Jesus and the Violence in Scripture: Reading the Story Forward
Jesus as the Lens
One of the foundational convictions that animates much of my faith journey—and deeply shapes how we approach the story here at Commons—is the idea that Jesus is the clearest picture we will ever have of God. That means we don’t just read about Jesus; we read through Jesus. We use his life, teachings, death, and resurrection as the lens through which we make sense of everything else, especially scripture.
This becomes essential when we confront violence in the Bible. How do we reconcile the Jesus who willingly laid down his life with the conquest stories of the Hebrew scriptures? What do we do with the God-sanctioned violence that seems so at odds with the cruciform love of Christ?
Looking Again at History
To take Jesus seriously means that we also take seriously his posture of nonviolence. That opens up space to look again—critically and carefully—at how we read our sacred stories. We're not forced to adopt the perspective presented in every passage as God's final word. Instead, we get to ask questions, explore context, and examine the archaeological and historical record.
Doing so isn’t an exercise in revisionism. It’s about tracing the trajectory that leads us to Jesus, where God is fully and finally revealed.
Rethinking Canaan: Three Approaches
Recently, I had the chance to explore one of the most difficult topics in our scriptures: the conquest of Canaan, sometimes referred to as the genocide of the Canaanites. These narratives have been approached in three main ways in Christian tradition.
1. God Can Do Whatever God Wants
This approach suggests that because God is God, any divine act—even violence—is automatically justified. But this framing assumes that violence is part of God's nature, and that sits uneasily with the God revealed in Jesus. In Luke 22, Jesus instructs his disciples to buy swords, but it's a rhetorical move. He wants to be "numbered with the rebels" to fulfill prophecy, not to endorse violence. When a disciple actually wields a sword, Jesus shuts it down immediately. The message is clear: God does not reach divine ends through violent means.
2. The Canaanites Deserved It
Another view argues that the Canaanites were uniquely wicked, and thus, destruction was justified. But again, Jesus disrupts that logic. From the cross, he prays, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do." That is the final word on divine justice—not retribution, but mercy.
If Jesus is our clearest image of God, then divine justice does not give people what they deserve. It gives them grace.
3. Reading in Historical Context
The third and most helpful approach is to take these texts seriously as ancient texts. Their violent rhetoric aligns with the nationalistic propaganda of their time. For instance, the Mesha Stele from Moab boasts of Israel's complete destruction—yet the biblical texts show Moab still very much intact.
Even within scripture, these narratives contradict themselves. Deuteronomy commands the annihilation of peoples, but Judges tells us they still lived alongside Israel. These are not neutral records of history; they are formative myths, designed to unify a fledgling people around a shared identity.
As scholar Walter Brueggemann points out, these tales are often spoken by those who feel they have no power—a way of asserting strength when they lack it. That helps us understand their function, but it also invites us to recognize that their purpose was never to offer an objective divine command.
A Story That Moves
The beauty of scripture is that it tells a story on the move. Over time, warrior ideals give way to prophetic calls for mercy. Laws that once excluded are reshaped into invitations of welcome. Leviticus teaches us to love the foreigner. The prophets cry out for justice, not sacrifice. The psalms declare that God is not pleased by burnt offerings, but by a broken and contrite heart.
And then we come to Jesus.
He gathers all these strands, embraces the history, and redirects it toward love. The story is not flat or static. It is alive, growing, and heading somewhere.
Re-reading with Jesus
We don’t need to fear the uncomfortable parts of our tradition. In fact, Jesus gives us the grace to revisit them with new eyes. To ask better questions. To see not only what was, but what God was doing in the midst of it.
Because God has always been love. But now we know that love looks like Jesus.
So no, we’re not looking for a compromise between Jesus and Judges. We’re reading Judges through Jesus—trusting that history has direction, and that it is always bending toward peace, inclusion, and love.
Thanks for engaging. And if you're curious, reach out—we'd love to continue this conversation together.
