If prejudice is one of the most insidious and hidden forms of injustice, violence is the most visible and overt. Violence is unjust because it is the ultimate means by which we try to control others. And since God made us to be free people before him, control is always unjust.

If you have any doubts that violence is about control and coercion, think about just a few forms of violence:

• Torture: controlling what others reveal about what they know.

• Abuse: controlling another person so that he or she will be subservient.

• War: controlling the behavior of another nation.

• Rape: controlling another person's body.

In every case it's about control, and there's no more efficient means of control than threatening or inflicting pain.

It's revealing that our Savior suffered violence at the hands of the Roman and Jewish leaders. He was stirring up trouble for them with his claims to be the Son of God, his growing influence among the people, and his attack on the activities of the temple. They thought they needed to take control of a situation that seemed to be getting out of hand. So they resorted to violence.

When things began to grow out of control for Jesus and his disciples, they too were tempted to resort to violence. Matthew describes how one of Jesus' disciples drew his sword and cut off the ear of one of people who came to arrest Jesus. (The disciple was probably intent on doing far more damage.)

Jesus' response tells us a lot about the place of violence in the kingdom of God. "Put your sword back in its place," Jesus said, "for all who draw the sword will die by the sword." In other words, one of the dangers of using violence is that it tends to escalate. One act of violence leads to another. Violence incites violent self-protection, revenge, and hatred. In other words, violence begets more violence; it hardly ever reduces violence or brings it to an end.

Jesus adds that violence is unnecessary for the person who trusts in God. God is not powerless to defend himself or his people. God could have put legions of angels at Jesus' disposal to protect him. But in this case, it was God's will to allow the violence to continue according to his plan for the redemption of the world.

In John 18: 33, Pilate confronts Jesus with the fact that he's called a king. For Pilate, kings control their realm through violence and the sword. But Jesus replies, "My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest" (18:36). It's important to note that Jesus does not mean his kingdom has nothing to do with this world because it's spiritual or other worldly. He simply means that violence is not one of the tactics of the kingdom of God.

Christians have always struggled with the legitimate use of violence. Some, called pacifists, argue that violence in any form is forbidden for a Christian. Others argue that in this sinful world violence may be allowed in extreme circumstances, such as self-defense or in what is defined as a "just war." Christians also disagree over the use of capital punishment, which is a form of state-sanctioned violence. Still, Jesus' maxim seems true: those who live by the sword will die by the sword, and resorting to violence should be avoided as much as possible. We also must remember that, in avoiding violence, we need to place our trust in God, just as Jesus did (Matt. 26:53).