“But Jesus’ strongest statement is simply “Do not resist evil” (Matthew 5:39). The word he uses for resist is antisternal, a term which refers very specifically to military resistance. In effect, Jesus is forbidding armed resistance to Rome – a stance that would surely enrage Jewish nationalists.
Jesus forbids institutional violence because, ultimately, every person in the world is related. We are all children of the same God. All wars are civil wars. In the reign of God, Jews and Palestinians, Tutsis and Hutus, U.S. citizens and “illegal aliens,” Christians and Muslims, are neighbors. We are to treat one another with utmost respect and honor, the very way we want to be treated ourselves.”
“The kingdom Jesus preaches claims no land, defends no space, has no interest in political systems. It does not need to pass laws to take care of the needy; it just assumes the responsibility in a way that is decentralized, organic, sustainable, and local. It looks to serve and to place others before itself; it is content in recession and prosperity. It fasts to feed the needy. It creates no coinage, has no positions of power, and has no army. It works quietly within the old systems, not trying to change laws through powerful conventions, but simply living as if that reality already existed. Or to use the language of Jesus, ‘The kingdom of God is here now!’”
[excerpt from No Shortage of Messiahs by Matt Nederlanden]
