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<DIV><FONT size=4> v39. Jesus' exposition on vengeance describes true
perfection; "do not retaliate". It could be argued that Jesus is restricting
retribution for personal insult while allowing justice to continue at the legal
level. The trouble is this serves to reduce the law to <I>the doable</I>, cf.
5:19. In reality, this law cannot be obeyed. Jesus, with the illustration of a
strike on the face, makes the point that perfection requires that we take the
insult without retaliation. Of course, to not return evil for evil is to place
ourselves under the subjection of those with evil intent.<BR></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4><A
href="http://www.lectionarystudies.com/studyg/sunday7ag.html">http://www.lectionarystudies.com/studyg/sunday7ag.html</A></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4><FONT size=4></FONT></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4>Bryan Findlayson</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4><FONT size=4>- - - - -</FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4><FONT size=4><FONT
size=4></FONT></FONT></FONT> </DIV><FONT size=4><FONT size=4><FONT
color=#231f20 size=2 face=BookAntiqua><FONT color=#231f20 size=2
face=BookAntiqua><FONT color=#231f20 size=2 face=BookAntiqua>
<DIV align=left><FONT color=#000000 size=4>When you turn the cross upside down,
you get a sword—that uncomfortable</FONT></DIV>
<DIV align=left><FONT color=#000000 size=4>truth has plagued the church
throughout its history in our ungodly</FONT></DIV>
<DIV align=left><FONT color=#000000 size=4>holy wars and military crusading. But
when you turn a sword upside</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#000000 size=4>down, you get the cross. It is the hope of the
world.</FONT></DIV></FONT></FONT></FONT></FONT></FONT>
<DIV><FONT size=4><FONT size=4><FONT size=4></FONT></FONT></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4><FONT size=4><FONT size=4><A
href="http://www.baylor.edu/christianethics/PeaceandWararticleFox.pdf">http://www.baylor.edu/christianethics/PeaceandWararticleFox.pdf</A></FONT></FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4><FONT size=4><FONT size=4><FONT
size=4></FONT></FONT></FONT></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4>Bob Fox, 2004</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4>- - - - -</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4></FONT> </DIV><FONT size=4><FONT color=#231f20 size=2
face=BookAntiqua><FONT color=#231f20 size=2 face=BookAntiqua><FONT color=#231f20
size=2 face=BookAntiqua>
<DIV align=left><FONT color=#000000 size=4>The story is told of a Christian rice
farmer in the south of China who</FONT></DIV>
<DIV align=left><FONT color=#000000 size=4>employed a waterwheel driven by a
treadmill to irrigate his crop during</FONT></DIV>
<DIV align=left><FONT color=#000000 size=4>times of drought. On one occasion the
farmer found that a neighbor, who</FONT></DIV>
<DIV align=left><FONT color=#000000 size=4>owned two fields below his own, had
breached the retaining wall between</FONT></DIV>
<DIV align=left><FONT color=#000000 size=4>their fields in order to drain the
irrigation water onto the neighbor’s land.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV align=left><FONT color=#000000 size=4>After the first time, the farmer
repaired the breach and tried again. But</FONT></DIV>
<DIV align=left><FONT color=#000000 size=4>twice more the neighbor drained away
the water. At last the man consulted</FONT></DIV>
<DIV align=left><FONT color=#000000 size=4>friends from his church, who prayed
with him and agreed that</FONT></DIV>
<DIV align=left><FONT color=#000000 size=4>something must be done that is beyond
mere fairness. The farmer took it</FONT></DIV>
<DIV align=left><FONT color=#000000 size=4>to heart, and the next day he watered
the neighbor’s two fields first and</FONT></DIV>
<DIV align=left><FONT color=#000000 size=4>then watered his own. The neighbor,
when he realized what had been</FONT></DIV>
<DIV align=left><FONT color=#000000 size=4>done, was moved by the mercy of the
Christian farmer. He began to inquire</FONT></DIV>
<DIV align=left><FONT color=#000000 size=4>about the faith of this man who would
return good for evil.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV align=left><FONT color=#000000 size=4>We may never become friends by making
peace with our enemies, but</FONT></DIV>
<DIV align=left><FONT color=#000000 size=4>we might just become neighbors. And
that’s a beginning. Are we making</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#000000 size=4>a
start?</FONT></DIV></FONT></FONT></FONT></FONT>
<DIV><FONT size=4></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4><A
href="http://www.baylor.edu/christianethics/PeaceandWararticleMason.pdf">http://www.baylor.edu/christianethics/PeaceandWararticleMason.pdf</A></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4>George A. Mason, 2004</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4>- - - - -</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4></FONT> </DIV><FONT size=4><FONT color=#231f20 size=2
face=BookAntiqua><FONT color=#231f20 size=2 face=BookAntiqua><FONT color=#231f20
size=2 face=BookAntiqua><FONT color=#231f20 size=2 face=BookAntiqua><FONT
color=#231f20 size=2 face=BookAntiqua><FONT color=#231f20 size=2
face=BookAntiqua>
<DIV align=left><FONT color=#000000 size=4>Stassen advocates ten peacemaking
practices to reduce the threat</FONT></DIV>
<DIV align=left><FONT color=#000000 size=4>of war and foster just relationships
among people and nations: (1)</FONT></DIV>
<DIV align=left><FONT color=#000000 size=4>support nonviolent direct action; (2)
take independent initiatives to</FONT></DIV>
<DIV align=left><FONT color=#000000 size=4>reduce threat; (3) use cooperative
conflict resolution; (4) acknowledge</FONT></DIV>
<DIV align=left><FONT color=#000000 size=4>responsibility for conflict and
injustice and seek repentance and</FONT></DIV>
<DIV align=left><FONT color=#000000 size=4>forgiveness; (5) advance democracy,
human rights, and religious</FONT></DIV>
<DIV align=left><FONT color=#000000 size=4>liberty; (6) foster just and
sustainable economic development; (7)</FONT></DIV>
<DIV align=left><FONT color=#000000 size=4>work with emerging cooperative forces
in the international system;</FONT></DIV>
<DIV align=left><FONT color=#000000 size=4>(8) strengthen the United Nations and
international efforts for cooperation</FONT></DIV>
<DIV align=left><FONT color=#000000 size=4>and human rights; (9) reduce
offensive weapons and</FONT></DIV>
<DIV align=left><FONT color=#000000 size=4>weapons trade; and (10) encourage
grassroots peacemaking groups</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#000000 size=4>and voluntary
associations.</FONT></DIV></FONT></FONT></FONT></FONT></FONT></FONT></FONT><FONT
size=4></FONT>
<DIV><FONT size=4><FONT size=4></FONT></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4><FONT size=4><A
href="http://www.baylor.edu/christianethics/PeaceandWarStudyGuide4.pdf">http://www.baylor.edu/christianethics/PeaceandWarStudyGuide4.pdf</A></FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#231f20 face=AkzidenzGroteskBE-MdCn><FONT color=#231f20
face=AkzidenzGroteskBE-MdCn><FONT size=4>Robert B. Kruschwitz,
2004</FONT></DIV></FONT></FONT>
<DIV><FONT size=4>- - - - -</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4><FONT size=4></FONT></FONT> </DIV><FONT size=4><FONT
size=3 face=Minion-Regular><FONT size=3 face=Minion-Regular>
<DIV align=left><FONT size=4>...it is easy to see
that</FONT></DIV></FONT></FONT><FONT size=3 face=Greek><FONT size=3 face=Greek>
<DIV align=left><FONT size=4>"telos" </FONT></FONT></FONT><FONT
face=Minion-Regular><FONT face=Minion-Regular>is embedded in
"</FONT></FONT><FONT face=Greek><FONT face=Greek>teleios"</FONT></FONT><FONT
size=3 face=Minion-Regular><FONT size=3 face=Minion-Regular><FONT size=4>, used
in the sermon on the mount at the climax of</FONT></DIV>
<DIV align=left><FONT size=4>the antitheses (5:21-48).</FONT></FONT></FONT><FONT
face=Minion-Regular><FONT face=Minion-Regular>12 </FONT></FONT><FONT size=3
face=Minion-Regular><FONT size=3 face=Minion-Regular><FONT size=4>There Jesus
says, in a free paraphrase of Lev 19:2, “Be</FONT></DIV>
<DIV align=left><FONT size=4>perfect (</FONT></FONT></FONT><FONT
face=Greek><FONT face=Greek>teleioi</FONT></FONT><FONT face=Minion-Regular><FONT
face=Minion-Regular>) as your heavenly Father is perfect (</FONT></FONT><FONT
face=Greek><FONT face=Greek>teleios</FONT></FONT><FONT size=3
face=Minion-Regular><FONT size=3 face=Minion-Regular><FONT
size=4>)!”</FONT></DIV>
<DIV align=left><FONT size=4>This perfection is the condition of being fully
mature, all grown up, of having</FONT></DIV>
<DIV align=left><FONT size=4>reached the end and goal
(</FONT></FONT></FONT><FONT face=Greek><FONT face=Greek>telos</FONT></FONT><FONT
size=3 face=Minion-Regular><FONT size=3 face=Minion-Regular><FONT size=4>) of
human life under God. It means being children</FONT></DIV>
<DIV align=left><FONT size=4>of God, sharing in the divine nature that is marked
by stunning and indiscriminate</FONT></DIV>
<DIV align=left><FONT size=4>acts of generosity to all. God, who is
"</FONT></FONT></FONT><FONT face=Greek><FONT
face=Greek>teleios"</FONT></FONT><FONT size=3 face=Minion-Regular><FONT size=3
face=Minion-Regular><FONT size=4>, sends sun and rain upon</FONT></DIV>
<DIV align=left><FONT size=4>the evil and the good, the righteous and the
unrighteous (5:45). So, if you say you</FONT></DIV>
<DIV align=left><FONT size=4>are children of God, offspring of the Most High,
made of the same stuff as God,</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4>then love not only those who will reciprocate, but “love your
enemies” (5:44)</FONT></DIV></FONT></FONT></FONT>
<DIV><FONT size=4><FONT size=4><></FONT></FONT></DIV><FONT size=4><FONT
size=4><FONT size=3 face=Minion-Regular><FONT size=3 face=Minion-Regular>
<DIV align=left><FONT size=4>If A = 6, and B =</FONT></DIV>
<DIV align=left><FONT size=4>12, and we continue through the alphabet in
increments of 6, then </FONT></FONT></FONT><FONT face=Minion-Regular><FONT
face=Minion-Regular>COMPUTER </FONT></FONT><FONT size=3
face=Minion-Regular><FONT size=3 face=Minion-Regular><FONT size=4>=</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4>666!</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4><A
href="http://www2.luthersem.edu/word&world/Archives/19-3_Politics/19-3_Smith.pdf">http://www2.luthersem.edu/word&world/Archives/19-3_Politics/19-3_Smith.pdf</A></FONT></DIV></FONT></FONT></FONT></FONT>
<DIV><FONT size=4><FONT size=4><FONT size=4><FONT
size=4></FONT></FONT></FONT></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4>Robert H. Smith, 1999</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4>- - - - -</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4></FONT> </DIV></BODY></HTML>