Turning the other cheek has become a
Christian cliché. These beautiful and
penetrating words of Jesus are minimized when we humans try to apply them
without God. The best we can do to
achieve Jesus’ description in our power is repress our anger about the way
someone sins against us. This only
serves to make us look stupid to the world, creates ulcers, or causes an unplanned,
embarrassing, public explosion of anger.
Jesus spoke these words and many others like them to invoke the
spiritual understanding that it is impossible to live out His directions for
our lives without Him. He has no
intention of our trying to take His work on in our flesh.
It happens
all the time in marriages and other relationships where one person who thinks
they need to be a certain way to please God centers his or her relationships
around keeping peace. I don’t believe
that kind of turning the other cheek is very pleasing to God.
No, God is
inviting us to godlike actions when He speaks these words. Psalm 103:10 describes God this way; He does not treat us as our
sins deserve or
repay us according to our iniquities. He does not say that he does not know our
sins, feel the pain of our sins, or find our sins repulsive. He does say that He is the God who does not
treat us as our sins deserve.
I
love how this incredible truth is demonstrated in Victor Hugo’s Les Misérables. At the beginning of the
novel Jean Valjean steals valuable silver from a saintly priest, the only human
being who has offered an ounce of kindness to Valjean’s since his release from
prison. When the police catch Valjean
red-handed and bring him to the priest, the priest does not treat him as his
sins deserve; rather the priest tells the guards that he gave Valjean the
silver and offers him more. The priest
tells Valjean that he has bought his soul for God and sends him back into the
world to live out his life as a transformed man.
This
is what Jesus was describing. There is
no doubt between Valjean and the priest that Valjean is a sinner and that he
committed an immoral crime against a holy man.
However, the priest was so transformed by his relationship with God that
he could not escape the incredible joy of being loved rather than treated as
his sins deserved. He passed that
spiritual experience on to Valjean.
Hugo’s
story leaves the priest at this point and focuses on Valjean. His long, slow struggle for human transformation
makes for a better novel. However, the
deeper likeness to God his Maker as seen in the actions of the priest, is an
even greater transformation story than Valjean’s in my opinion. Human souls are more deeply connected to God
when they do not treat others as their sins deserve. The soul steps up to a higher level of
spiritual experience. This is not the
case of one who simply represses or denies negative feelings to turn the other
cheek.
If
you ever do not treat another person as their sins deserve through the power of
the spirit of God (the only way to truly do so), you will discover a deeper
oneness with God. It’s not an experience
that you can base an interesting novel on, but it is an experience that your
soul longs to know. You see, when you do
not treat another person as their sins deserve, you are living out the image of
God buried deep inside your fleshly cravings for revenge. For an instant your soul is infused with
glory and wonder and a taste of how God originally created you.
Thanks, Debbie. So hard sometimes... actually, as you say, impossible in ourselves.
ReplyDeleteIt is a hard journey to lay down your flesh in these matters--but so well worth it when you get there!
ReplyDeleteSt. Paul's Letter to the Hebrews 10:32-38
Brethren, recall the former days when, after you were enlightened, you endured a hard struggle with sufferings, sometimes being publicly exposed to abuse and affliction, and sometimes being partners with those so treated. For you had compassion on the prisoners, and you joyfully accepted the plundering of your property, since you knew that you yourselves had a better possession and an abiding one. Therefore do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. For you have need of endurance, so that you may do the will of God and receive what is promised. "For yet a little while, and the coming one shall come and shall not tarry; but my righteous one shall live by faith."