Shownotes
This week, Pastor Dennis Allan focuses on what it means for Jesus' people to be t non-violent people who tell the truth. In Matthew 5:33-37 Jesus outlines why His people shouldn't make "oaths," but instead simply allow their "yes" to mean "yes" and their "no" to mean "no." Citizens of the Kingdom should be truth-tellers, people who can be counted on in their families, workplaces, relationships, and neighborhoods. Then, in v. 38-42 Jesus interrogates the prevalent idea that His people should participate in retaliatory violence. Jesus' answer is a profound, "No." When we're hurt or harmed, while it might look and feel foolish, we're not to retaliate. We don't meet evil with more evil. Instead, we're to be peacemakers who lay bare evil, injustice, and brutality through a radical form of non-retaliation. And, as we practice bring non-violent truth tellers, we bear witness to a different way of living and a different kind of Kingdom.