- Following Jesus Explained
- Posts
- š Killing for Jesus, is it justified?
š Killing for Jesus, is it justified?
Was there a biblical basis for the Crusades?
Our goal at Theophilus is to make Jesusā teaching accessible and relevant for all in the 21st century. Do you want to join that mission? Share the Theophilus Newsletter on social media or with friends and family and help others dive deeper into what it means to follow Jesus.
Ps. To share on Whatsapp, copy and paste this link: https://theophilus.beehiiv.com/
Killing for Jesus, is it justified?
The Crusades are a famously divisive and controversial topic.
I am, however, confident that many of us agree that violence isnāt ideal.
But is it ever justified?
I wonāt pretend for a second that I have an all-satisfying answer to that question. But hereās what I do have: a few helpful quotes from Jesus.
Jesus and Violence
Hereās what Jesus has to say on violenceā¦
āYou have heard that it was said, āAn eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.ā But I say to you, Do not resist an evildoer. But if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also;ā
Andā¦
āYou have heard that it was said, āYou shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.ā But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute youā¦ā
Then laterā¦
Then Jesus said to [Peter], āPut your sword back into its place; for all who take the sword will perish by the sword. Do you think that I cannot appeal to my Father, and he will at once send me more than twelve legions of angels? But how then would the scripture be fulfilled, which says it must happen this way?ā
Christ conquered with compassion.
Jesus did not take the path of violence.
Yes, He flips a table but thatās different than killing another human. Yes, there are violent passages about God in the Old Testament but the New Testament is clear that itās the example of Jesus we are to follow (Matthew 16v24; Mark 8v34; Luke 9v23).
So, based on the above verses, it would seem that Jesus wouldnāt condone the violence of the Crusades.
Violence in the Crusades
The Crusades were a blatant contradiction of these verses from Jesus, plain and simple.
Even if you believe in just war, itās hard to justify the slaughter of civilians, senseless destruction of land, and abuse of women that occurred in these campaigns.
The violence of war is a distortion of the goodness of creation.
Jesus isnāt calling us to be pushovers. Heās calling us to find a creative third way to resist evil with love. Heās calling us to creatively repurpose opposition into opportunities to display His grace and gentleness.
Remember that Jesus had all the might in existence and what did He do with it?
He endured death and repurposed it for life.
We cannot, therefore, look at the Crusades as a truly Christ-centric endeavor. The āChristianityā of the Crusades is a cultural one, a political one, one that is more concerned with the preservation of an institutionās authority than with freeing humanity from sin.
Weāll explore that more tomorrow.
For now, be blessed.
Jon,
Theophilus Newsletter
Enjoyed Todayās Newsletter?
Consider sharing on social media, or with friends and family! Just copy and paste this link: https://theophilus.beehiiv.com/