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 ISN'T SOME OF JESUS' ETHICAL TEACHING CRAZY? For example: Jesus said you should turn the other cheek if you're attacked. Isn't that just crazy? Well, it certainly can't be easy or fun. But if the alternative is tit for tat revenge, surely that can work out a lot worse – just think of Northern Ireland, or Israel and Palestine. What Jesus said goes against our instincts to stick up for ourselves – but then there's not much point having a religious teacher who simply tells you to do what you already instinctively do anyway. It shouldn't be surprising that what Jesus said was sometimes hard to take, and goes against the grain. Remember, though, that Jesus often used colourful language, exaggerated so that it sticks in the mind. (Who would remember if Jesus had said, "Faith is harder for the rich", instead of "It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God"?) So maybe he meant his "turning the other cheek" saying more as a general principle than an absolute rule. On the other hand, among those who have taken his words most seriously are two of the great heroes of the 20th century, Gandhi and Martin Luther King. They were both inspired by Jesus to change their worlds through non-violent protest. Their achievement suggests that turning the other cheek may not be that crazy after all. More questions about Jesus today |
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