50 teachings of Yahshua

Do Not Resist An Evil Person

Matthew 5: 38-39³⁸“You have heard that it
was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ ³⁹But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also.

When I read this, I think about my son who was bullied at school. The parent in me wanted him to defend but the follower of Jesus is so proud of how he did not respond in anger or outburst. At the beginning of 8th grade, Slade was stabbed pretty violently in his hand by a kid at school in Spanish class, we will call kid Red. This pencil violence left a scar. I asked Slade if he wanted me to call the school, he said no.

Not knowing, the bullying kept going. Red hit in the back of Slade’s head with a notebook, yet Slade did not retaliate or defend other than calmly ask Red to stop. The boy who did this is a very small kid, and we have since found out that he had been living in a very abusive environment. When Slade was punctured with the pencil, it hurt and his eyes did swell with a few tears as he swallowed his anger and pain. This boy continued to mock Slade and threatened to stab him again with his pencil. Almost getting power over the idea that showed tears. A puncture hurts, who doesn’t get a watery over it?

About 8 months after the other events, Slade got off the bus and I sensed something had happened.

Red had hit him in class with a notebook on the back of the head, Slade asked him to stop. He said the boy followed him onto the bus and continued to repeatedly kick Slade on the legs. Slade warned him, if you do not quit kicking me, I will make you stop. The boy would not quit after 3 warnings. Slade did not harm him, but slid the smaller boy out of his chair on to the bus floor, gently pressed him against the bus floor in restraint. Red could not move. Slade has always been very strong, getting stronger every day.

Now the mom in me was happy to see that he defended himself. But the word of God spoke to me and said, ” Slade was like me. With every hit, every mock, every insult, every stab, he was quiet like a sheep. ” I thought of Jesus being mocked, spit on and never defending just taking the abuse from his own people and the Romans.

Something in Slade is like Jesus. He never let the bullying or the words penetrate into his soul. He gently corrected. That correction and tolerance was deemed as weakness by the bully. But in actuality the strength of Jesus was in Slade to be unaffected. In retrospect, I do wish that I had called the principal before Slade had to restrain the boy. That is not Slade’s spirit. He did not want to harm or hurt, only wanted the boy to stop kicking him. 

We too are to be stay calm, peaceful- even when attacked verbally or physically. The momma bear wanted Slade to do what it took to defend himself, but the child of God in me, was so in love with the Jesus in my son. Slade’s tenderness and lack of reaction for almost a year, is evidence that I’m raising my son with the  gentle spirit of God.

Reflection 

1. How have you handled verbal or physical lashings? What can you do to practice more self-control, tolerance? 

2.  Pray for those that inflict pain, stir up conflict or bother.