X-Muslim β¦ βI put the Bible and the Quran in front of meβ
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Christ always wins.
His way of love and zero violence, with truth, grace, mercy, and forgiveness, can't be met by any other faith known to humankind.
If you put your faith in Him, you win too.
Amen. I have seen that happen a lot in my life.
Amen.
That isn't true.
In the New Testament (found in all four Gospels, e.g., Matthew 21:12-13, Mark 11:15-17, Luke 19:45-46, John 2:13-16), Jesus enters the temple in Jerusalem and sees moneylenders and merchants exploiting worshippers by turning a sacred space into a marketplace. He doesnβt act impulsively. For several days, he observes the situation, reflecting carefully. In Johnβs account, he even takes time to braid a whip from cords. Then, with deliberate conviction, he drives out the moneylenders, overturns their tables, and rebukes them for defiling the temple, saying it should be a house of prayer, not a βden of thieves.β
Jesus wasnβt opposed to all violence; his calculated response shows that righteous anger, when thoughtfully directed, can be used to confront injustice and restore whatβs sacred.
I am not directing anyone to violence. I am hoping to remind you that the teachings of our Lord Jesus does not require us to be passive, peaceful and utterly helpless in the face of corruption and violence.
This is a common misconception. He wasn't violent.
Hang with me on this, and keep reading, ok?
John is the closest anyone can get to Christ being violent. But it only states He drove them all out of the temple. Whipping in the air can drive both people and animals out. Especially someone in righteous anger for God's temple, where everyone would instantly know the money changers were in the wrong and have no ground to stand on according to scripture.
Now here's how the misconception can be cleared up:
When the pharisees, sadducees, and especially Pilate were trying to find fault with him, you can bet your life if anyone was whipped and had a whipping mark that would have been used against Him. Especially if it was violence done in the temple!
But they could find no fault in Him. So this is how you know there was violence.
Righteous indignation? OH YEAH!
Violence? DEFINITELY NOT!
I forgot to add, his anger at his own follower (Simon Peter) for using a sword on the soldier that was coming to arrest Jesus and take him to crucifixion is another perfect example.
If you want to take the lesson that you should be a pacifist to the point of death, then be my guest.
I don't believe that is either the example or the teaching of Christ.
Further, saying that Christ flipped tables and whipped near people, which isn't violence ... well, that is semantics. For Christ to swing his whip in a way that was a credible threat and cause people to be afraid, it makes no difference if the whip kissed their skin or not. Under modern laws, this behavior would still be considered to be assault.
Remember that Jesus was convicted by an ecumenical court of Jewish elders because he threatened their power and authority with his preaching the new testament. Pilate suggested that they crucify actual criminals. Everyone in attendance, Jews and Pilate, knew that the charges were political.
So to sum up, I find your arguments miss the point.
BUT if you want to go and live your life without anger or violence, then be my guest.
Peaceful is not the same as Helpless, or even Harmless. Jesus knew this and demonstrated it through his example. He was a man of Peace, not A Passive Victim.
I have been living my life without anger or violence, and it gets you really close to God. So close, I've been given a moment to glimpse His face too, and i look forward to when my work is done on this earth. My take on death is in line with Christ, who knew when he died He would be taken to God, who said to the faithful thief on the cross next to him would be with him, that very hour of his death. Like Paul, who knew when he died he would be taken to be with Christ, with no intermediate zone between his flesh life and spirit life. Based on things scripture is very clear of.
But let's go further.
Jesus didn't just avoid violence, but also taught against it. In the Sermon on the Mount, He said: "You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.' But I tell you not to resist an evil person. But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also."
When Peter drew his sword in Gethsemane, Jesus didn't say, "Only use force in righteous situations." He said "Put your sword back into its place; for all those who take up the sword shall perish by the sword."
You mentioned that Christ's actions would be considered assault today, but I don't think there's any place that finds someone guilty for whipping air, maybe if you're in some bad country that finds you guilty for hurting someone's feelings.
Jesus operated under a higher law, and even His anger was pure, and His actions measured, because they stopped short of harming anyone. He overturned tables and drove out animals. He confronted sin, but didn't sin Himself. He was without fault that they could only bring people who bared false witness against him.
Don't forget when He was struck, mocked, and crucified, He did not retaliate. He prayed, "Father, forgive them." That is the pattern He left for us to follow. It's the way of overcoming evil with good. It's the way of the cross.
We are called to be strong, but strong in Spirit, not in flesh.
We fight spiritual battles with spiritual weapons. To claim Jesus endorsed violence is to misunderstand His mission, and His heart.
I stand by what I said. You can do what you want, but what if you miss heaven because you chose to be violent in the flesh, when God and Christ commanded you to love?