“The quality of mercy is not strained;
It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven
Upon the place beneath. It is twice blest;
It blesseth him that gives and him that takes.”
–William Shakespeare
Kenny Rogers’ old ballad, “Coward of the County,” tells the story of a boy named Tommy whose father’s deathbed request was for his son to live peaceably. The boy became known as the “coward of the county” because he wouldn’t fight. One day, three brothers went and abused Tommy’s wife Becky and the dam broke. Tommy found the brothers and gave them all a good old fashioned whuppin’. The song ends with Tommy telling his deceased dad, “Now please don’t think I’m weak, I didn’t turn the other cheek, and Papa, I sure hope you understand: Sometimes you gotta fight when you’re a man.”
Is there anything that grates more against our human sensibilities than Jesus’ teaching about “turning the other cheek?” Haven’t we all seen situations in which the abusive take advantage of the reluctance of the weaker to offer resistance? Haven’t we been warned that “All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing?” Isn’t Tommy right in saying, “Sometimes you gotta fight when you’re a man?”
These questions are very natural and deserve thoughtful reflection. However, we must also consider circumstances in which our instinct to hit back does not serve us well. We have witnessed couples going through divorce in which both parties squander their life savings (and more!) trying to make life miserable for the other party. No one wins. We’ve heard about gangs trading casualties and taking innocent lives as they vie for dominance and settle scores. No one wins. We’ve watched as opposing tribal groups, religious factions, and nations around the world exact vengeance with ever-increasing casualties for both sides. No one wins.
On the other side of the ledger, we can recall the campaigns of Gandhi or Martin Luther King Jr. in which their followers practiced non-violence and experienced voluntary injustice, eventually toppling unjust institutions. A friend of mine once had the opportunity to destroy the dissertation draft of the man who betrayed their friendship and had an affair with his wife, effectively ending two marriages; but he chose not to retaliate in such a way. Some of us remember when Pope John Paul II went to the prison cell where his would-be assassin was imprisoned, offering an unforgettable “sermon” on forgiveness.
Martin Luther King once preached a sermon called “Loving Your Enemies.” In it he observed, “Hate multiplies hate… in a descending spiral of violence” and is “…just as injurious to the person who hates” as to his victim. But “…love is the only force of transforming an enemy into a friend” for it has creative and redemptive power. One thing Jesus makes clear in this difficult teaching is that vengeance and retribution are not the only options for his followers. As we seek to grow in our capacity to return good for evil, may we remember, in the words of Alfred Plumber, that “To return evil for good is devilish; to return good for good is human; to return good for evil is divine.”
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