Understanding Nonresistance

[Kenny1995]

Of course this is a key factor to any Anabaptist belief, but is it really what Jesus meant? Consider the fact that in the Old Testament God often caused his people to fight in war. At times he even commanded things like killing women and children as well. Consider when they came into the land of Canaan and killed most of the inhabitants over a period of time. Then consider Jesus’ words in the sermon on the mount. How does this align with a God who is the same all the time? A God who never changes?

God did not wink at violence in the Old Testament like he did with some other things such as divorce. He commanded his people to go to war, and punished them when they did not obey wholeheartedly in some circumstances. How does such a great contradiction come together?

[R7ehr]

When you ask “is this what Jesus meant”, what are you specifically referring to? Verse?

[Kenny1995]

Matthew 5:44 specifically, although the Anabaptists would use other verses to also prove this idea.
But I say unto you, love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despite fully use you and persecute you.

[Ernie]

What If Jesus Meant Every Word He Said, by Dean Taylor

[barnhart]

Of course this is a key factor to any Anabaptist belief, but is it really what Jesus meant? Consider the fact that in the Old Testament God often caused his people to fight in war. At times he even commanded things like killing women and children as well. Consider when they came into the land of Canaan and killed most of the inhabitants over a period of time. Then consider Jesus’ words in the sermon on the mount. How does this align with a God who is the same all the time? A God who never changes?

God did not wink at violence in the Old Testament like he did with some other things such as divorce. He commanded his people to go to war, and punished them when they did not obey wholeheartedly in some circumstances. How does such a great contradiction come together?

When we turn from the question "what does God permit?" and instead look for his original intent, these questions do not loom so large. This is the radical nature of insisting the kingdom of heaven is here, we need not be compelled or distracted by the things he permitted in the past.

In Matthew 8 as Jesus comes down from delivering the sermon on the mountain about the arrival of the kingdom, he is confronted by a man with leprosy who simply says "Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean." I think of this verse as the hinge point of the Bible. In the kingdom of God everyone is valued, there are no throw away people and the grace of God extends to every individual to redeem them. Under the old covenant this man was an outcast who could not be touched but Jesus lays his hand on him and says some of the most beautiful words found in the Bible, "I am willing, be clean."

Another concept at the root of Jesus' teaching around humility and enemy love is the return to the values of the beginning, including care and respect for the image of God. Perhaps this is clearest in the story of the sheep and the goats. When the goats protest being judged, the answer they are given is they failed to respect and care for the image of God when it was most needed, in the form of the needy.

Jesus' teaching will seem unreasonable until we understand these two concepts.

[Neto]

A separate question is whether Jesus 'rejected' the second half of Isaiah's prophecy about the Messiah that he read in the synagogue in Nazareth (quoting Is 61:1-2a, recorded in Luke 4:16-19)? [He omits IS 61:2b "... and the day of vengeance of our God," & the following.]

I believe that he stopped there, because that was the part of the prophecy that was 'on his plate' for his time on earth at that time. The rest of the prophecy fits with what Jesus revealed to John, as recorded in the book of The Revelation of Jesus Christ.

Another pivotal passage is when he tells Pilate (John 18:36) that “My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jewish leaders. But now my kingdom is from another place.” [Note the word 'now' in the last sentence. This also fits with the book of The Revelation, which tells about what happens AFTER that 'now'.]

EDIT to add: The nation of Israel in the OT was the Kingdom of God on earth, in physical form. Fully so had they obeyed everything God commanded them to do. The Kingdom is currently 'in exile', but it will return. Then the rest of the prophecy of Isaiah will come to past. Our job now is to urge everyone to join the 'little flock' of Jesus, so that they are not the object of the vengeance of which Isaiah speaks.

[barnhart]

I resonate with Neto's post.

I was challenged by a Christian uncomfortable with my non resistant stance who wanted to know what I am going to do when Jesus returns and leads the armies of God into the battle of Armageddon. I told him as a follower of Jesus, I will be following him from behind. When he returns and demonstrates something different than the new testament, I will accept that but for now I follow the example he has already laid out.

[Grace]

Would attacking an evil person with a weed whacker be violating someone's stance on non-resistance?

Thankfully this young Amish woman didn't need to take it that far. The young woman revved the weed whacker and took a step toward the man while screaming. The man was carrying a knife and handcuffs, but the weed whacker and the screams scared him away.

https://amishamerica.com/amish-woman-us ... idnapping/

[JohnH]

It certainly wasn't the use of deadly force. I would surmise it as being reasonable conduct for someone who is carrying a weed whipper (as they call it here) going about their landscaping duties. If someone tried to tangle with me whilst operating with one, who knows where it would end up, although I wouldn't try to use it to kill them.