Resist Not Evil: Reflections on the Gospel Law

Resist Not Evil: Reflections on the Gospel Law

“But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on the right cheek, turn to him the other also…”

But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil; but that ye shall be more willing to suffer evil than the wicked are to do evil.”  (Mt. 5:39-48)

St. Silouan of Mt. Athos:  "He who does not love his enemies, does not have God’s grace"   "When you will love your enemies, know that a great divine grace will be living in you."

This part of the Gospel Law regulates the conduct of Christians towards non-Christians and those wickedly disposed. When faced with ill-treatment and brutality, a true Christian must not resist the perpetrator, and not return to him evil for evil, lest the Christian become an imitator and partaker of his antagonist’s malevolent nature. Instead, the Christian must show a great deal more willingness to suffer evil than the evil man has willingness to inflict evil. According to the Fathers, this is the defining characteristic of the genuine Christian. Such goodness overcomes wickedness and converts evil men into good men by attracting them to the saving faith of Christ. Christ was the first to oppose such goodness to evil; such goodness was shown also by the Apostles and the early Christians to their persecutors. Through such selfless love, Christians overcame a hostile Judaism and the brutality and idolatry of the pagan Greco-Roman world. 

This is a very hard teaching, but it is worth contemplating the reasons why the Lord applies this law to Christians.  

In the first place, to strike back at a man who has struck you, or to do wrong in response to a wrong suffered, is to imitate the evil one and to make oneself like him; it is inconsistent with the Christian way of life to imitate the ways of the wicked and their deceits and pursuits; we are supposed to imitate only the New Adam, our Savior, the Lord Christ, the perfect Man and Son of God.  

Second, a Christian, sealed and protected by the Holy Spirit, is conscious of the fact that he has passed out of death into life, that his well-being is in God, and that no mistreatment can take away the peace and love that abide in him. What is the use then of resisting? Of course, we may endure  physical suffering and material loss but the Christian scorns the acts of the wicked as things that are unable to destroy the spiritual qualities of the soul. On the contrary, they serve only to strengthen those virtues and make them more apparent to all. By not hitting back when struck, and even offering oneself to be struck, a Christian always demonstrates that he is temperate and restrained and, because he trusts in his God, he is indomitable in the face of cruelty inflicted by the wicked. At the same time, this virtue exposes the weakness and naked depravity of the wicked. To not evade the cruelty inflicted by the wicked is to tell them that they are unable to hurt you. In order, therefore, to expose the weakness of the wicked and to glorify the power of God, the Lord commanded Christians not to resist evil, calling on them to have courage and be steadfast and patient.

A third reason for this commandment arises from how we view our antagonist.  He too, despite his hatred and malevolence, still retains the image of God. Most of the time, in his cruelty or hatred, he is an unconscious instrument of Satan and, if only he knew the truth, would surely be a better Christian than ourself. He is a captive to sin and Satan and the appropriate response on our part is love. The desert fathers urge us to bear such injustice or hostility patiently and generously, always trying to discern God’s will. Indeed, such suffering may be viewed as a gift, for it teaches us virtue and tests our faith. The perpetrator of cruelty and persecution in this deeper sense may be considered our benefactor.

A fourth way to understand this law is the fact that God is the righteous judge and He alone may render to every man according to his works. “Vengeance belongeth unto me. I will recompense, saith the Lord.” A Christian ought not therefore to take revenge for himself and arrogate to himself the justice of God, but, instead, to give to whomsoever demands, because he has God for his protector and helper. A Christian is conscious of the fact that whatever he possesses is from God, and that he will again receive from God a hundredfold of whatever he may give for the sake of God’s commandment. In addition, this law teaches us not to live for money but to trust in God and to always show generosity and selfless love. Those who offer such goodness to those that maltreat them are judged worthy soldiers of Christ, winning the spiritual battle and being crowned in heaven by righteous God.

Now, just as one requires nutritious food to do physical work, so too without the divine food, the practice of the Gospel Law is impossible. Christian life offers as work the execution of the Father’s will contained in the Gospel law, and for food the Holy Church offers the Body and Blood of the Son for the spiritual strengthening of him that follows the commandments and wishes to fulfill all righteousness. The perfect righteousness and morality dictated by the Gospel are so bound up with the mystery of the Eucharist that without the latter no one can fulfill the former. One can only love one’s enemies through the Grace of the Holy Spirit; the Spirit of God gives man the capacity and the strength to love his enemies. The saints bear witness that living according to the Gospel Law is quite possible and even easy for one who regularly partakes of the life-bearing Body and Blood of Christ with faith and love. But it would be absurd to expect Gospel righteousness and morality of men who partake of the Mysteries but once a year, and then only out of habit, without thought and proper preparation.  

However, it is important that Christians not offer one another this same goodness in return for being wronged but rather apply strictly the Gospel Law by which the conduct of every Christian is regulated as concerning brothers and sisters in Christ. The Gospel law of Christ regulating the conduct of Christians toward one another is entirely different from the law regulating the conduct of Christians toward those without the Christian faith and brotherhood. “If thy brother sin against thee, go, show him his fault between thee and him alone; if he hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother. But if he hear thee not, take with thee one or two more, that at the mouth of two witnesses  or three every word may be established: and if he refuse to hear them, tell it  unto the church; and if he refuse to hear the church also, let him be unto thee as the Gentile and the publican.” (Mt.18:15-17). Every Christian, when wronged by a brother in Christ, should lovingly reprove that brother in order to save him from being comfortable in his sin and spiritually lost. The law of love among the brethren compels such admonition to help move the sinful brother to awareness of his sin and repentance.  “And let him [the righteous] rebuke me; it shall be as excellent oil; let my head not refuse it (Ps.141:5).  “Rebuke a wise man and he will love thee” (Prov.9:8).  Of course, such rebuke must be expressed with humility and compassion. Now, by “brother” we understand a Christian imbued with the Spirit of Christ and living according to Christ’s commandments. They are disciples of Christ regenerated by water and Spirit, brethren born of God, loving one another just as they were beloved by God. As a consequence, if anyone in ignorance  were to apply the Gospel Law contrary to its nature and object, chaos would ensue. In other words, if one should attempt to apply to Christians the laws of goodness that are directed towards the wicked, or, instead, apply to the wicked  the laws of goodness governing brethren in Christ, the good order of the church would be disrupted and the witness to the non-Christians undermined.

Christian life according to the Gospel Law, including these hardest teachings, is nothing else than doing God's will on earth. Such a life demands struggle. For a man to acquire these virtues a whole lifetime is required in the communion of love that is the Church. The Gospel Law is the only remedy by which the soul can be freed from diseases. By means of the Gospel Law, our intellect is enlightened, the heart receives love and the will is constantly engaged in the doing of good. The Gospel Law nourished by the sacramental and ascetic life of the Church is the power by which man can be sanctified and perfected.