
“Dreams, by definition, are supposed to be unique and imaginative. Yet the bulk of the population is dreaming the same dream. It’s a dream of wealth, power, fame, plenty of sex and exciting recreational opportunities. What does it mean when a whole culture dreams the same dreams?” (Kalle Lasen)
In Matthew 5:38-41, Jesus inspires his listeners to face into the empire (anti-kingdom) that they find themselves in and to dream up new ways to overcome evil with good.
Turn
By turning the cheek, the ‘inferior’ is saying: “I’m a human being just like you. I refuse to be humiliated any longer. I am your equal. I am a child of God. I won’t take it anymore.” The system then loses its power to make people submit. And when large numbers begin behaving this way (Jesus was addressing a crowd), you have a social revolution on your hands.
Strip
Jesus is not advising people to add to their disadvantage by renouncing justice altogether, he is telling impoverished debtors who have nothing left but the clothes on their backs, to use the system against itself. In addition, this unmasking is not is not simply punitive, since it offers the creditor a chance to see (perhaps for the first time in his life) what his practices cause, and to repent.
Walk
Here the oppressed can recover the initiative and assert their human dignity in a situation that cannot for the time being be changed. Carrying the pack longer than allowed creates a host of problems for the empire.
Die
In one final, swooping strike, Jesus uses the cross (a tool used to intimidate and dominate) against itself. In his exemplary death, he turns the system of the empire on its head and ushers in the ultimate reversal of power.
“…not only is the kingdom of God the overarching theme of Jesus’ prophetic declaration of judgment against Roman rulers and their clients in Jerusalem, but that judgmental face of the kingdom had a constructive counterpart of deliverance, empowerment, and renewal for the people.” (Richard Horsley)
“What Jesus was to Israel, the church must now be for the world. Everything we discover about what Jesus did and said within the Judaism of his day must be thought through in terms of what it would look like for the church to do and be this for the world. If we are to shape our world, and perhaps even to implement the redemption of our world, this is how it is to be done.”
(NT Wright)
Note to Curator: You’ll need to fashion a bleeding crown out of barbed wire, makeshift wire baskets and ice dyed red. The white cloth below will become a ‘bloody mess’ as the service plays out. To enhance the experience, invite participants to press their thumbs against a red ink pad, then onto the white cloth, thus symbolizing a giving up of their identity and a taking up of Christ’s as they partake in the elements.

