grace

Bible interpretation is not something Bob the bloodhound always agree with me (Tim) on. He sometimes doesn’t like what I say on the subject of interpreting Holy Scripture. In fact, there are times I get under his skin (which isn’t very hard to do – Bob has lots of skin).

The matter of bible interpretation is an important discussion. No matter which Christian tradition we come from, there is disagreement as to how to deal with certain Bible verses. Even most parishioners within the same local church do not agree on how to treat particular passages of Scripture.

The Real Issue of Bible Interpretation

Just so you know, I was trained in a seminary that largely looked through the lens or the starting point of biblical authority, as if we had the right view on it all. Biblical authority, however, is not really the issue, in my opinion. Before you pick up stones, hear me out. The issue, as I see it, is this:  

No matter who we are, we pick and choose what Bible passages are authoritative, and which are not. 

Although Christians say the Bible is authoritative, we all have what I would deem as “boss verses.”  That is, verses which control other verses. For example, I take Matthew 28:18-20 as “boss verses” that control other verses. The words of Jesus from those verses help me interpret and view other Bible verses. Because of this, I am not willing to concede that the mission of the church is primarily about something other than making disciples.

An Example

Okay, you might be with me so far. So, let’s pick a hot potato: LGBTQ+ folks and the Church. When it comes to same-sex relationships, it seems to me that there are those who take seven verses out of the over thirty-one thousand verses in Scripture and make them boss verses.

Even if we camp on verses where the word “abomination” shows up, it only ends up talking of same-sex relations once. Things like worry, procrastination, and gossip are addressed much more in Scripture and are also much more prevalent everywhere. But we do not make “boss verses” out of these, so we pretty much let them slide.

I’m not seeing Christians, Churches, or denominations talking about biblical authority and sins of the tongue in the same breath; or, looking to bring discipline to gossipers; or, getting upset about chronic whisperings behind others’ backs. Instead, we mostly just live with it. We wish it were different, but it doesn’t make our blood boil. If gossip began to take away our power or authority, then I am sure it would make it to the floor of denominational meetings and annual congregational meeting scream-festivals.

Who or What Is in Control?

All Christians hold to biblical authority. To me, this is not the issue. The real issue is which Bible passages call the shots for us. 

Until we are able to confess this bible interpretation practice of particular verses controlling other verses, it seems to me we will get nowhere.

So, in the meantime, I would rather be looked at as a friend of gays. Because that controls my thought and practice more than injunctions from the book of Leviticus.

I take loving my neighbor as a boss verse, so this determines how I speak and act more than whether I speak in tongues or not. I will choose to go out of my way to emphasize that all people are made in the image of God, because I take the Bible’s reference to God’s creation of humans as a boss verse. This does not mean I ignore other verses; it just means I have identified which verses of Holy Scripture I believe control other verses.

Let’s Be Honest about Our Bible Interpretation

I am really not trying to stir the pot (Bob differs with me on this!). I am simply making a plea for us to be honest about how we handle the Bible.

And if we have never read the entire Bible from Genesis to Revelation (and more than once) then it seems to me we are thin ice to make pronouncements about what are to be the boss verses or what is the clear teaching of Scripture.

If you need to go pet your own dog after reading this, I understand. I hope he or she is lot more furry than Bob. Please just do me the respect to think about these things without jumping to conclusions or condemnation.  After all, I believe that grace and love are the boss of everything in the Bible, and control how we ought to do our bible interpretation.

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“Do not retaliate? What? Are you talking to me?” Yes, I’m talking to you. And Bob the bloodhound is barking at both you and me. Here is what Jesus said about non-retaliation:

“You have heard that it was said, An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth (Exodus 21:24; Leviticus 24:20; Deuteronomy 19:21). But I say to you that you must not oppose those who want to hurt you. If people slap you on your right cheek, you must turn the left cheek to them as well. When they wish to haul you to court and take your shirt, let them have your coat too. When they force you to go one mile, go with them two. Give to those who ask, and don’t refuse those who wish to borrow from you. (Matthew 5:38-42, Common English Bible)

We might read these words of Jesus and think he’s off his rocker. This is non-sense. “People don’t really live that way,” we believe, “and if they did, they would be stepped on and have their rights trampled!”

We need to take these words of non-retaliation to heart and live by them. That’s because living this way brings Christ to the world and embodies the gospel of Jesus as salt and light – it is the way of grace.

Jesus Didn’t Retaliate, Neither Did George

There was once a man, George (not his real name) who left work one chilly night in February. He headed toward the subway, not noticing the teenager lurking in the shadows. The young man stepped out with a knife in hand and demanded money. George pulled out his wallet and handed it over. As the teen began walking away, George did something extraordinary. He hollered after the boy, “Hey, wait a minute.  You forgot something. If you’re going to be robbing people for the rest of the night, you might as well take my coat to keep you warm.”

The awestruck teenager couldn’t believe his ears. And a few minutes later the two of them were sharing a warm meal together at George’s favorite diner. The youngster not only returned George’s wallet but handed him his holdup knife as well. The conversation was dominated by the young man’s questions as to why George was so nice to everyone. The answer is that George is a follower of Christ who takes the do not retaliate of Jesus to heart.

Jesus upholds the moral and ethical intent of the Old Testament by communicating that retaliation is not an option for his followers. Instead, Christians are to demonstrate grace through peace and peacemaking. Christians are not to work toward advancing their own rights in their own petty earthly kingdom. No, they work toward serving the interests of King Jesus in the kingdom of God. That means clothing ourselves with love and grace, not retaliation and judgment.

An Eye for an Eye

“If people are fighting and hit a pregnant woman and she gives birth prematurely but there is no serious injury, the offender must be fined whatever the woman’s husband demands and the court allows. But if there is serious injury, you are to take life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, bruise for bruise.” (Exodus 21:22-25, New International Version)

This legislation is not meant to be interpreted as a literal giving back to someone what he did to you, as if it were all about retaliation or revenge. The passage continues with an example of what is meant by the “eye for eye” legislation:

“An owner who hits a male or female slave in the eye and destroys it must let the slave go free to compensate for the eye. And an owner who knocks out the tooth of a male or female slave must let the slave go free to compensate for the tooth.” (Exodus 21:26-27, New International Version)

This calls for proper justice to occur. The punishment must fit the crime. This prevents an escalation where two parties get back at each other. The principle guiding this law was restitution rather than retaliation. The law was given to eliminate retaliatory practices such as blood-feuds and tribal warfare, in which groups of people seek revenge for a wrong done.

Do Not Resist an Evil Person

In other words, do not retaliate when you’re personally insulted or degraded. Instead, be a peacemaker.

Jesus is not saying we stand back and be passive in the face of exploitation, oppression, or injustice. Nor is he saying we should have no police force, army, or judicial system. Pacifism isn’t the point (although Bob and I respect those who take such a stance).

People who perpetrate sexual assault, murder, and break the law need to come to justice by the laws of the land. The point, however, Jesus made is this: Do not take the law into your own hands through vengeance when you are insulted or violated. Don’t try to get even. Do not retaliate. There are times we need to confront another. Yet, its not our job to mete out the punishment. That is God’s job. The New Testament is clear:

Don’t hit back; discover beauty in everyone.  If you’ve got it in you, get along with everybody.  Don’t insist on getting even; that’s not for you to do.  “I’ll do the judging,” says God.  “I’ll take care of it.”  Our Scriptures tell us that if you see your enemy hungry, go buy that person lunch, or if he’s thirsty, get him a drink.  Your generosity will surprise him with goodness.  Don’t let evil get the best of you; get the best of evil by doing good. (Romans 12:17-21, The Message)

Do Not Retaliate: 4 Examples

First Example

“If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.” A slap in the face is a gesture of insult. When we are personally insulted, avoid focusing on a perceived right to vengeance. Sins of the tongue (malice, lying, backbiting, arrogant whispering, false accusations, gossip, flattery) are ways of getting back at someone for something they said which offended me. Turning the other cheek is Christ’s way of saying to both refrain from vengeance and give back with something good.

“A gentle answer deflects anger, but harsh words make tempers flare.” (Proverbs 15:1, New Living Translation)

Second Example

“If someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well.” The tunic and the cloak were what people wore in the ancient world. They didn’t have several outfits and changes of clothes. To take those two items was to leave most people naked. Jesus says it is better to go around with no clothes than to retaliate. He is saying that peacemaking is more important than possessions. So, how do you want to be remembered?

“A good reputation and respect are worth much more than silver and gold.” (Proverbs 22:1, Contemporary English Version)

Third Example

“If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles.” Roman law allowed soldiers to conscript Jews to carry their pack and walk one mile.  Jesus is saying to not only do this for a soldier without retaliation, but to go ahead and walk another mile. This was a terrible degradation to Jews, but Jesus says it is better to go than say “no.” For us, we are not to walk the first mile repeatedly with a bad attitude. Instead, we are to relinquish our perceived rights to our time. When someone doesn’t help another, it is typically because they don’t have time. Jesus wants personal retaliation to be replaced with personal sacrifice. People are not interruptions; they are providentially brought our way by God for us to extend our time and attention. People we don’t like are put in our lives by God to bring goodness and grace.  We will likely be frustrated and angry until we get ahold of this truth.

“But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be children of your Father in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous.” (Matthew 5:44-45, New Revised Standard Version)

Fourth Example

“Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.” Jesus is saying it is better to give than to refuse. It’s good to lend without asking “what’s in it for me?”  Jesus is getting at our perceived right to our money. There is a difference between being frugal and being cheap, being wise with money and being a hoarder. The question is not how we will use our money, but how God wants to use his money through us.

“No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.” (Matthew 6:24, New International Version)

Jesus is telling us to quit focusing on our rights and seek peace, not retaliation. Through four examples, Christ challenges the standard of rights and fairness we employ. He insists we do not have a right to vengeance, a right to hold onto what we have, a right to time so that we refuse to help, and a right to miserly hold onto our money.

Conclusion

Do not retaliate is an expression of grace. The big idea in Christ’s Sermon on the Mount is grace. Grace is extending mercy, goodness, and kindness to all, whether they deserve it, or not. Thus, grace doesn’t make any sense. It isn’t fair. And it isn’t based on merit. Grace cannot be domesticated. Grace is free, but not cheap. Jesus cares about grace. And here is how we show it:

  • Speak words of blessing to someone who curses you.
  • Give to the person who takes from you.
  • Spend time with someone who is your enemy.
  • Give money to whomever is in need, no matter who they are.

Do not retaliate. God is calling us to leave the realm of fear, revenge, and self-protective behavior. To step out by faith and be an agent of grace in the lives of all kinds of people, not just to those we deem worthy to receive it – because then it wouldn’t be grace.

So, may you know the God of grace, the Jesus who has extended grace to you, and may you spend your resources overcoming evil with good.

See you on the trail!

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To be frank, the giving and receiving of love is something that everyone on planet earth needs. Bob the bloodhound knows this, likely better than most people. I can testify that Bob is not shy about making his needs and wants known and letting me know when he wants love in the form of dog food, a walk, or a good old-fashioned pet.

We all require love, in both receiving love, and giving love. But not everyone has a heart open to accepting love, and, so, find it nearly impossible to dispense love. However, the good news is that love is near to each one of us. We only need to reach out and touch it because it is so close.

We have all likely heard the dictum “You scratch my back, and I’ll scratch yours.”  Even if we have not used the phrase, the concept is common throughout the world.  Perhaps the chief hindrance to receiving and giving love is this reciprocal notion. It would be weird if I expected Bob to scratch my back right after I give him a good scratch.

Much of Western society turns on the wheels of transactions. This is seen in the many words we have for money and financial exchanges: bills; coins; cash; credit and debit cards; stocks and bonds; bank accounts; 401k; paychecks, etc. You get the idea. We can scarcely imagine a culture without putting something into an account so that we can engage in commerce and consumerism.

None of this is neither inherently bad nor good; it just is. A problem arises, however, when people allow the idea of transactions to seep into relationships. When a person chooses to view the world primarily through the financial lenses of a transaction, we set ourselves up for a deficit of love.

It works something like this: A parent invests time, money, and resources into a child’s life. Mom and Dad do everything they can to set up little Johnny for success in this life (which, by the way, is often defined as getting a good paying job someday and being financially independent). But when little Johnny decides to go all avant-garde and does not live up to his parents’ expectations, their reaction betrays the transactional: “Look at all we did for you, and you repay us by not going to college and running off to do only God knows what!?”

Put in the context of a workplace, some bosses are only happy when the employee is producing and making money. Management doesn’t understand why workers are upset. Paying them more money doesn’t seem to do it. They only see the transactional view of the world. Employers often fail to understand that money and wages cannot fulfill the need for giving and receiving within healthy relationships.

In the realm of personal relationships, we might send a card to someone, and they never sent one back, and that makes us mad. When it comes to God, we went to church, kept our nose clean and were ethical in all our dealings, and now something terrible happens in our lives. We believe that God did not make good on us. We invested in this God thing, and then he didn’t follow through with the transaction to give us the good life we were expecting.

But God operates in a different economy. Grace overwhelms transaction and is the currency of God’s kingdom. Grace is the gears and the grease of God’s love toward us. The good news of Christianity is that God loves us, even when we have nothing to give, and even when we are far from the words and ways of Jesus.

“Christ died for us at a time when we were helpless and sinful.  No one is really willing to die for an honest person, though someone might be willing to die for a genuinely good person. But God showed how much he loved us by having Christ die for us, even though we were sinners.” (Romans 5:6-8, CEV)

It is likely that all of us, at some time or another, have felt the sting of someone else’s disappointment with us.  They “invested” in us in some way. We “repaid” them with a decision or a different direction than what they expected. Or it went the other way. We put time and effort into someone or a group of people, and they didn’t come through for us (ironically, pastors and church volunteers often feel this way).

The first step in awakening to love is forsaking a transactional view of relationships and adopting a gracious approach to people and to God. God is gracious, merciful, and kind. It isn’t just what God does; it is who God is. God gives love because God is love. Until we get that basic understanding, we will flounder in our human relationships because true love will forever be elusive due to the transactional view. It will throw out of whack the true giving and receiving of love.

Grace is the most effective way to the world of love, and the best way to the good life. Yet, surprisingly, this is at no cost to us. So, what are we to do? We are to give ourselves to God, as people who have been raised from death to life. We are to make every part of our lives an offering to God. Don’t let sin keep ruling your lives because you are ruled by God’s kindness and not by the law of the transaction.

Awaken to love because God is love. (Romans 6:12-14; 1 John 4:8-11)

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