The Gospel reading for this coming Sunday (for those of you who follow the Revised Common Lectionary) contains the movement of the “Sermon on the Mount” where Jesus confronts some of the violent structures or power and privilege in his day.
We pick up with Matthew 5:38-4.
“You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if anyone would sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. And if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles.”
Jesus engages the old “eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth” practice with a call to “not resist an evil doer.” It has been pointed out by Walter Wink (Engaging the Powers; Fortress Press, 1992) that this phrase is not as radical in the English translation as it is in the Greek text. The spirit of the statement recorded in Matthew’s Gospel is more radical. The call from Jesus is to not act violently to the evildoer, but not to be a doormat either. Jesus is not calling us to be cowards. He is calling us to actively, and nonviolently engage the oppressor/wrong-doer.
With this phrase guiding the conversation, Jesus moves into the triad of turn the other cheek, give the undergarment, and go the extra mile. It is the first of these that I want to engage.
“But if anyone strikes you on the right check, turn the other also…”
For a long time this verse has been interpreted rather weakly. It has been used to tell children to turn the other cheek to the bully, women to turn the other cheek to spousal abuse, and Christians to be passive (non-active) against violence of any kind. This could not be more wrong.
The power of Jesus’ statement is that it calls people to claim their dignity in the face of oppression. To be struck on the right cheek, with the left hand (a backhanded slap), was a statement of insult by the one in power. By offering their left cheek, the one struck in an attempt at humiliation would challenge the oppressor to strike them again with a right hand (literally a punch one would only use with peers), claiming their dignity. The call to turn the other cheek is about claiming dignity and power in the face of oppression.
Privileged folk (like me - white, straight, educated, etc….) are the ones who initiate the scenario that attempts to humiliate. While it may not be a backhanded slap, the metaphorical action can be seen throughout our society.
Take our justice system for example.
On Saturday night, February 15, 2014, the justice system in Tallahassee, Florida delivered a backhanded slap to another African-American family. Jordan Davis, an African-America teenager, was murdered by Michael Dunn, a privileged man. The story in a nutshell - an African- American teen was killed and a family was brought to agony over music that was deemed "too loud" by a white, privileged man.
In the trial dubbed the “loud music trial,” the jury was overwhelming made up of people of privilege -four white men, four white women, two black women, one Hispanic man and one Asian-American woman. The defendant was a white male - a person of privilege. Yes one could argue for a “jury of his peers,” but when has that worked an the united states when a white man is on trial for killing an African-American?!
Yes Michael Dunn was found guilty on a charge of three counts of second-degree attempted murder and is facing a potential 60 year prison sentence, but let’s be blunt: he got away with murdering an African-American teenager over loud music. And the privileged folk turned a blind eye.
There was no justice for Jordan Davis. There was no closure for his family.
This event comes on the heels of the also controversial verdict of the George Zimmerman trial where another person of privilege got away with murdering an African-American teenager. Trayvon Martin's life and character were torn apart and Zimmermann was set free while privileged folk turned a blind eye to the reality of the situation.
There was no justice for Trayvon Martin. There was no closure for his family.
Both of these cases involved Florida’s controversial “stand your ground” law. A law that seems to be written by the privileged, for the privileged, in an attempt to protect only the privileged.
I could write for days in an attempt to record cases just like these. It’s disgusting and heartbreaking. The justice system in this country, a system of power driven by people of privilege, has continually humiliated people of color in the backhanded slap of a thwarting of justice.
Over and over again the privileged justice system has dealt left-handed blows to the right cheeks of people of color.
Over and over again people of color have turned the other cheek, displaying the broken system of justice, driven by power and privilege. They have peacefully protested - nonviolently resisting the system of oppression. They have called privileged folk to act to undo the broken system of justice. They have actively and nonviolently resisted, unmasking and engaging a broken system of privilege.
And still they wait. Offering the other cheek. Claiming their dignity and humanity. Exposing the fallen power system of privilege in this nation.
So when will we privileged people wake up? When will the church - the white, privileged church - wake up?
If we claim to follow Jesus - his commands, his call, his radical life of neighbor love and justice - when will we see that his statements do not enforce stable, peaceful life for privileged folk, but a radical reshaping of the community of the kingdom of God where “justice rolls down like waterfalls” and all people are given a place at the table.
Privileged people - our attempt at humiliation has been exposed for the fallen system of power that it is. It is time to realize what is happening. It is time to claim our responsibility for the damage done by a fallen system of power and privilege and to go to work for justice and reconciliation. It’s time to ask for forgiveness and move forward with dignity - all people together.
As I struggle with my own privilege, I can now understand the injustice done. I can now hear the empty echo of a silent white, privileged church when a community in our midst is suffering. I know there is work to be done.
I do not have all the answers, but I want to understand the issues and ask the hard questions. I want to use my power to bring justice and not division.
The journey can be a struggle - but Jesus calls us forward.
Peace,
Travis
Seems the Holy Spirit strikes all of us at once, and allows the Good News to pour forth in righteous anger.
ReplyDeleteIt is unfortunate that the sacredness of the Gospel can be polluted by fellow children of God who get in the way of what the Creator is trying to teach us and to pour into our hearts. This same Scripture was force fed down the throats of many children of African descent as the excuse to be subservient and submissive in the presence of their oppressors.
Subsequently when we as brothers and sisters in Christ who are of African descent weep and mourn an injustice done to one of our own, and we express ourselves, then suddenly we are in the wrong and are supposed to just take this and never open our mouths. For quite some weary decades and millennia we have been branded and labeled one of many peoples of this earth who apparently have the word "doormat" etched into the very essence of our being.
Perhaps, people are frightened by the truth or will not accept the truth that many of their peers and elders have looked at the Scripture with a narrow lens.
As a woman of African descent, I have no problem with those who struggle with their position of privilege and strive to be in solidarity with others, and to recognize, name it and claim it is powerful! But for those who would rather steep in foolishness and ignorance-as painful as it is, I must continue to pray for them instead of lashing out and mixing my own spirit with those whose spirits are locked in darkness.
Thank you for putting out your journey for all to see, and thank you for being a witness. I hope we can continue this conversation forward. Blessings to you, and your continued ministry.