You have heard that it was said, "An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a
tooth." But I say to you, do not resist him who is evil; but whoever slaps you on
your right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if anyone wants to sue you, and take
your shirt, let him have your coat also. And whoever shall force you to go one mile, go
with him two. Give to him who asks of you, and do not turn away from him who wants to
borrow from you. (Matthew 5:38-42 NASB)
Late one summer evening in Broken Bow, Nebraska, a weary truck driver pulled his rig
into an all-night truck stop. He was tired and hungry. The waitress had just served him
when three tough looking, leather jacketed motorcyclist - of the Hell's Angels type -
decided to give him a hard time. Not only did they verbally abuse him, one grabbed the
hamburger off his plate, another took a handful of his french fries, and the third picked
up his coffee and began to drink it.
How did this trucker respond? How would you respond? Well, this trucker did not respond
as one might expect. Instead, he calmly rose, picked up his check, walked to the front of
the room, put the check and his money on the cash register, and went out the door. The
waitress followed him to put the money in the till and stood watching out the door as the
big truck drove away into the night.
When she returned, one of the cyclists said to her, "Well, he's not much of a man,
is he?"
She replied, "I don't know about that, but he sure isn't much of a truck driver.
He just ran over three motorcycles on his way out of the parking lot."
You might be thinking by now, "Right on!" I think we all share that type of
sentiment. We feel that we have a right to retaliate. The old saying goes, "Don't get
mad, get even!" The problem is, that is not enough. In reality, we would rather adopt
another saying, "Don't get even, get ahead!"
As we approach July 4th, the American Independence Day, we like to celebrate our
rights. In our Declaration of Independence we are told that we have certain
rights. Among these rights are "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." We
are a nation founded on the notion that we have certain rights.
As a nation, we have certainly taken this concept of rights and applied it everywhere.
We talk about civil rights, women's rights, children's rights, worker's rights, victim's
rights, defendant's rights, gay rights, prisoner's rights, and the list goes on and on. We
want what we think is ours. And we are willing to fight for it. When anyone threatens our
rights or takes what we think belongs to us, we are inclined to retaliate.
Retaliation has been the way of human beings since the beginning of time. People very
much like the idea of an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth. We think that
this is justice. The only problem is that sooner or later the entire world will be blind
and toothless. This is especially the case when we are left to
administer the justice.
Here in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus deals directly with the issue of rights. He
reveals how we are to respond when we have been wronged. He gives us valuable insight into
the selfish desires which drive us and cause us to be consumed with self-interest. In
doing so, He reveals how we can avoid being blind and toothless ourselves.
How do you respond to being wronged? This is the real question we must answer. Our desire
is to retaliate. There is no question about that. All of us have been wronged, and all of
us have wanted to get back at the one responsible. Has that attitude helped us? Did it
really make us feel better? Could it be that this kind of thinking has actually hurt us?
Is there a better way?
Our text reveals that there is a better way than retaliation. There is a higher ground
upon which we must walk as believers in Jesus Christ. It is the road of compassion. While
the common maxim is to exact justice, the correct response is to show compassion. Let's
examine the two choices we have when we are wronged.
The Principle of Justice
You have heard that it was said, "an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a
tooth." (Matthew 5:38)
When Jesus pointed out this common maxim, He was quoting directly from three Old
Testament passages: Exodus 21:24; Leviticus 24:20; and Deuteronomy 19:21. There the
principle of exact justice was put forth. The justice required in this law is that the
punishment must fit the crime precisely. In Exodus it speaks of "life for life,
eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for
wound, bruise for bruise." Additionally, in Leviticus it speaks of "fracture
for fracture."
It should be noted that in each of these passages the context is one of civil justice.
When someone was guilty of a crime, they would be brought to the civil authorities, tried,
and punishment would be ordered. This was done for at least two reasons: to reduce crime
and to assure fair punishment. But, as has been said, this was always done in the context
of civil justice. The idea of personal retaliation was not in view.
In fact, this law itself deals with our propensity to take matters into our own hands.
Our desire to personally retaliate is checked by this law.
This law protected society by dealing with those who committed the crimes. It also
protected justice by dealing fairly and exactly with criminal behavior and punishment. It
also protected people by assuring that justice was fair and that people received no more
or less than they deserved, whether they were victims or criminals.
What happened to this law is what happened to most of the laws of God. It was perverted
by the people to accommodate their own sinful desires. It was made into a law to allow for
personal retaliation. It became the justification for inflicting wrong upon people in the
name of justice. It simply fed the sinful, selfish human desires to get even.
The Purpose of God
But I say to you, do not resist him who is evil; but whoever slaps you on your right
cheek turn to him the other also. And if anyone wants to sue you, and take your shirt, let
him have your coat also. And whoever shall force you to go one mile, go with him two. Give
to him who asks of you, and do not turn away from him who wants to borrow from you.
(Matthew 5:39-42)
Jesus reveals to us that God has a higher purpose for our lives. He doesn't call us to
retaliation, rather He calls us to a life of compassion. We can either assert our rights
or we can live by a higher law. We can become a testimony to His mercy.
When it says do not resist him who is evil, it is not saying not to resist evil.
We are, of course, to stand against evil. The Bible clearly teaches us that we are to
speak the truth, to stand for the oppressed, to uphold righteousness, and to battle the
devil. We are in a spiritual warfare. And the reason that we are in this warfare is
precisely because we do stand for truth and righteousness and stand against evil. The
forces of evil come against those who stand against evil. So we are clearly to engage in
this spiritual warfare against the forces of evil.
But what Jesus is saying is that we are never to personally retaliate against other
people. We are never to take matters into our own hands as if justice depended upon us.
When we do that, we merely feed the selfish, sinful desires of our own human hearts. We
sow the seeds of our own destruction when we assume the mantel of divine justice. Anger
and hatred find fertile soil in our hearts in which to grow when we personally retaliate.
It is to this root of retaliation that Jesus puts the axe.
Jesus gives us the solution to a heart of retaliation. He instructs us to turn the
other cheek, to give more than is required, to go the extra mile, to show mercy to the
less fortunate. This is what He says. And this is radical stuff!
It is difficult to even consider actually doing what Jesus commands us to do. The idea
of turning the other cheek when someone gives us an insulting slap is not what we really
want to do. We want to strike back. We feel we have the right. When someone feels wronged
by us and wants compensation, to be willing to give more than is required is not something
we relish. We want to defend ourselves and be vindicated. When we are coerced into doing
something we don't want to do, the idea of doubling that demand is repugnant to us. When
we feel we are being taken advantage of, being willing to go along with that is not in
anyone's best interest, we think. But Jesus calls us to live by a higher law. He calls us
to show mercy and compassion where mercy and compassion are not deserved.
What purpose does this serve? Why would Jesus call us to live by this higher law? He
calls us to compassion in order to show the love of God through our lives. By doing so, we
become a living testimony to His grace and mercy. This is what Jesus is after in our
lives. He wants to conform us to His own image. He wants to develop our character to the
point where we are not concerned to assert our own rights. He desires that we look at
others through His eyes, eyes of compassion, which see people based on their needs.
Let me ask you a question. Is anyone brought closer to the Kingdom by your asserting
your rights? Is anyone brought closer to the Kingdom by your retaliation? I think the
answer is obvious. We do not win people to Jesus by beating them up. We were not won that
way. Neither do we become more like Christ by asserting our rights. He never did.
You see, God has a purpose. His purpose is to show His grace through His people. His
purpose is to touch people's hearts by His mercy. His purpose is to develop our character
so that we are conformed to the nature of Jesus Christ. His purpose is to reveal His
Kingdom on earth through His people.
The choice is yours. The choice is either to take matters in your own hands or to be an
agent of the Kingdom of God. You can assert your rights or you can reach out to others.
You can retaliate or you can show compassion.
How do you respond to others? Has it caused you grief or been a blessing? Are you
bitter or better? Are you struggling with anger, even hatred, or have you experienced
compassion for others who are struggling?
It really is a matter of perspective. If we could only see the pain of other people
through the eyes of Jesus, we would respond in mercy and in love.
Which way will you choose?
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