Called to Nonviolence by a Nonviolent God-Matthew 11:29
“…learn from me, for I am gentle and humble (meek, mild, lowly, accommodating, of low degree) in heart” (Mt 11:29). “He was oppressed and treated harshly, yet he never said a word. He was led like a lamb to the slaughter. And as a sheep is silent before the shearers, he did not open his mouth” (Isa 53:7, NLT).
Statement: Our God is a Nonviolent Person who calls us to a nonviolent life, which reflects who He is, as exemplified by Christ (Heb 1:3; Col 1:15).
Questions: Do we Christians apply “gentle and humble” (Mt 11:29) to ourselves? Are you “gentle and humble” when upset and irritated? Do you justify and rationalize your anger and intolerance? Are we Christians aware that our God is a nonviolent Being (Isa 53:7; Lk 23:34)?
Jesus, our pride fighter God. A former pastor of a mega-church said, “In Revelation, Jesus is a pride fighter with a tattoo down His leg, a sword in His hand and the commitment to make someone bleed.” He added that this “pride fighter” image of Jesus was a “guy I can worship,” while adding, “I cannot worship the hippie, diaper, halo Christ because I cannot worship a guy I can beat up.” One might have thought that this former megachurch pastor would have known that he–along with every other human being–already “beat up” Jesus.
God’s right to kill. When asked about Joshua’s conquest of Canaan, a renowned Reformed pastor and theologian declared without hesitation, “It’s right for God to slaughter women and children anytime he pleases. God gives life and he takes life. Everybody who dies, dies because God wills that they die.” [From the Desiring God blog “What Made it Okay for God to Kill Women and Children in the OT?”]
Do we Christians seriously apply “gentle and humble” to ourselves? Christians may pride themselves as fearing and obeying God. But a frequently disobeyed verse by Christians is Mt 11:29. Personally, I love this verse because I crave for “rest for my soul.” I didn’t think much about the “gentle and humble” part for the first 2-3 decades of my Christian life. But after several decades of being involved in the church, I’ve experienced that Christians can be quite nasty toward others–toward both non-Christians and even toward their fellow Christians in the same church.
Gentle and humble? No way. I can recollect the times I got really angry and upset and made sure that others knew clearly why I was angry and upset. In those instances I was anything but “gentle and humble in heart.” Yet for the longest time I really didn’t feel bad about it. Basically I felt that what I said was justified and who I said it to absolutely needed to hear it, even if they disregarded or dismissed what I said. Whatever it took, I wanted to make sure that I articulated clearly point by point, fact by fact, event by event what I wanted to say–even if it fell on deaf ears. I didn’t care how they felt or what they thought. My point is that “gentle and humble” were farthest from my heart and mind.
Pervasive violence. It is disheartening that the U.S.–a so-called Christian nation–is the most violent nation in the world. There’s excessive violence in major cities with Chicago being the murder capital of the world. There’s deadly violence in wars where the US is involved. There is daily unbearable political violence in the exchange of heated rhetoric and in the horrible Ad campaigns for office prior to elections. Not always reported is the violence–physical, verbal, emotional and mental violence–in countless homes in the U.S. that has devastated and broken the hearts and lives of countless millions, who continue the violence they experienced generation after generation. Is our loving God just a theory and a good nice concept but not a daily living reality?
According to Scripture who is God like? Jesus is the visible image of the invisible God (Col 1:15). He expresses the very character of God and is the exact representation of God’s being (Heb 1:3, NIV).
According to the gospel accounts what is Jesus’ basic nature and disposition? He is gentle and humble (meek, mild, lowly, accomodating, of low degree) in heart (Mt 11:29). On the cross he is like a lamb led to the slaughter and did not open his mouth (Isa 53:7). My contention is that Jesus is nonviolent, though horrific excruciating deadly violence was inflicted upon him.
Jesus could have saved himself, but if he did he could not save us. If he did not save us we would reap the violence that we inflicted on him and on others, sometimes with weapons of mass destruction, but most frequently with careless, slanderous, accusatory, condemning and hurtful words.
If Jesus did not return nonviolence for the violence inflicted upon him on the cross, our lives and and world, even the church, would be a progressive escalation of violence with no hope for any reprieve or amnesty, not to mention salvation.
Questions for reflection:
- In what ways are people “violent”?
- Are you gentle and humble (Mt 11:29) when you are:
- upset, irritated, accused unfairly?
- judged, criticized, put down?
- How is your body language when you’re upset?
- Do you feel gentle and humble or are you greatly burdened by your yoke (Mt 11:29)?
- Do you justify or rationalize your anger? Irritation? Intolerance? Impatience? Judgment and harsh criticism of others? Excessive censuring of others?
- How much violence can the tongue inflict (Rom 3:13; Ps 55:21; 59:7; Prov 12:18; Jas 3:8)?
- Do Christians “disobey” these verses without feeling bad or broken about it (Mt 5:5, 39-40; 11:29; Rom 12:15; 1 Cor 13:4-5; Col 4:6; Eph 4:29)? Is it even possible to not say anything when unjustly and badly accused and mistreated (Isa 53:7)?
- According to Scripture who is God like (Jn 14:9; 1:1-3, 18; Col 1:15; Heb 1:3)?
- How can Christians live nonviolently?
