Commentary on the Gospel of
Mirroring the Father
An eye for an eye and caring for only one’s own people were accepted principles in the then Near Eastern jurisprudence. But, this is a justice that does not heal; it only multiplies the injury and alienates the other. As Mahatma Gandhi observed (as attributed to him), “an eye for an eye makes the world go blind.” It does not redeem; it does not enhance. It only makes us reactive, lowering us to the level of the offender, making us mirror images of each other. As Anthony Storr has noted, nothing resembles an angry cat or a human being so much as another angry cat or human being! What Jesus offers us is a way out of this cycle of violence: transcend the levels of the offender, widen the circle of inclusion, raising ourselves unto the image of the Father who sends light and rain to the good and the bad without discrimination. And, in our mirroring the Father, we may invite the offender to imitate us as well.
