In my reading lately three words have recurred repeatedly: retribution, reconciliation, and reparations. Perhaps these are not the 3 Rs you remember from elementary school, but they are worthy of consideration as we seek to be faithful disciples in a fractured and fractious world. Retribution has to do with getting even for a wrong done; its roots are in that Old Testament verse that sanctions “an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.” It is the source of much pain and suffering! In the Middle East, retribution continues to perpetuate conflict and violence across generations. Most recently, the terrorist attack by Hamas on innocent Israelis gave rise to retribution by the Israeli government that far exceeded the scope of the original attack, with over 40,000 Palestinian deaths including thousands of children. Homes and neighborhoods have been leveled; hospitals have been bombed, and hundreds of thousands of Palestinians have been displaced. Just as Hamas should be distinguished from the Palestinians (most are not Hamas), so the Israeli government should be distinguished from all Israelis as there are significant voices in Israel condemning the government’s actions. The Israeli government has justified this violent retribution on the basis of Hamas’ attack and a need to exterminate Hamas. Lost on them is that in seeking retribution, they are sowing the seeds of future violence among yet another generation of Palestinians who have been violently displaced and bombed and may seek their own violent retribution in the future. Jesus offers an alternative to retribution – reconciliation. He rejects the “eye for an eye and tooth for a tooth” mentality in favor of forgiveness and turning the other cheek. In our modern world, many reject that approach as overly idealistic and unrealistic, but Jesus seems to think it is faithful to who God calls us to be. Reconciliation seeks to break the cycles of violence and hate that are so much a part of retribution. It begins with recognizing our common humanity and seeks common ground upon which to build relationships. God calls us to that reconciling work, but it is hard work! Reparations acknowledge that sometimes it is not enough to simply say, “I’m sorry.” Sometimes more is needed to right the wrongs of the past. We are much better at recognizing that need when we are the ones wronged than when we are those who have done the wrong. And determining what reparations are appropriate is often difficult. Currently there is debate about what reparations might be appropriate for the wrongs done to Black and indigenous peoples in our nation across the years. The stain of slavery, discrimination, and racism are not only sins of our past, but have placed subsequent generations at an economic and social disadvantage as compared to those who benefited from racist structures. What was done was wrong! But figuring out what should be done to right the wrong is hard! Where then does that leave us? Hope-fully with a rejection of retribution, an embrace of reconciliation, and a willingness to consider what reparations might be appropriate to take a step to righting the wrongs done. All of this is hard work, but Jesus never said following would be easy. He told us it would be hard. Are you up for that hard work as a disciple of the One who did the hard work of reconciling us to God – even when it led him to the cross?
— John Peterson
