{"id":4707,"date":"2018-01-01T08:00:38","date_gmt":"2018-01-01T00:00:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.jeffangiegoh.com\/?p=4707"},"modified":"2021-10-20T10:29:15","modified_gmt":"2021-10-20T02:29:15","slug":"191-repurposed-by-jesus-for-peace-and-non-violence","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.jeffangiegoh.com\/?p=4707","title":{"rendered":"191. Repurposed by Jesus for Peace and Non-Violence"},"content":{"rendered":"

17<\/sup> Do not repay anyone evil for evil, but take thought for what is noble and in the sight of all. 18<\/sup> If it is possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. 19<\/sup> Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave room for the wrath of God; for it is written, \u201cVengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.\u201d 30<\/sup> No, \u201cif your enemies are hungry, feed them; if they re thirsty, give them something to drink; for by doing this you will heap burning coals on their heads.\u201d 31<\/sup> Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good<\/strong>. <\/span>[Romans 12:17-21<\/span>, NRSV<\/em>]<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>\u00a0Peter after cutting off the right ear of Malchus.<\/span><\/p>\n

On this world day of peace, humanity needs no reminder that we are living in very violent times indeed. The daily news is inundated with menacing postures by\u00a0war-mongering, seemingly crazy and impetuous world leaders. At the international arena, politicians of good sense struggle to keep in check the threats of a nuclear war from flaring up between the likes of USA and North Korea. At the local level, violence of all descriptions runs amok in city streets in almost every nation state. America, of course, has its uniquely insane gun-culture that contributes to a very violent and seriously unsafe society where politicians and gun-lobbyists, for personal interests, assiduously claim and defend their so-called fundamental \u201cAmerican human right\u201d on gun-ownership. Such is the power of self-interests that their conscience does not seem in the least disturbed by the endless litany of insane massacres on the streets or in public gatherings, at home or in schools. Clearly more acute in America than anywhere else, the collective temperament increasingly seems defined by a cutthroat rhetoric of political extremism, where \u201ctribal\u201d interests increasingly feed those who are bent on defending their narrow political turf rather than the larger common good.\u00a0Living in Malaysia, we are certainly not spared from this build-up of extremism, but are ever conscious of the fragility of our own society of diverse races, politics, and religions.<\/span><\/p>\n

For the Christians, in good times and in bad, in peaceful times and in times of war, the Bible holds the light. In the face of a degraded political and civic culture, and against a culture of violence, the Bible is a repository of wisdom to guide our hearts and our actions. It leads us away from the thoughts and actions of those who poison our politics and culture. In this regard, the narratives on the betrayal and arrest of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane [Matthew 26:47-56; Mark 14:43-52; Luke 22:47-53; John 18:2-12] are essential reading concerning Jesus\u2019 vision of the cross upon which he would be nailed. Faced with imminent mob-violence against him, Jesus insisted on a response that is peaceful and non-violent, thus marking a poignant lesson on how he intended his behavior towards his violent crucifixion to be the epitome of a non-violent God.<\/span><\/p>\n

The episode of Peter cutting off the right ear of Malchus offers reflections on how Jesus intends to repurpose Peter and us for peace and non-violence. The Gospel of John describes it thus:<\/span><\/p>\n