Whatever happened to "the meek shall inherit the earth"?: Part 3: Rape--3

So I left off wondering about whether or not we feel great now that Amnon has been killed. He didn't kill Tamar, but he took her life from her. She'd never marry, she'd never have children, she'd be shunned and live in confinement for the rest of her life.

Nowadays, women who get raped have it much "easier" than they did back then. Though there is trauma and pain and horrid memories, (some) people accept it's not your fault. There's counselling available and hospital treatments and police who can be helpful sometimes (and sometimes add to the trauma). But hey, you won't automatically be killed, though many women do desire to take their own lives after...

But let's face it, as simple as "a life for a life" sounds, as much as it's difficult to get your life back after rape, as much as you might hate being a woman, you might want to die, you might want to fight and rage, you might want to pass out in a heap and cry, Jesus died so that we didn't have to live that way. In fact, in Matthew 5: 38-40 he says

38 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’39 But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also. 40 And if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, hand over your coat as well. 41 If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles.

As horrible and insane as this sounds, Jesus said that instead of fighting off attackers and killing rapists and thieves, we need to forgive them and willingly give to them as an act of extraordinary generosity. "Extraordinary generosity" is not in any case an appropriate euphemism for rape, ever. Theologically, Jesus is saying we don't have to be the one's who enact revenge. We don't have to be angry and stand. Jesus is saying that love and forgiveness is stronger than hate and anger and even the strength that comes in rage. Love and forgiveness heals US as it extends to others.

You see, we're all broken, and in Christ there is no sin he cannot redeem and no hurt he cannot heal, including the horrific act of rape and the incredible pain of rape. While we want to protect people from sexual predators, we also need to think of these men and work to bring them help, support, healing and a community instead of stigmatizing them and hating them. Though they have done horrific things, they too are God's children, they too are the reasons Jesus shed his blood, as hard as it is to accept sometimes.

In The Lord of the Rings, Gollum is a person who's heart was taken over by the ring, by a power. It consumed him, it turned him into a vile, shrivelled, disgusting creature. Yet when Sam wants to kill him, Frodo says:

'No,' said Frodo. 'If we kill him, we must kill him outright. But we can't do that, not as things are. Poor wretch! He has done us no harm.'
'Oh hasn't he!' said Sam rubbing his shoulder. 'Anyway he meant to, and he means to, I'll warrant. Throttle us in our sleep, that's his plan.'
'I daresay,' said Frodo. 'But what he means to do is another matter.' He paused for a while in thought. Gollum lay still, but stopped whimpering. Sam stood glowering over him.
It seemed to Frodo then that he heard, quite plainly but far off, voices out of the past:
What a pity Bilbo did not stub the vile creature, when he had a chance!
Pity? It was Pity that stayed his hand. Pity, and Mercy: not to strike without need.
I do not feel any pity for Gollum. He deserves death.
Deserves death! I daresay he does. Many that live deserve death. And some die that deserve life. Can you give that to them? Then be not too eager to deal out death in the name of justice, fearing for your own safety. Even the wise cannot see all ends.

Ironically at the end of the story, it's Gollum who ends up destroying himself and the ring by biting Frodo's finger off over Mount Doom. Though a bit of a labored analogy, my point is that Frodo, Sam, the elves, and even Gandalf treat Gollum with humanity and pity and mercy, even though he doesn't deserve it--they try to humanize him. They don't think he is irredeemable. As Christians, if we really believe in Jesus, we need to believe the same thing--everyone is redeemable, if they will work for it. In Gollum's case, he destroyed himself, just as the alcoholics and drug addicts do. There has to be a balance between the caution of keeping safe and having mercy and loving people who have done evil.

Even King David, who's revered as God's mighty warrior, essentially raped a woman, Bathsheba, who was married to Uriah. Though he had many wives and children, he wanted Bathsheba and became obsessed with her until he had Uriah sent to the front and basically gave the order for him to be killed so he could have her without any guilt. When God pointed out how deep in lust and greed and murder he'd fallen, he repents and we get the beautiful and touching Psalm 51:

Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.

Is every rapist sorry for what they've done? I don't know. I hope they are. I need to have this hope in humanity, that deep down, they have a heart that hates sin. I need to hope that they want to fight for good, even if they fail and do bad things, horrific things, despicable things. I need to hope for them, because my God is great and can redeem everything from the clutches of death, even a rapist.