Then stepping forward they laid hands on Jesus and arrested him. And behold, one of those who accompanied Jesus put his hand to his sword, drew it, and struck the high priest's servant, cutting off his ear. Then Jesus said to him, "Put your sword back into its sheath, for all who take the sword will perish by the sword. Do you think that I cannot call upon my Father and he will not provide me at this moment with more than twelve legions of angels?"

The problem with the Christian understanding of the "just war doctrine," as the problem with anything written in law, is the manner it is interpreted. A case in point is how the doctrine is construed by a nation about to go to war. A civilized nation will justify every act of war, whether it fits a definition or not. But the war of the fictitious nation of Rohan in the movie "The Lord of the Rings--The Two Towers" is a very good example of a just war. Theoden and Aragorn have done everything in their power to avoid war, even to the point of postponing any aggression that seemed justified. Now, they rightly reason, they must go to war, even if it means that people will die.

Even as a nation is involved in what it considers to be a just war, Jesus' words challenge us: "Put your sword back into its sheath, for all who take the sword will perish by the sword." In every sense of the word, they were "enemies" who were arresting Jesus on that fateful night that led to Jesus' crucifixion. It was surely the work of justice to fight back. After all, Jesus was completely innocent; there was no law that could justify what Jesus' enemies were doing. It was indeed a "just war" that was taking place in that skirmish in the Garden of Gethsemane.

But Jesus' words stand out: "Put your sword back into its sheath." And he points out that if he wanted to go the "war" route, he could win easily. In effect, he was saying to us, "Yes, they may be enemies, but we must still love them, and you do not love enemies by killing them." Jesus' actions and words may be the most difficult actions and words to carry out in our modern world, a world that is too often occupied with righteous revenge, justifiable anger, unpardonable terrorism, and unprovoked hatred. In fact, it may be true that at times we cannot act on Jesus' words and actions, given the extreme nature of certain modern situations.

But, as demanding as they are, if we are to be Christian in our outlook, we must bring Jesus' thoughts into our own little worlds. The Christian must view "enemies" in whatever form they come, with love. The Christian stance is always to "put the sword back in its sheath." We must love the person who does not agree with us, the person who ignores us or constantly puts us down, the bully next door, the disagreeable teacher, the ranting parent, the gossiping ex-friend--all "enemies" in one way or another. Loved. Not just tolerated, but loved. The Christian message of love extends to everyone and every situation.

Love must be the guide for the Christian, whether it is an international war incident or a simple disagreement with a next-door neighbor. Love should guide the believer's every action.                   

THOUGHT
 
PRAYER

Good and gracious God, your Son gave us the difficult teaching to love our enemies, to love people who do not like us and even hate us. Help us understand this challenging doctrine, and to put it into practice as well as we are able. Be with us, we pray.

Questions, comments? Let me know. Email Fr. Mike

©2007 Capuchin Province of Mid-America
Fr. Mike Scully is a member of the Capuchin Province of Mid-America