Member-only story
Would Jesus Send Weapons to Ukraine?
Reflections on the Sermon on the Mount
Would Jesus send weapons to Ukraine?
It’s a question that never crossed my mind — until now.
Sending weapons to Ukraine seemed like the obvious at first. Vladimir Putin could not be allowed to invade a neighboring country without opposition. Otherwise, Ukraine could become merely the first of several conquests in Eastern Europe. Other dictators would heed the lesson and launch their own invasions with mass casualties and reverberations throughout the global economy.
Reading Dan Foster’s discussion of Jesus and “Empire,” I began to wonder: would Jesus send weapons to Ukraine?
Jesus, after all, taught his followers to turn the other cheek. He refused to stone the adulterous woman. He preached and practiced non-violence, even to the point of willingly submitting to torture and crucifixion for crimes he did not commit. What would Jesus do if he were President? Would he help Ukrainian soldiers kill Russian soldiers, even in defense of their homeland?
Another of Dan’s essays comes to mind. If God happens to agree with you, he suggests, then it’s possible that you’ve created a God in your image. I’m aware that I may be creating God, but I believe Jesus would arm Ukraine’s military, share…
