Christianity calls on its followers to exhibit unnatural emotions and feelings
Christianity calls on its followers to exhibit unnatural emotions and feelings such as love for their enemies. This is contrary to the Torah as well as human nature.
Could it be that what you call “unnatural emotions and feelings” are actually lower, more base human attitudes, while the ethical behavior that Jesus requires from his followers actually reflects higher, loftier, spiritual attitudes? Maybe not everything that is “natural” is good and not everything that is “unnatural” is bad. Could it be that the Messiah calls us to a higher and better life? Could it be that through his gracious help he enables us to put to death our earthly, carnal tendencies and more fully reflect the divine image in which we were created? I would suggest to you that this represents a decided step up for the human race, a fruit of the Messiah’s work on our behalf.
Traditional Judaism teaches that there are two tendencies (or inclinations) in man, the yetser haraʿ (the evil inclination) and the yetser hatov (the good inclination). The godly man must sublimate the evil inclination and cultivate the good inclination. The question is, Which inclination is “natural”? Is it natural to lose one’s temper, or is it natural to have a long fuse? Is it natural for a young man to have immoral fantasies, or is it natural for him to be pure and self-controlled? Which kind of behavior is natural? And if our very nature is corrupt, should we be content with doing that which comes naturally, or should we cry out to God for help and do that which comes supernaturally?
The New Testament speaks of the outward self and the inward self, the flesh and the spirit, acknowledging the decided human tendency to do evil and to give in to carnal desires. At the same time it promises transformation through faith in Jesus the Messiah. In light of that promise, Jesus called on his followers to say no to the sinful desires of the flesh and to cultivate the holy ways of the Spirit. That’s what he meant when he said that we must “deny ourselves” (for other aspects of this, see immediately above, 3.25).
Therefore, when the self wants to hold a grudge, or take revenge, or satisfy a lust, or get puffed up with pride, or be contentious, or lash out in anger, or rail against God, Jesus calls us to deny that “self”—even if it feels unnatural at first. The wonderful reality is that with discipline, denying our sinful desires and taking the higher, spiritual road can become natural.
“But doesn’t the Hebrew Bible teach us to take vengeance on our enemies? How can Jesus tell us that we must forgive them? It’s not natural, and it’s not right to do this.”
May I answer your question with a few questions of my own? Isn’t it better to forgive one’s enemies than it is to harbor hatred toward them? Isn’t it better to overcome evil with good than it is to fight evil with evil or, worse still, to be overcome by evil?
“But what about the Scriptures? You didn’t address the point that what Jesus taught and what the Torah taught are two, distinctly different things.”
Let’s take a look at Scripture, examining in particular the question of taking vengeance on our enemies. It is true that God sometimes called the nation of Israel to inflict just punishments on their enemies. So, for example, he instructed them never to forget what the Amalekites did to them after their liberation from Egypt, expressly commanding them, “When the Lord your God gives you rest from all the enemies around you in the land he is giving you to possess as an inheritance, you shall blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven.
Do not forget!” (Deut. 25:19; note also Numbers 31). But would anyone take this as a personal directive today? Would anyone say, “Because God commanded the Israelites to kill all the Canaanites—men, women, children, and livestock—he must be commanding me to kill all the irreligious in my community”? Hardly!
On the contrary, throughout Scripture, God instructed his people to act kindly to their enemies, not to carry a grudge against them, and to leave vengeance to him. In the Torah it is written:
If you come across your enemy’s ox or donkey wandering off, be sure to take it back to him. If you see the donkey of someone who hates you fallen down under its load, do not leave it there; be sure you help him with it.
Exodus 23:4–5
Do not hate your brother in your heart. Rebuke your neighbor frankly so you will not share in his guilt. Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against one of your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the Lord.
Leviticus 19:17–18
It is mine to avenge [says God]; I will repay.
In due time their foot will slip;
their day of disaster is near
and their doom rushes upon them.
Deuteronomy 32:35
In similar fashion, Proverbs clearly teaches it is wrong to hold vengeful and hateful attitudes toward our enemies, giving these clear directives: “If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat; if he is thirsty, give him water to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head, and the Lord will reward you” (Prov. 25:21–22).446 In fact, even if God is actually judging our enemies, Proverbs warns us not to gloat or rejoice over this: “Do not gloat when your enemy falls; when he stumbles, do not let your heart rejoice, or the Lord will see and disapprove and turn his wrath away from him” (Prov. 24:17–18). It was the ungodly who acted with hate and vengeance, while the godly repaid evil with good. As the psalmist wrote:
Ruthless witnesses come forward;
they question me on things I know nothing about.
They repay me evil for good
and leave my soul forlorn.
Yet when they were ill, I put on sackcloth
and humbled myself with fasting.
When my prayers returned to me unanswered,
I went about mourning
as though for my friend or brother.
I bowed my head in grief
as though weeping for my mother.
But when I stumbled, they gathered in glee;
attackers gathered against me when I was unaware.
They slandered me without ceasing.
Like the ungodly they maliciously mocked;
they gnashed their teeth at me.
Psalm 35:11–16
Interestingly, when Paul wanted to make a strong ethical point in his teachings, as a Jew well-versed in the Hebrew Bible he drew on some of the very texts we just quoted:
Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord. On the contrary: “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
Romans 12:17–21, quoting Deuteronomy 32:35; Proverbs 25:21–22
Do you disagree with these words? Don’t they simply call us to take the higher road—or, really, the highest road? Think for a moment about Yeshua being nailed to the cross. Would you have more admiration for him if he cursed his crucifiers in the harshest possible terms, damning them to eternal torments and wishing evil on their descendants, or would you find him to be more admirable if he said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing” (Luke 23:34)? It would certainly be “natural” for an innocent man being crucified to lash out in anger at those nailing him to the cross, bitterly denouncing those who wrongly accused him as well.
But how supernatural—and beautiful—it is to forgive those very people. That’s exactly what Jesus did, and that’s exactly what he calls us to do: “But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you” (Luke 6:27–28). While we were yet sinners the Messiah died for us (Rom. 5:6), and it is this unconditional love that sets the pattern for our behavior: “Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you” (Col. 3:13; see also Matt. 18:21–35).
I would submit to you that the New Testament simply calls on believers to take the high ground in disputes and conflicts, and in doing so it builds on the teachings and examples found in the Tanakh. And while the lofty ideals of Jesus the Messiah can be quite challenging for us human beings, with his help we can live them out. Those of us who have taken Yeshua at his word have found that his way is best, bringing release from wrong, destructive attitudes and fostering holy, pure attitudes that are in keeping with God’s heavenly kingdom and that will find their full expression there.
Of course, if we were God we would have a perfect sense of right and wrong, never losing our tempers and never having a bad attitude. Our anger would be perfect, our sense of justice unerring, our actions toward our enemies completely upright. The fact is, however, we are not God; consequently, our attitudes and actions are often tainted and polluted.
So let’s leave vengeance and personal retribution to the Lord, concentrating instead on perfecting the qualities of mercy, compassion, kindness, and goodness.447 How thrilling it is when these become second nature to us. How thrilling it is to take the high road, even if it means taking the low road in the eyes of man (see, e.g., 1 Cor. 6:1–7). If we have God’s approval, that’s all we need.
446 For discussion of this verse, sec the Romans commentaries of C. B. Cranfield; James D. G. Dunn; Douglas J. Moo; and Thomas Schreiner.
447 For an insightful discussion of verses in the Hebrew Bible such as Psalm 137:8–9, “Daughter of Babylon, doomed to destruction, happy is he who repays you for what you have done to us—[happy is] he who seizes your infants and dashes them against the rocks,” and Psalm 139:21–22, “Do I not hate those who hate you, O Lord, and abhor those who rise up against you? I have nothing but hatred for them; I count them my enemies,” see VanGemeren, “Psalms,” 830–32 (Appendix: Imprecations in the Psalms). He notes that “the Old and New Testaments hold in tension the requirement of love and the hatred of evil,” also pointing out that “we must appreciate the cry of the martyrs in heaven, as they pray for God’s vindication (Rev. 6:10) and rejoice in the judgment of the wicked ([Ps.] 18:20; 19:1–6).” However, he writes, “indiscriminate hatred is wrong. The psalmists wrote under the inspiration of God regarding the nature of evil. They were intoxicated with God’s character and name (9:16–20; 83:16–17) and were concerned with the manifestation of God’s righteousness and holiness on earth. Since evil contrasts in every way with God’s nature and plan, the psalmists prayed for divine retribution, by which God’s order would be reestablished (109:6–21) and God’s people would be reassured of his love (109:21, 26).” On a practical level, VanGemeren states that “for the Christian it is most important to uproot any selfish passions, judgmentalism, and personal vindictiveness, because those who practice these come under the judgment of God (Gal 5:15; James 4:13–16). These psalms help us to pray through our anger, frustrations, and spite to a submission to God’s will. Only then will the godly man or woman be able to pray for the execration of evil and the full establishment of God’s kingdom.”
Brown, M. L. (2000). Answering Jewish objections to Jesus, Volume 2: Theological objections (248). Grand Rapids, Mich.: Baker Books.
