Pet Bible-Thumping Peeves: Self-Defense

"Jesus wants me to defend myself and my family, right? I mean, violence is okay as long as someone else started it, right?"

So, what part of "Turn the other cheek" did you misunderstand?

"Jesus would not have a problem with arming ourselves against intruders, robbers, muggers, and people trespassing on our property, right?"

So, Jesus said, "Do not return evil for evil, but repay evil with good. Bless those who curse you, bless and do not curse them. You shall do good to your enemies and pray for those who persecute you." What part of that is confusing?

"We don't need to concern ourselves with what Jesus said in relation to posting armed guards at church or packing heat in the pews. After all, we need some security. We had a shooter at a church recently, and then there was Dylan Roof attacking people at a church service. We need to make sure we are a safe place for children."

Remember that other saying of Jesus, "Why do you call me 'Lord, Lord!' yet do not do the things I say?" You know, that is specifically what Exodus 20 meant by "Taking the Lord's name in vain." If we ignore Jesus, we don't really get to claim him as Savior and Lord, at least not believing that we are faithful followers.

"Oh, so if you don't think I should protect my family, you just want us to be savaged by criminals. That's not a loving position!"

Jesus actually told Peter to put away the sword he pulled out trying to protect Jesus. Jesus did not want that kind of protection. You remember the woman caught in adultery and thrown at Jesus' feet? He protected her. He just did not use violence to do it. He used his words. He knelt on the ground in front of an angry mob, spoke a couple of sentences, and diffused their anger. He did not send them away. They left on their own.

"Yes, but these are hardened criminals we are talking about. These are rapists, school shooters, terrorists, and people intent on doing as much harm as they can!"

Remember how Jesus told us to overcome evil with good? He told us also to love our enemies. I have yet to understand how shooting someone is a demonstration of my love for them. You may consider it caring for yourself or loving someone else by defending them, but Jesus was specific about loving our enemies and those who desire to bring us harm. Paul wrote that Jesus demonstrated his love by dying on our behalf while we were yet enemies of God. That just does not leave room for shooting people down.

"You need to set the Bible aside for a minute and live in the real world. Words don't have the same power as guns. You can't stop a madman with a gun by talking to him."

Do you really think the Bible was not written in a real-world context? Do you really think Jesus did not know what oppression, suffering, violence, and intimidation are like? In case you forgot, Jesus' family had to flee to Egypt when he was a toddler, because Herod wanted him dead. There were groups of the religious establishment plotting to have Jesus killed. That's what got him sent to Pilate and to the cross. The folks in his hometown tried but failed to stone him to death. He was sent out of more than one town during his ministry, because he had this penchant for offending people who were concerned with power. All along the way, he never resorted to violence. He used words and his trust in God to rescue him from those who wanted to silence or harm him.

"Trusting God is all fine and well in regard to life after death, but we are talking about real issues here in this world!"

That's interesting, because that's where Jesus focused the majority of his teaching ministry. He talked about how we stand up to violent power structures without resorting to violence. He talked about how we respond to people who want to oppress us by responding in love, grace, and compassion. He talked about trusting God to care for our needs just like God clothes the lilies and feeds the sparrows. That's pretty earthly an application of trusting God. He also told the disciples that when Jerusalem neared its moment of destruction they were simply to flee, rather than trying to fight.

"Well, you can shirk your responsibility to defend your family, but I'm packing some heat for when the time comes."

You have every right to bear arms and defend yourself. Just don't delude yourself into believing that is consistent with what Jesus taught and the way Jesus lived. You have every right to ignore Jesus' teaching. Most people do, anyway. When the time comes to defend your choice, however, just know that the path of violence is not one Jesus condoned. It is actually the path of those who nailed him to the cross. They wanted to defend their way of life and their understanding of God. They thought they were protecting themselves and their loved ones from heresy. They believed they had to kill Jesus in order to protect themselves from God's judgment. In contrast, Jesus preached we should simply trust God to be our protection. After all, God does not hit the wrong target with stray bullets.

—©Copyright 2017, Christopher B. Harbin  http://www.sermonsearch.com/contributors/104427/ 

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