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Looking at some discussions that are going on around me, I wanted to post my sermon notes for Easter Sunday this year, in which I share an insight that Jesus' nonresistance, death, and resurrection show us the triumph of peace over violence.
Welcome, and thank you for joining us on this day that we celebrate our victory. Today I would like to share with you the good news that the prince of peace overcame the brutality and violence of death on the cross and rose again. This example that He gave us shows the power of trusting God to work things out, and not relying on our might to get the job done. Jesus had every opportunity to lead a successful rebellion. He had the support of the people as evidenced by his huge following, and the king’s welcome to Jerusalem. The week of the Triumphal Entry, the leaders of the Jews and the Romans were shaking in their shoes.
Because the powerful leaders felt threatened by the crowds, they sent out to arrest Jesus. When Jesus was arrested in the garden, He did not resist with violence, and rebuked his disciple for doing so. Matt 26:50-56 tells us that when Judas came and Judas gave him the kiss of betrayal “Jesus replied, "Friend, do what you came for." Then the men stepped forward, seized Jesus and arrested him. With that, one of Jesus' companions reached for his sword, drew it out and struck the servant of the high priest, cutting off his ear. "Put your sword back in its place," Jesus said to him, "for all who draw the sword will die by the sword. Do you think I cannot call on my Father, and he will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels? But how then would the Scriptures be fulfilled that say it must happen in this way?" At that time Jesus said to the crowd, "Am I leading a rebellion, that you have come out with swords and clubs to capture me? Every day I sat in the temple courts teaching, and you did not arrest me. But this has all taken place that the writings of the prophets might be fulfilled." Then all the disciples deserted him and fled.”
Jesus’ choice was either to rely on the strength of the crowd and their weapons or to rely on God. The peaceful choice Jesus made was one of obedience to God. Even though this choice leads to true victory, isn’t popular. People don’t want to love their enemies or do good to those who persecute them. Forgiveness is hard work, and doesn’t make sense, at least not to the world’s way of looking at things. The world tells us that we need to defend ourselves and that we can’t trust anyone else to do it for us. The world tells us that trusting God is foolish, and there are even some in the church whose faith is not strong enough to believe that God will protect them, their families or the faith.
Missionaries like my brother and sister in-law defy what the world says is safe. Their willingness to go where God leads them with their children is a statement of trust in God that we need to remember as an example. We should be thanking our missionaries for reminding us that God is in charge, and that His way, even though it leads through the valley of the shadow of death, will not only see us to the other side of that valley, but see us triumphant on the other side.
As I said the way of peace will not win Christians any popularity contests. When Pilate gave the crowd the choice of the Prince of Peace or the murderous rebel, who was as apt to kill Jews as Romans, to be released they chose the murderous rebel. Violent rebellion made sense to the Jews who were suffering under the yoke of brutal Roman oppression. They wanted to strike back and overthrow the Romans. That is a natural response. Jesus’ way didn’t make sense to them. Our way as Friends who follow Jesus doesn’t make sense to the world either. Our choice to work peacefully for change doesn’t make sense. Our choice to not use the weapons of this world doesn’t make sense, unless you are coming from the perspective of faith. If you come from the perspective of faith, then you know that “ALL things work together for the good of those who serve the Lord and are called according to His purpose.” You know that “If God is for me then no one can stand against me.” If you come from the perspective of faith, then obedience to the teachings of Jesus leads to victory, even if those teachings don’t seem to make sense right now from our human perspective.
Jesus’ perspective was that of God. He saw that violence would not bring about God’s kingdom, or God’s way of being and doing what is right. He saw that everyone, even soldiers sent to arrest Him, bore the image of God, and could be reconciled to God. Jesus taught His disciples to accept and live in the forgiveness of God and to extend that forgiveness even in the face of the worst man could do. Jesus could face rejection and humiliation and brutal torture while being able to say “Father forgive them, they don’t know what they are doing.” because he knew that faith in and obedience to God always leads to victory. Let me repeat that: Faith in and obedience to God always leads to victory. Jesus’ command to “love our enemies and do good to those who persecute us” will always lead to victory. If Jesus was willing to die rather than justly lash out at the Romans, how could it be right for us to lash out with violence, no matter what the justification?
Jesus is our example, an example that each one of us desires to live into, and fails miserably at. I long to live in peace, and to have people wonder if I am crazy to believe that I don’t need to own a gun, and that I do not need to use violence in any form be it verbal, emotional or physical to protect myself or my family. Well, let me be frankly honest …I am not there yet. While the violence from me tends to be more of the sarcastic kind, that doesn’t make it any less damaging. The hard thing for us is that Jesus set the bar so high. Jesus example is one that we can’t live into without the active living presence of the Holy Spirit. That same Spirit is active in the lives of every human being we encounter, no matter what they choose to believe or how they choose to act. The Holy Spirit can still use our different actions to jar others into listening to Him. If we are no different than the world around us, what conscience would the world have?
The world will tell us that we are failures and cowards for not participating in violence. The world will tell us that peace, mercy, love and forgiveness don’t make sense. Well, let me read to you what the outcome of love, peace, mercy and forgiveness is John 20:10-23 Then the disciples went back to their homes, but Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus' body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot. They asked her, "Woman, why are you crying?" "They have taken my Lord away," she said, "and I don't know where they have put him." At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus. "Woman," he said, "why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?" Thinking he was the gardener, she said, "Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him." Jesus said to her, "Mary." She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, "Rabboni!" (which means Teacher). Jesus said, "Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet returned to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, 'I am returning to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.'" Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news: "I have seen the Lord!" And she told them that he had said these things to her. On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you!" After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord. Again Jesus said, "Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you." And with that he breathed on them and said, "Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven."
Peace is with us, and that peace will withstand all of the brutality and violence and pettiness and mean-spiritedness thrown at it. The ways of evil may seem to work for a short time, but evil’s victories will always be short-lived and in hindsight those “victories” will be known as the very things that led to its downfall.
