Responding to attacks

Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. – Romans 12.14

Even in the most friendly and understanding culture eventually God’s children are going to face opposition. Those of us who are fortunate enough to live in the west have not had much real persecution in a long time. I have never seen it. Sure, I have been mocked and laughed at and made fun of, but I have seen nothing to resemble real persecution.

However we do see those little things, and one day we will see more. I know from experience that my gut response is to rise up and respond in like manner when someone abuses us, even verbally.

But what does God say?

As hard as it sounds God makes it clear – ‘bless those who persecute you, bless and do not curse.’

I don’t know about you, but that goes against anything I might think of when responding to being attacked.

When I read this verse my mind is drawn back to the story of Uncle Tom’s Cabin. Tom was a slave who had several masters. One was kind, one was ambivalent, and one was vicious. The vicious owner was a man named Simon Legree. Legree hated Tom and he hated Tom’s faith in Christ. There are several interchanges between Tom and Legree when Tom shows the Christian way to respond to persecution.

The following gives us a clear example of how we ought to respond. It challenges my heart every time I read it. Please be forewarned that I am quoting directly from the book and there is an occasion of a now offensive word.

[Tom]…then drew his worn Bible from his pocket. There were all the marked passages, which had thrilled his soul so often,--words of patriarchs and seers, poets and sages, who from early time had spoken courage to man,--voices from the great cloud of witnesses who ever surround us in the race of life. Had the word lost its power, or could the failing eye and weary sense no longer answer to the touch of that mighty inspiration? Heavily sighing, he put it in his pocket. A coarse laugh roused him; he looked up,--Legree was standing opposite to him. "Well, old boy," he said, "you find your religion don't work, it seems! I thought I should get that through your wool, at last!" The cruel taunt was more than hunger and cold and nakedness. Tom was silent. "You were a fool," said Legree; "for I meant to do well by you, when I bought you. You might have been better off than Sambo, or Quimbo either, and had easy times; and, instead of getting cut up and thrashed, every day or two, ye might have had liberty to lord it round, and cut up the other niggers; and ye might have had, now and then, a good warming of whiskey punch. Come, Tom, don't you think you'd better be reasonable?--heave that ar old pack of trash in the fire, and join my church!" "The Lord forbid!" said Tom, fervently. "You see the Lord an't going to help you; if he had been, he wouldn't have let me get you! This yer religion is all a mess of lying trumpery, Tom. I know all about it. Ye'd better hold to me; I'm somebody, and can do something!" "No, Mas'r," said Tom; "I'll hold on. The Lord may help me, or not help; but I'll hold to him, and believe him to the last!"

As a result of Tom’s witness two of the slaves, Quimbo and Sambo, who had been guilty of beating Tom nearly to death at Legree’s instruction saw the reality of Christ.

"O, Tom!" said Quimbo, "we's been awful wicked to ye!" "I forgive ye, with all my heart!" said Tom, faintly. "O, Tom! do tell us who is Jesus, anyhow?" said Sambo;--"Jesus, that's been a standin' by you so, all this night!--Who is he?" The word roused the failing, fainting spirit. He poured forth a few energetic sentences of that wondrous One,--his life, his death, his everlasting presence, and power to save. They wept,--both the two savage men. "Why didn't I never hear this before?" said Sambo; "but I do believe!--I can't help it! Lord Jesus, have mercy on us!" "Poor critters!" said Tom, "I'd be willing to bar' all I have, if it'll only bring ye to Christ! O, Lord! give me these two more souls, I pray!" That prayer was answered!

Look at the very last line. Tom said that everything he has been through would be worth it if only Quimbo and Sambo were saved – and they were.