One of the things that we know for certain about the Lord Jesus is that He taught the way of non-violence. It was one of His key teachings in the Sermon on the Mount. He taught us that if someone strikes us on one cheek, we should turn the other cheek. He taught us to seek the way of peace. When one of the disciples struck someone with a sword in the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus told him to put away the sword. Jesus said that whoever will take up the sword will die by the sword.
The non-violent teachings of Jesus have been an inspiration to many who have taken up non-violent resistance to injustice around the world. The teachings of Jesus helped to inspire the non-violence of the Civil Rights Movement in the United States.
What does all of this have to do with Proverbs? Proverbs 3:31 tells us, "Do not envy a man of violence, and do not choose any of his ways." The King James Version translates this "Envy thou not the oppressor."
Violence begets violence, and it becomes a never ending cycle. War and death just keep perpetuating themselves. As followers of Jesus, we are to seek the ways of peace and justice in order to break the cycle of violence and bring about an end to oppression.
I am sad to say that I see many Christians who do seem to be attracted to the ways of violence. This happens through an attraction to guns, violent entertainment and through warfare. As believers in Jesus, let us seek to emulate the way of the Savior who sought to bring peace and goodness to people's lives and to this world. He went about doing good and helping people. The Scriptures teach us to think on what is lovely, good and pure. The Bible tells us to seek peace and pursue it.
Let each of us seek to follow the example of Jesus and those who followed Him in the way of non-violence. Let us seek to bring change through non-violent means to this world that we might end violence and oppression and bring hope and healing to the world.
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