I recently watched again the film about the life of Gandhi. It always leaves me with questions - about myself and the way I think and live and also about Christianity and my own nation's history.
One of his well-known sayings is ‘An eye for an eye only makes the whole world blind.' We often quote this verse about an eye for an eye, sometimes erroneously justifying our stance against something, but really as Christians this is Old Testament teaching and Jesus continued to say ... ... 'but I say unto you - do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also ... ... ‘Gandhi even quotes this verse to his followers insisting that they should oppose but without violence or retaliation. Another quote of his is 'When I despair, I remember that all through history, the way of truth and love has always won. There have been tyrants and murderers and for a time they can seem invincible but in the end they always fall.'
For me, he lived like Jesus, obeying His commands. Yet he was a Hindu. When I think of how the British hierarchy in India at that time massacred defenseless Indians because they were opposing unjust laws, demanding that they pay rent to their landlord (the British) when they had no money to pay because British cloth had flooded the market wiping out the local trade, and compare those acts of imposing sovereignty to Gandhi’s response, I can't help wondering who God would look upon as Christian and following Jesus's teaching. Most people are brought up in the religious tradition of their ancestors and much of our religious leanings are therefore family and nationally orientated. But God looks on the heart. After all the whole world is His.
2 comments:
Don't often quote verses but I think these apply
Matthew 25
41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42 For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’
44 “They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’
45 “He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’
I think there will be a few surprises on judgement day
You're spot on Joanna. And I think you're right about Judgment Day.
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