It starts with nine beatitudes, or statements of blessing. One of them is ‘‘Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God’’.
In first-century Palestine of Jesus’ time Pax Romana (the Peace of Rome) prevailed: a so-called ‘‘peace’’ brought about through the crushing violence of the Empire.
In response, some chose collaboration, others sought the violent overthrow of Rome’s occupying forces.
Jesus doesn’t pronounce a blessing on those who have unilaterally and somewhat ironically, pronounced peace, nor on those keeping the so-called ‘‘peace’’ of this oppressive status-quo, nor on the zealots calling for radical counter-violence.
Rather, he pronounces peace on those who work at being makers of peace.
Peace is understood not as a reality that magically appears due to an announcement, but instead as a difficult reality that emerges as people work through their differences and find a way forward together.
Later in his Sermon Jesus unpacks what this making peace might look like: ‘‘If anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, hand over your coat as well. If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles’’ (Matt 5:40-41).
The first scenario relates to a rich person suing a poor person in court because of the non-payment of a debt.The poor person has only a shirt to give in payment for a debt.
The court finds in favour of the rich person and requires the defendant to give the accuser their shirt.
The poor person responds by giving the rich person their warm coat too. Taking someone’s coat overnight and thus literally leaving them at risk of ‘‘freezing to death’’ was forbidden by Hebraic law.
The actions of the poor debtor — now standing naked in court — was, culturally, deeply shameful for those watching. The debtor’s action functions as a profound protest: publicly drawing attention to the power and greed of the rich person.
Jesus’ hearers know the appropriate response of the rich person should be: ‘‘Keep your coat — and your shirt too. The debt is so minor that I was wrong to sue you in the first place. I should have some compassion’’.
The poor man’s action, a powerful non-violent act of resistance, exposes to the watching community the true character of the rich man. It also acts as a mirror to the rich man — exposing his own moral nakedness. It is these actions of non-violent resistance that Jesus suggests offer potential pathways to making true peace.
The second example offered by Jesus, which states ‘‘If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles’’, follows the same logic. In the first-century Roman Empire the person who could force someone to ‘‘go one mile’’ was a Roman soldier (probably a Roman auxiliary). Occupying Roman forces could compel anyone to carry their heavy gear for a mile, regardless of the circumstances. Jews had to do this — and greatly resented it.
But it seems that Roman soldiers were not allowed to force people to carry their pack more than one mile. By going a second mile the local resident is putting the occupying Roman soldier in a very awkward situation: getting them to break a law.
The Jew compelled to carry the pack is finding a wise non-violent mode of protest that once again exposes to the Roman soldier the injustice and cruelty of the whole system of which they are a part.
Jesus implies that the path to freedom and ultimately a society of peace stems not through meeting coercion with violence (killing the soldier as first-century zealots did) but through radical generosity.
The coerced pack-carrier’s generosity in ‘‘going the second mile’’ is both a challenge to oppression, but furthermore, an invitation to the occupying soldier to join them on a path towards making peace.
Application of Jesus’ teaching from 20 centuries ago is not a simple matter, but what might it mean for us to respond to the perpetrators of oppression, injustice, and cruelty not with hatred, but with deep concern for their moral brokenness? To refuse to meet violence with counter-violence — but rather with actions that expose these realities and that also offer new life-giving ways into the future?
Instead of an acquiescence to the unjust status quo or a violent response, Jesus offers a third way: non-violent actions of resistance that have the potential to expose injustice, change hearts, transform our mindsets and make peace.
In a world caught in endless cycles of tit-for-tat violence, exploring this pathway towards making peace is more necessary than ever.
- Paul Trebilco is professor of New Testament studies and Dr Andrew Shepherd is a senior lecturer in theology and public issues. Both teach in the theology programme at the University of Otago.
