Anyone can not hit first. It takes something else to not hit back.

I spent most of the first half of March with John Howard Yoder's The Politics of Jesus, (summarized here) and the balance with William C. Braithwaite's The Beginnings of Quakerism, so my mind was prepared for a deeper understanding of this observation by Kim Fabricius Faith and Theology:

It is characteristic for the risen Christ to greet his disciples with the word shalom: “Peace be with you!” He calms their fear – of retribution, perhaps? After all, these were the men who, despite their protestations of loyalty, had abandoned their master to his fate. Perhaps now it was payback time for their betrayal? And what of Caiaphas and Pilate and all who had connived in the murder of Jesus – might we not expect a risen Terminator: “I’ll be back – and this time it’s personal”? Christian pacifists are often accused of arguing their case from the Crucified who refuses the way of violence. But the power of pacifism equally comes from the Risen One who refuses the way of vengeance. “Jesus is judge because he is victim; and that very fact means that he is a judge who will not condemn” (Rowan Williams).

P.S. If anyone can help me understand why the
line-spacing always scrunches up after I use Blogger's Block Quote tool, and how to fix it, I'd appreciate it. (Readers might, too.)
LATER: Problem understood and solved. Thanks Gerry!