To what extent was Jesus a pacifist?

To what extent was Jesus a pacifist?

To make a decision on whether Jesus was a pacifist must first clarify what i mean when we say pacifist. A pacifist is someone who believes violence is not the answer to solving problems. A pacifist feels that war is destructive, murderous and unnecessary. A pacifist would rather rely on negotiation, diplomacy and empathy to achieve resolutions to problems. Pacifists can often be split into to groups, Total Pacifists, people who would never use violence under any circumstance and Partial Pacifists, people who believe that violence should only be used as a last resort in self defence. Now that I have clarified what a pacifist is, I must compare how Jesus is shown in the bible and compare it with this definition of a pacifist.

One of the arguments for Jesus being a pacifist is because he said: “Blessed are the peacemakers for they will be called the children of God” in the Gospel of Matthew. This would suggest clearly that Jesus is a pacifist as he is promoting peaceful behaviour and says how it is rewarded in the Beatitudes. Another occasion where Jesus shows that he would be a pacifist is in the garden of Gethsemane before he was arrested, “When Jesus’ followers saw what was going to happen, they said, ‘Lord, should we strike with our swords?’ And one of them struck the servant of the high priest, cutting off his right ear. But Jesus answered, ‘No more of this!’ And he touched the man’s ear and healed him.” This shows that once more Jesus was against violence and tells of Peter for attempting to defend Jesus.

On the other hand, Jesus could be perceived as someone who is not a pacifist. This is reflected in his behaviour in the temple, when he drives out the money changers. “Jesus entered the temple area and drove out all who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money-changers and the benches of those selling doves. ‘It is written,’ he said to them. ‘My house will be called a house of prayer, but you are making it a den of robbers.’ ”. This would clearly show that Jesus was very angry and would suggest that he is not a pacifist as he himself is participating in an act of violence. This would suggest that Jesus feels that violence is ok and can be tolerated if it is for the right reasons. However although Jesus did drive the money-changers out he did not actually attack the money changers themselves and did not harm them and it could be argued that Jesus was only destroying the idea of people running the temple like a business.


Although there is much evidence that would suggest that Jesus is not a pacifist there is further evidence to suggest that he is a pacifist. This is on the Sermon on the Mount when jesus says, “You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.' But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.” Many people would argue that this quote promotes total pacifism however because of the earlier act of violence shown by jesus many people would conclude that overall jesus would be a partial pacifist and is not fully a pacifist as he himself used violence to drive out the tax collectors and money changers in the temple.

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