The Ambiguity of War and Peace in the Teachings of Jesus

The author is arguing that the teachings of Jesus in the Bible regarding war and peace are ambiguous because they teach both revenge and loving thy enemy. He cites the messages of the prophets that speak of God’s wrath on the sinners. He also cites the words of Jesus to the people regarding love and forgiveness. The author suggests that the ambiguity between war and peace is simply part of the divine mystery, which is not meant to be understood by humans. However, he then describes the teachings of Jesus on peace and love, as well as the example Jesus provided by dying on the cross. It appears as though the author is comparing the teachings regarding war and peace as side-by-side comparisons, as opposed to a separation between how followers of God should act and what will happen to those who do not. 

The author cites the messages of the prophets calling for revenge against those who do not follow God’s will. He asserts that Jesus preached the teachings of the prophets that God uses war as an instrument to punish and correct. This is what he argues creates the ambiguity since Jesus also teaches forgiveness and love. The final paragraph appears to sum up the author’s position on Jesus’ teachings. In this passage, he argues that Jesus teaches his followers to go to war against hypocrisy, greed, cruelty, and injustice. More importantly, the method of war should be “reverse fighting.” He describes this as the “acceptance of injustice done to oneself, of pain and suffering and even death.” Although the author presents a compelling argument in this introductory page, there are multiple scriptural verses that suggest a clear message; without ambiguity. 

There are many scriptural messages throughout the Old and New Testament that make reference to the judgment and vengeance of God. These messages are consistent with the corresponding messages regarding God being all-knowing; being able to see and understand all the things in the hearts and minds of humans. Throughout the Bible, there are consistent messages stating that only God is in the position to pass judgment on humans. God’s ability to pass judgment is consistent with the teachings about vengeance and wrath. God can punish those he sees as sinners because he is the only one who can really see into their hearts to understand their motivations and feelings. 

Just as the scriptures teach that God has the ability to judge others, it consistently teaches that humans do not have the right or ability to judge others. These messages are consistent throughout the Old and New Testaments. The Old Testament references to God’s ability to judge include verses from the book of Proverbs. “All the ways of man are clean in his own eyes; but the Lord weighteth the spirits” (Proverbs 16:2, New International Version, 1990). This verse explains that God sees what is in people’s hearts. Due to his ability to see into the hearts of men, “God’s judgment alone is perfect and just” (“Proverbs Chapter 16”, 2012). A common lesson throughout the Old Testament is that men were created by God. This is the most important factor supporting the argument that God is the only one able to truly pass judgment.

The theme of God’s ability to pass judgment is carried over into the New Testament as well. For example, Romans 2:2-3 states “Now we know that God’s judgment against those who do such things is based on truth. So when you, a mere man, pass judgment on them and yet do the same things, do you think you will escape God’s judgment?” This verse from the New Testament makes a clear distinction between the judgment of God and the judgment of man. The judgment of God is good because he is qualified to judge the actions of men. Man is, however, not qualified to judge others because they are also sinners. Because all men are sinners, this applies to everyone. 

Just as the scriptures reiterate the fact that God is qualified to pass judgment, there are also numerous scriptures reiterating the fact that men are not qualified to pass judgment. Similar to Romans 2:2, there are multiple scriptures asserting that men who pass judgment are subject to judgment themselves. Matthew 7:1 states “Do not judge, or you too will be judged.” Another verse regarding the judgment of man came from Luke. “Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven” (Luke 6:37). There is no apparent ambiguity throughout the Bible regarding the fact men should not pass judgment on others. Likewise, there is no apparent ambiguity throughout the Bible regarding the fact that God can pass judgment on men. The scriptures’ teachings on judgment are important to understanding the scriptures’ teachings on vengeance.

The author suggested that there is ambiguity in Jesus’ teachings of war and peace because God is portrayed as both a vengeful God and a forgiving God. However, the difference between these two images is the point in which judgment is passed. Jesus teaches that God is forgiving to those who seek forgiveness. Jesus taught, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us [our] sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). However, those who do not seek forgiveness will be subject to God’s judgment. Going back to the verse in Romans, the scripture goes on to say, “But because of your stubbornness and your unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of God’s wrath, when his righteous judgment will be revealed” (Romans 2:5). These verses demonstrate how God is forgiving to those who seek forgiveness and not to those who do not seek forgiveness. 

Another important point to consider is the actual source or who is speaking in each book in the Bible. For example, there are some string verses about revenge found in Psalms, but they are not the words of God. Rather, they are the words of the Psalmist speaking to God. “O Lord, God of Vengeance, God of Vengeance, shine forth!” (Psalm 94:1). The Psalmist goes onto say, “He has brought back their wickedness upon them and will destroy them in their evil; The Lord our God will destroy them” (Psalm 94:23). The Psalmist is expressing his frustration over all the wicked people in the world, but he is also not the judge. He is praying to God for action in these verses.

Despite the fact the scriptures teach that God can be a vengeful God of wrath, the scriptures teach that men should not be vengeful. Although this lesson is generally attributed to the New Testament, there are scriptures going back to the Old Testament that teach the same thing. For example, “Don’t hold grudges. On the other hand, it’s wrong not to correct someone who needs correcting. Stop being angry and don’t try to take revenge. I am the Lord, and I command you to love others as much as you love yourself” (Leviticus 19:17-18). The lessons against revenge are even more prominent in the New Testament. As the author points out, Jesus teaches a strong message of reverse fighting. For example, Jesus preaches, “But I tell you who hear me: love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you” (Luke 6:27-28). Jesus goes on to reiterate his point by providing examples. “If someone strikes you on one cheek, turn to him the other also. If someone takes your cloak, do not stop him from taking your tunic” (Luke 6:29). The lesson of forgiveness and self-sacrificing love is a central theme to all of Jesus’ teachings. 

Jesus was so dedicated to teaching men about forgiveness and self-sacrificing love that he provided the ultimate example of this through his crucifixion.  Jesus made it abundantly clear to his followers leading up to his crucifixion that he would be making a sacrifice on their behalf. In doing this, Jesus was fulfilling messages from the prophets, which demonstrates the continuity between the Old and New Testaments. He also demonstrated for the people the depths of God’s love for them. “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). At the time, people did not understand the depth of his message. However, reading over the scriptures as a whole, the message is clear. Jesus’ lesson on peace was clear. He wanted people to show love for each other. His message of reverse fighting was clear and without ambiguity. 

Jesus also made direct references to messages brought to the people through the prophets, and he dispelled messages endorsing revenge. Gray Fitzgerald, author of The Bible confronts the Bible: A More Wonderful Image of God Emerges (2009), Jesus takes the numbers of seventy times seven, which is referenced in the Old Testament, and asserts that instead of revenge, man is to forgive seventy times seven times. Essentially, Jesus was telling the people to forgive infinitely (Fitzgerald 2009). This is a perfect example of where Jesus acknowledges lessons of the past and dispels them by giving people a new way to think. He does not want people to justify vengeful acts with the scriptures. 

Although there are numerous scriptures that could be pulled out to support the author’s argument for ambiguity, they seem contrived and forced together. There are numerous scriptures demonstrating the wrath of God. There are also numerous scriptures demonstrating the peaceful teachings of Jesus. If researchers look only at those two factions than the argument can be made for ambiguity. This, however, ignores the many verses in which Jesus presents new rules to live by that are in direct contradiction to rules laid out in the Old Testament. Additionally, this ignores the separation in scriptures between the actions of God and the actions of men, in regard to who can pass judgment and who can hand out punishments. 

Looking at the connection between judgment and wrath supports the point that only God is allowed to judge and display wrath. Some may argue that leading by example is more important than words. Based on this argument, one could argue that Jesus was supporting the lessons of revenge by supporting the image of a vengeful God. This is essentially supporting the old adage: actions speak louder than words. Additionally, this could be further supported since one of the arguments in opposition to the ambiguity argument is the fact Jesus demonstrated love through the sacrifice of his life. However, the arguments against ambiguity are based on both the teachings of the Bible and the example provided by Jesus. 

The author provides a solid explanation of the teachings of Jesus in the New Testament. He makes two solid distinctions. First, he points out that the war should not be between nations. Jesus does not want people fighting each other over menial issues such as land, politics, or religion. Rather, Jesus wants all his followers working together to fight hypocrisy, greed, cruelty, and injustice. These are the things that all of god’s followers should be opposed to and working to eradicate. The author describes this as “war against all the demonic systems and powers that cripple and cramp and pervert the humanity of human beings.” This acknowledges the existence of humanity and asserts that Jesus wants all followers to preserve it. God sent his only son as a sacrifice because he still saw humanity in the world. 

The second distinction the author points out of Jesus’ teachings is the way in which Jesus wanted the people to fight the cruelties of the world. Jesus did not call for people to take up arms. He did not call nations to assemble their armies. He told his followers to forgive their enemies and show them love. He won’t so far as to promote self-sacrificing love and forgiveness, and he demonstrated this through his crucifixion.  Jesus did not create ambiguity by suggesting people pass judgment on others or take up arms against sinners. He did not encourage people to seek revenge for all wrongdoings. He made it very clear through word and example that he wanted people to show each other love and forgiveness.

References

Fitzgerald, G. (2009). The Bible confronts the Bible: A more wonderful image of God emerges. Minneapolis: Mill City Press.

Proverbs Chapter 16. (2012). Providence Baptist Ministries. Retrieved from http://www.pbministries.org/Landmark_Baptist/Seminary/Bible_Study_Courses/Proverbs/DH_proverbs_chap16.htm