A DIRECTIVE FOR THE NEW YEAR: RESTRAINING EVIL WITHOUT RETALIATION
I awoke this morning at 6:29. This has happened numerous times in recent weeks. Exactly 6:29. An odd number to see so consistently. I began to wonder if there was a message in this somewhere. That’s when I realized today is the 29th.
I’m not one to give a ton of credence to numbers, but there are times when they stand out because they are so specific and so consistent. So I began to ask the Holy Spirit for further confirmation and started looking through Scripture. I thought perhaps I would find a verse with some kind of encouragement or promise. Not knowing exactly what to look for, I simply trusted the Holy Spirit to bear witness to something that would stand out, if indeed that’s where He was leading. That’s when I landed on LUKE 6:29.
“To one who strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also, and from one who takes away your cloak do not withhold your tunic either” (Luke 6:29 ESV).
Needless to say, this wasn’t the kind of word I was expecting! And yet, it struck my spirit because the Lord had already been speaking to me about a rising issue in the Body of Christ. As we have faced challenges this past year in dealing with sin, abuse, and outright corruption in the Church, we have rightly called for justice and accountability. And yet, I believe the Lord is cautioning us. In an attempt to prove a point or defend some evidence against wrongdoing, there has been a growing amount of “friendly fire” that has caused some unnecessary confusion and collateral damage among fellow believers. In our zeal to restrain the evil within our ranks, the Lord is reminding us that the condition of our hearts is just as important as any case we want to prove.
Luke 6:29 is a statement in the midst of a larger message where Jesus is calling His followers to take a higher road against those who attack us. In telling us to love and pray for our enemies, He is not suggesting some passive acceptance of unfair treatment, but a strategic refusal to escalate conflict and fuel the enemy’s schemes. Jesus is highlighting an intentional response against those who are seeking to bait, humiliate, and ultimately disempower us. This isn’t about winning an argument, but guarding our hearts, and ultimately winning a war.
“Striking a person on the cheek does not refer as much to physical injury, as to insults and indignity. In Jewish culture, the greatest insult, the most demeaning and contemptuous action possible, was a slap on the cheek. It was an ultimate and deliberate gesture of disrespect…The backhand was not a blow to injure, but to insult, humiliate, degrade. The whole point of the blow was to force someone who was out of line, back into place.” (redeeminggod.com)
Jesus was urging His followers to stand up to the enemy’s attempts to subjugate and humiliate them. He knew that the devil loves nothing more than to stir up conflict and make us question our identity. Many times through false accusations and lies. Jesus’ directive to turn the other cheek was not about taking a physical blow as much as refusing the bait to retaliate. Retaliation is a fleshly reaction that hopes to hurt the offender. Godly restraint, on the other hand, opposes the evil being done while still pursuing a positive outcome. But this can only come from a heart of unconditional and unbiased love towards those who hurt us. A recognition that we are not fighting flesh and blood but spiritual forces hoping to destroy our faith and our unity. Again, this isn’t about taking abuse – but an intentional response to disempower it.
The same posture of heart applies to giving our enemy the very clothes on our back. In first century Palestine, Jesus was speaking to a class of people that were heavily taxed and indebted to a corrupt system. He knew the injustices they were facing. What He was suggesting had little to do with their financial status, but everything to do with the state of their hearts. He was reminding them of the unseen power of a yielded heart to Him as Defender and Judge. This was not about the acquisition of goods, but the spiritual power of sacrificial love.
We should never allow abuse of any kind or turn a blind eye to injustice. But how we go about getting that justice requires more than just righteous indignation against evil. It requires the ability to know when to be silent just as much as when to speak. When to take action and when to yield to a Higher Authority. The world is watching us. And how we respond to our internal conflicts can either attract them to faith, or repel them. We need to get past any need for vindication and pursue a demonstration of supernatural love and grace that defies logic and yields lasting fruit.
Perhaps this is a directive for this coming year and a focus for prayer. As we continue to come through a season of sanctification and purification in the Church, may our zeal for truth never replace our call to love.
