Unnecessary Violence

Matthew 24:48-51 – “But if that wicked servant says to himself, ‘My master is delayed,’ and begins to beat his fellow servants and eats and drinks with the drunken, the master of that servant will come on a day that he does not expect and at an hour he does not know, and he will punish him and put him with the hypocrites; there people will be wailing and gnashing their teeth.”

Okay, necessary disclaimer. Jesus is not talking about hell here. Punishment of both servants and slaves in those days included whipping, withholding of food, and other awful things. The wailing and gnashing of teeth is to express the distress and pain of the punishment. Or, the consequence. If we displease our bosses, there are consequences. Not only will we probably not get a raise or promotion, we might be fired. But the consequences don’t stop at these punishments. These actions can cascade in our lives and bleed into other areas. That’s true even if others around us or our own minds don’t give us a hard time about our screw up.

These consequences are another example of policy violence. There is no moral imperative to whip a slave for disobedience, just as there is no moral imperative to fire an employee for bad behavior. These are policies. Just so we’re clear, I’m speaking against this type of consequence. Jesus was not; he was merely describing a factual situation of his day in order to underscore the importance of being aware of how we’re serving God/Jesus in Jesus’ absence. Consequences do not need to be violent to change a person’s behavior. In fact, it’s less likely they’ll change if the consequence is violent. This administration’s border policy of separating children from their parents without keeping track of where they get detained is not stopping people from seeking asylum. That’s because what they face in their home country is worse. We do not have to be violent toward these people. Our president and his enablers choose this violence, just as they choose to lie about its necessity.

So, how can we deal with these issues in a non-violent manner? Well, that is the question of the ages. However, it begins with us, with our hearts. If we react in anger to 45’s policies or to the actions of others, we are exhibiting violence. Violence begets violence. Nancy Pelosi struck the right chord during the impeachment vote; especially when she stopped Democrats from celebrating, which would have been a violent act. Not getting violent when someone attacks is difficult, and to be honest, some situations may require a violent response. Yet, for so many of us, violence in the form of ad hominem attacks, creative nicknames, and laughing at people for things they can’t change (like 45’s mind slowly deteriorating) is our first reaction. It makes us feel temporarily good and maybe even powerful.

I have spent the last three years praying for the president; that he have happiness, no suffering, connection with the joy God gives, and peace. I pray this for others too, but in these three years I have really begun to see how unhappy, depressed, and angry Republicans in leadership and elsewhere tend to be. There are exceptions. I’ve had conversations with Republicans who are not rabid about 45. Republican leaders are deeply unhappy and angry. I don’t think it’s just about the world changing in favor of people who aren’t white and male, although that’s part of it. It seems to me to go much deeper. Whoever they’re angry at hurt them. I continue to believe that hurt people hurt people. They know they’re lying about all of it; they know the truth. Their performative anger during the investigation and final vote was all pretend, but their anger and hurt are real. Like Rev. Barber, I feel sorry for them. 

For their victims, too, of course, first and foremost, but we can fight against policy violence and still recognize the humanity of the person behind it. It is not easy, and I don’t claim to have it down. But I think that is something Jesus would want us to do.

B