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On
Sunday, we reflected on these words of Jesus, “You have heard that it
was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ But I tell you…”.
“Eye for
eye” is an example of lex talionis—the law of
proportional response. Its purpose form the Old Testament was to cap
retaliation: the response should not exceed the harm done. Keep the
scales balanced, just, and even.
To recap
for those who weren’t there, I shared that James is learning about
forces in sixth-grade science, so during the message I held a Bible in
my hand. Gravity pulled down while my hand pushed up. As long as those
forces remained equal, the Bible stayed exactly where it was.
Balanced forces produce no movement.
(your
free middle school science lesson of the day)
At the end
of the 10am service, Pastor Taylor made an observation in the
benediction I haven’t been able to shake: What
if the same thing can happen to our faith?
What if
our faith gets stuck because we insist on a lex talionis
mindset? We measure what is owed and deserved. We make ourselves judge
and arbiter. And as long as I occupy that seat, I remain in control.
The forces of proportional response balance.
Maybe
that is part of why we so easily settle for a stuck faith. We can know
what Jesus said while still reserving the right to decide how far we
are willing to follow.
But
Jesus then moves to disrupt that balance.
Someone
strikes your cheek? Offer the other. Takes your shirt? Give your cloak
too. Forces you to walk one mile? Walk two.
Jesus
invites us to relinquish our need to keep the scales ourselves—not
because justice doesn’t matter, but because we can trust
God enough to surrender control and be free to follow
Jesus.
Jesus
went first. His entire life embodies this way, culminating at the cross.
So where
am I insisting on being judge—deciding what is owed, deserved, or
fair—instead of trusting Jesus enough to follow? Perhaps the way out of
a stuck, superficial faith isn’t simply knowing more about Jesus.
It is trusting him enough to actually follow His way of
living.
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