If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men. But if your enemy is hungry, feed him, and if he is thirsty, give him a drink; for in so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.
– Romans 12:18, 20
In a boxing match or some similar type of combat sport, there are brief periods of what you might call peace. It is relative peace, to be sure. Nevertheless, these brief periods involve no violence toward an opponent. You know, of course, that I am referring to those “between round” moments when each contestant is in his or her corner. We know, though, that such periods do not last. They are only temporary, always followed by another round of aggression. Further, to call them periods of peace would not be completely truthful, for even in the absence of actual violence those periods involve strategizing the downfall of the opponent.
Unfortunately what passes as “peace” in our world is often more akin to what I have just described. Whether country against country or neighbor against neighbor, what we call peace is really each party staying in their respective corner. And if we get right down to it, this could even describe relationships within the church. The functional “corner” in which we stay may be nothing more than one side or the other of the sanctuary where we worship. We maintain peace (or at least think we do) by just staying on our own side of the room. Such strategies may be effective in maintaining decorum, but in God’s economy it is not peace.
Nowhere in the scriptures have I read anything implying that God expects us to control the behavior of another person. The behavior we can control is our own, and reading the Bible leads me to believe God has very high expectations for those who confess Jesus as Lord. Many years ago I was having a conversation with a man about some bad blood that lingered between him and another person. In the midst of explaining the latest encounter between the two, the gentleman quoted Romans 12:18 to me in a clearly self-justifying way, emphasizing the “so far as it depends on you” part of the verse. I had no trouble catching his drift; he wanted me to know that he had done his part to be at peace. Any progress would require initiative from the other party.
I could have been way off base with what my gut was telling me in that moment. He honestly could have been doing everything in his power to make the relationship healthy. What I sensed, though, was a little hedging on his part. To be clear, neither of the people involved have to answer to me, and I hope that God has done a healing work between them. Still, this conversation is one that has stuck with me. It always serves to make me wonder if we as Christians, in our “so far as” it depends on us, actually go “as far as” Jesus would have us go. Rather than pursuing peace with others to the full extent, we often simply retreat to a neutral corner and convince ourselves that we have exhausted our responsibility.
Jesus had a habit of raising expectations beyond normal standards. Consider again what Jesus said as recorded in Matthew 5:40-41. “If someone wants to take your shirt, give him your coat also. Whoever forces you to go one mile, go with him two.” In each of those examples, the first part is forced upon us, but the second is voluntary. The “second mile” is an act of our will out of obedience to Jesus. The other party doesn’t deserve it. Culture doesn’t expect it. It is Jesus who holds the bar higher. The same sentiment is echoed by Paul in Romans 12:20, as he says to feed a hungry enemy, and give a drink to one who is thirsty. The phrase about “heaping burning coals” is a quote from Proverbs 25. It is a curious expression for the modern reader, and while I can’t tell you with assurance how the phrase came about originally, it is obvious that it has nothing to do with a backhanded kind of revenge. Instead it is about offering an enemy unexpected kindness that carries the potential for healing.
The New American Standard translation of Romans 12:9 says that love should be “without hypocrisy.” In other words, it should be genuine, not fake, not superficial, not a pretend reality that fools the onlooker. Peace should be the same way. I know it is a tall order, but think about how powerful that could be in a world like we have today. Getting there will require followers of Jesus to do “second mile” peacemaking. I have a feeling, though, that is where the real peace will be built. And after all, second mile peacemaking really is the “so far as it depends on you” expectation that Jesus has for us.
See you along the Winding Path.
