CHRISTIANITY AND WAR 137 



Our Lord goes on further to exemplify His meaning 

 in order that no one could possibly misunderstand Him 

 unless wilfully. ** But whoseover shall smite Thee on 

 the one cheek turn to him the other also/' That then is 

 what our Lord meant by non-resistance of evil. 



Then, again, a little later on in the same sermon : 

 ** Ye have heard that it hath been said, thou shalt love 

 thy neighbour and hate thine enemy/' Here, again, 

 we see revealed, the ethical standard of that day. Again 

 we must remember, if we are rightly to understand our 

 Lord's argument, that it was a higher ethical standard 

 than that of more primitive times, when every man's 

 hand was against every man. But perhaps it was not 

 such a long step forward as might at first appear. It 

 simply meant that a man was to love those of his own 

 tribe and his own religion. It was our Lord's parable 

 of the Good Samaritan which extended the meaning of 

 the word '' neighbour," until it has come to mean anyone 

 to whom we can be of service, or to whom we can do a 

 kindly deed. ** Ye have heard that it hath been said, 

 * Thou shalt love thy neighbour and hate thine enemy.' 

 But I say unto you," and here comes in the fulfilment, or 

 completion, ** love your enemies, bless them that curse 

 you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them 

 that despitefully use you and persecute you." 



And then our Lord goes on to give a most striking 

 reason why we should love our enemies : '' That ye 

 may be the children of your Father which is in Heaven, 

 for He maketh His sun to rise upon the evil and upon the 

 good, and sendeth rain upon the just and upon the 

 unjust." And if God, our Heavenly Father, thus showers 

 His beneficence upon friend and enemy alike, who are 

 we, forsooth, that we should be so much more dis- 

 criminating ? Moreover, He adds, '' If ye salute your 

 brethren only, what do ye more than others ? Do not 

 even the publicans so ? " And finally, in conclusion. 



