An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.
That
sounds kind of fair, kind of just.
Especially
in a less organized, less civilized, more brutal world.
One who
does wrong should be punished.
That
should deter wrongdoing.
One who
is injured should have some compensation or retribution.
And so, we
find the idea of an eye for an eye in
ancient law.
It’s
included in Hammurabi’s Code.
One of
the world’s oldest written codes of law.
Decreed
by Hammurabi, King of Babylon, almost 4,000 years ago in 1750 BC.
An eye for an eye is often cited as justification for the
right to revenge.
And it
was.
But it
was also a limitation on the right to
revenge.
If
someone knocks out your tooth, you’re entitled to knock out his tooth.
You’re not entitled to chop off his arm, or to kill
him.
An eye for an eye is well ingrained in our human instinct.
Revenge
was already a long-established concept
Before
Hammurabi came along.
About 300
years later, we see another ancient writing—the Book of Leviticus.
With the more
merciful, less instinctive, law we heard in our first reading today.
Take no revenge against any of your people.
You are to love your neighbor as yourself.
And finally,
1400 years later, Jesus calls us to even greater love and mercy.
He
repeatedly stresses our duty to help
the poor and the suffering.
Feed the
hungry, clothe the naked, comfort the afflicted, welcome the alien.
In
today’s Gospel, he raises the bar another notch.
And we
see how hard it can be to be his true follower, a true Christian.
Jesus
asks us to go against our natural instincts.
To forego
revenge against anyone, not just our
own people.
To turn
the other cheek.
To love
not only our neighbor, but also our enemy.
To give
to whoever asks.
We’re called
to put mercy above possessions.
Put mercy
above revenge.
Put mercy
even above justice.
Pretty
radical.
Who would
do those things?
Well, if
we’re true Christians, we would.
Or at
least we’d be trying our best.
But many
today still live by the old, merciless, eye
for an eye instinct.
Despite
what Jesus said about it.
Despite their
claims to be Christians.
So, we
see that there are a lot of fake
Christians.
They
might call themselves Christians.
They
might even think they are true
Christians.
But many
are not even trying to live up to the
standards Jesus set.
The great
Indian leader, Mahatma Gandhi, a Hindu, greatly admired Jesus.
He often
quoted the Sermon on the Mount.
He once
said—If I’d ever met a true Christian, I
would have become one myself.
But I never met one.
(Maybe he
was looking for a perfect Christian rather
than a true Christian.)
There's a pretty
broad spectrum of people calling
themselves Christians.
There are
the extreme fakes, like that small,
offensive Westboro Baptist sect.
People who
actively work to spread hate and intolerance.
And explicitly
claim to do it in the name of Jesus.
Then
there are would-be Christians who actively work against Jesus’ commands.
Maybe intentionally,
maybe not recognizing what they’re doing.
They
fight against efforts to assist the very people who Jesus said we must help.
The poor,
the homeless, the hungry, the vulnerable, the refugee.
The
largest group of fake Christians are the more moderate fakes.
They give
lip service to Jesus’ commands but make no attempt to follow them.
Finally,
there are those who can be considered true Christians.
Christians
at various stages of working toward perfection.
Christians
sincerely striving to do as Jesus asked.
Christians
who cheerfully share their time, talent and treasures to help others.
Who are
happy to see their gifts and even their tax dollars go to help those in need.
Christians
who recognize that they are indeed temples of the Spirit.
And that
the Spirit will help them clear the dauntingly high bar Jesus has set.
Help them
to love all their neighbors—including their enemies.
Help them
to be merciful as our Father is merciful.
...
Lent
begins just 10 days from now, with its fasting, prayer and almsgiving.
Rather
than waiting till the last minute to decide what to do this year,
We can decide
on one thing now, and even get a head start.
In our prayer, we can include a deep assessment of where we are on that Christian spectrum.
We can
open that conversation with God today.
Tune in and
listen for his voice, that voice of the Spirit within us.
Discern
what our next steps should be.
Ask, What can I do to grow further as a more
genuine, merciful, true Christian?
Ask, What can I do to help transform this world into
the Kingdom of God?
7th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Mt 5:38-48 Read this Scripture @usccb.org
