This essay continues a sequence. Read the previous one here.
But I say unto you,
That ye resist not evil:
but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.
And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloke also.
And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain.
— KJV, Matt 5:39-41
The difficulties are internal, not external…
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In the first part of this essay we established that these words are meant in a figurative sense, that Christ is referring to love for our neighbour, and that this statement extends His instruction “Blessed Are The Meek“.
The key question now is: How exactly should a loving mindset react to provocation, in practical terms?
Love does not shy away from any approach that can be of real help to the other person, even if it appears ridiculous.
That insight is central to understanding instructions like “turn the other cheek“, “let him have thy cloak also“, etc.
The biggest obstacle in this matter is ego. Ego is an aspect of vanity, which Lucifer introduced to man (ref. “Fall Down And Worship Me“).
Ego limits our understanding of The Word (ref. “Blessed Are The Pure in Heart“) and restricts us to a limited set of reactions1 when provoked:
- Wanting revenge. We must get our own back.
- Wanting to win. We must get the better of the other person.
- Saving face. We must not be humiliated or ridiculed.
Ego makes us predictable, and this is evidence of a restriction of our free will. We are slaves of our egos, and therefore slaves of Lucifer.
Christ’s use of this vivid symbolism is meant to help us break free from egoistic limitations and regain the power to react lovingly and flexibly to provocations, without regard to what others may think.
Without genuine love, we cannot possess free will. We are to use the power of love to overcome ego and regain true free will.
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Our reaction should depend on the circumstances and cannot be prescribed in advance. But we must act out of love and ensure that ego plays no role in it.
It is also demanded that the nature of our reaction must be different from the perceived nature of the action. That is another aspect of “Resist not evil“.
The word “resist” could imply applying a “similar and opposite” force, like when someone pulls at something we have, and we instinctively pull back.
Our habitual forms of “resist-ing” evil often involve adopting similar measures as those of the other party (they pull, we pull back – an eye for an eye). In general, when people do nasty things to us we tend to react in ways that are not nice i.e. we act like birds of a feather.
Ego blinds us to the similarity. It provides sophisticated reasons for our pulling back, while the other person’s pulling is simply because they are bad. It prevents us from making an effort to understand things from the other’s perspective, from forgiving, and from reacting creatively.
That is how we gradually become what we profess to despise, while remaining completely unaware.
As stated in the previous essay, love has nothing to do with weakness. It is about contributing selflessly to the spiritual progress of our neighbour.
Our (re)actions may sometimes involve harsh measures, like when a parent corrects a child. But they must always emanate from pure love and be expressed with self-control and self-awareness, e.g.:
And when He had thus spoken,
one of the officers which stood by struck Jesus with the palm of his hand, saying,
Answerest thou the high priest so?
Jesus answered him,
If I have spoken evil, bear witness of the evil:
but if well, why smitest thou me?
— John 18:22-23
Our reactions to provocation should be calm and self-conscious, emanating from a loving mindset free from any egoistic considerations.
Today’s Resolution:
- We will look inwards in every situation of conflict with others, trusting in The Word to show us our faults and also the right, loving course of action.
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- Although written about a completely different topic, the book “Crucial Conversations” contains very valuable perspectives on how ego impedes our functioning in tense situations. ↩︎
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