Matt Richards
Then they came up and laid hands on Jesus and seized him. And behold, one of those who were with Jesus stretched out his hand and drew his sword and struck the servant of the high priest and cut off his ear. Then Jesus said to him, “Put your sword back into its place. For all who take the sword will perish by the sword.
Violence is not the answer. Jesus was betrayed here by one of his own. A large crowd came to arrest Jesus 'a great crowd with swords and clubs'. The Message says they 'roughed Jesus up.' In response to their violence, Peter took out his sword and went to defend Jesus and cut off the ear of one of the chief priest's 'police.' Jesus told him to put his sword away and went onto heal the very person that was attacking him. Jesus said, if you take the sword you will perish by the sword. Jesus said, we are called to be different. Some of my personal heroes have embraced a different way. Martin Luther King and Corrie ten Boom are two of them. Corrie ten Boom locked in a concentration camp for her skin colour witnessed many, many hideous racist things to include her sister being murdered. But she did not respond with a sword. She responded with forgiveness. She, like Jesus later went to heal the wounds of those very guards those persecutors bringing forgiveness and reconciliation. Violence is not the answer..forgiveness is the key. Prayer:
Father help me to be different. Help me not to respond to violence with violence. Help me to forgive and bring reconciliation and healing to this world in Jesus' name Amen.
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