suspect he could not find one to take his case. While lawyers might not support
our new Lawgiver, Jesus, your friendly neighbourhood psychiatrist would. We do
have a psychic need to forgive and somehow love our enemies. Love possesses its
own beautiful healing qualities. Should we stay angry, resentful, and full of
hate, chances are that we will make ourselves sick. Thus we will wind up on the
couch as paying patients of that same shrink.
Don’t break a sweat
on that word love. I speak not of the love you bear your family. That is love
that comes out of the heart or emotions. Rather, I speak of love that emerges
from the will. Such a love prevents us from going for the enemy with a pick axe;
rather, it is ready to forgive and do him a good turn in practical terms. Admittedly
such love is only possible with divine offer of grace. Take it and make Jesus
feel he is right, an unqualified optimist about you. The Gospel is based on the
extra half-mile, or, even better, the extra mile. Jesus says that all of us can
break through the envelope, run through our pain, and leave behind us the old
law of talion – eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth. Jesus sees us not as we are
but as we can be. Anybody here still wondering how the Master feels on the
question of capital punishment? Today’s Church teaching is quite clear that the
death penalty must be abolished. Do keep in mind that Jesus himself was the
victim of capital punishment
PRAYER:
If every part of my life is with you,
and in you, Lord,
then everything is made good:
even the things I struggle not to resent,
even the draining and hurting encounters.
Let every moment of my life be your moment,
whether or
not
I consciously remember you;
and make me more open
to the pulse of your life
and the breath of your love.
Amen
.
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