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To develop an attitude of meekness and love to those who are mean/evil to us.

[21-48] Six examples of the conduct demanded of the Christian disciple. Each deals with acommandment of the law, introduced by You have heard that it was said to your ancestors or anequivalent formula, followed by Jesus' teaching in respect to that commandment, But I say to you;thus their designation as "antitheses." Three of them accept the Mosaic law but extend or deepen it(Matthew 5:21-22; 27-28; 43-44); three reject it as a standard of conduct for the disciples

(Matthew 31-32; 33-37; 38-39).

But I say unto you, that ye resist not the evil man - Thus; the Greek word translated resist signifiesstanding in battle array, striving for victory. If a man smite thee on the right cheek - Return not evilfor evil: yea, turn to him the other - Rather thanrevenge thyself.5:40Where the damage is not great,choose rather to suffer it, though possibly it may on that account be repeated, than to demand aneye for an eye, to enter into a rigorous prosecution of the offender. The meaning of the wholepassage seems to be, rather than return evil for evil, when the wrong is purely personal, submit toone bodily wrong after another, give up one part of your goods after another, submit to oneinstance of compulsion after another. That the words are not literally to be understood, appearsfrom the behaviour of our Lord himself, 18:22 ,23.5:41See note ... "Mt 5:40".5:42Thus much for

your behaviour toward the violent. As for those who use milder methods, Give to him that askeththee - Give and lend to any so far, (but no further, for God nevercontradicts himself) as isconsistent with thy engagements to thy creditors, thy family, and the household of faith. 6:30

Same Subject--Retaliation ( Matthew 5:38-42 ). We have here the converse of the preceding

lessons. They were negative: these arepositive.

38. Ye have heard that it hath been said--( Exodus 21:23-25 , Leviticus 24:19Leviticus 24:20 ,

Deuteronomy 19:21 ).

An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth--that is, whatever penalty was regarded as a proper

equivalent for these. This law of retribution--designed to take vengeance out of the hands of

private persons, and commit it to the magistrate--was abused in the opposite way to thecommandments of the Decalogue. While they were reduced to the level of civil enactments,

this judicial regulation was held to be a warrant for taking redress into their own hands,

contrary to the injunctions of the Old Testament itself ( Proverbs 20:22 , 24:29 ).

39. But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil; but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right

check, turn to him the other also--Our Lord's own meek, yet dignified bearing, when smitten

rudely on the cheek (John 18:22John 18:23 ), and notliterally presenting the other, is the

best comment on these words. It is the preparedness, after one indignity, not to invite but to

submit meekly to another, without retaliation, which this strong language is meant to convey.

40. And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take way thy coat--the inner garment; inpledge for a debt ( Exodus 22:26Exodus 22:27 ).

let him have thy cloak also--the outer and more costly garment. This overcoat was not

allowed to be retained over night as a pledge from the poor because they used it for a bed

covering.

41. And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain--an allusion, probably,

to the practice of the Romans and some Eastern nations, who, when government despatches

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had to be forwarded, obliged the people not only to furnish horses and carriage.s, but to give

personal attendance, often at great inconvenience, when required. But the thing here

demanded is a readiness to submit to unreasonable demands of whatever kind, rather than

raise quarrels, with all the evils resulting from them. What follows is a beautiful extension of

this precept.

42. Give to him that asketh thee--The sense ofunreasonable asking is here implied (compare Luke

6:30 ).and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away--Though the word signifies classically"to have money lent to one on security," or "with interest," yet as this was not the original sense ofthe word, and as usury was forbidden among the Jews ( Exodus 22:25, &c.), it is doubtless simpleborrowing which our Lord here means, as indeed the whole strain of the exhortation implies. Thisshows that such counsels as "Owe no man anything" (Romans 13:8 ), are not to be takenabsolutely; else the Scripture commendations of the righteous for "lending" to his necessitousbrother ( Psalms 37:36 , 112:5 , Luke 6:37 ) would have no application.turn not thou away--a graphic expression of unfeeling refusal to relieve a brother in extremity.

Matthew 5:38-42"38 You have heard that it was said, An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. 39 But I say toyou, Do not resist one who is evil. But if any one strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him theother also; 40 and if any one would sue you and take your coat, let him have your cloak as well; 41and if any one forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. 42 Give to him who begs fromyou, and do not refuse him who would borrow from you."

Jesus is continuing to flesh out for His listeners what true righteousness is. Remember that Jesusbegan this section by saying that He is the One who fulfills all righteousness. In reading throughthese sections, then, we are first learning more of the character of Jesus, and therefore of the triune

God. The meaning, shape and character of righteousness does not come primarily from what Godsays, but out of who God is.

In this section we see that righteousness, Gods righteousness, involves a freedom to love andserve others, that is in no way bound by the others character, motives, or relationship with the Onewho is loving. This righteousness that Jesus fulfills and provides for us is rooted in overflowinggrace and love, freeing the giver to give without regard to whether she or he will receive equallyback from the one being given to.

Jesus begins this section, as He has the preceding ones, reminding His readers of what they alreadyknow. "You have heard that it was said, An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. This principle

was the basis of much of Near Eastern justice, and would be immediately recognized by Jesushearers. It was put into place to restrain unlimited blood vengeance. It limited what damages onecould expect to what was considered proportional, equal and fair.

But what this dictum often led to was a tit-for-tat kind of thinking that permeated all relationships.This attitude is certainly still pervasive today. We often work to keep things as even and equal aspossible. Children begin very early to argue when they believe something is "not fair." If someonehurts us in some way, we are tempted to hurt them back. Suing has gotten out of hand in our

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culture. We want what we believe is our share. We can also be concerned about keeping thingseven so that we are not beholden to others. If we are given a Christmas gift of certain value, forinstance, we will think through what action or gift would "equal" this present and so keep thingseven. Keeping and getting even directs so much of what we do.

What a restricting way to live! We are then tempted to decide how to act toward others accordingto how they act towards us. When we are wronged, our thoughts are focused on how to "get even."

We want them to pay for what they have done. This can become our one obsession. We see peopletoday, consumed with a desire for revenge that is so deep, that this passion comes to define theirwhole purpose in life. Evil begets evil, and it becomes a perpetual course.

"An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth" can help limit the evil of a retaliation, but there is nolife in it. It can only keep things "even." It cannot bring joy, grace, or life into the relationship. Tolive by this mindset is to be bound within a cycle of reaction and action. It does not lead tofreedom.

Jesus is telling His readers that "an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth" is not the righteousnessthat exceeds the scribes and the Pharisees. It does not reflect the true righteousness that has its

source in Gods own heart and character. So now Jesus tells His readers that true righteousnessgoes way beyond a tit-for-tat mindset. The RSV version that I use translates this next line "But Isay to you, do not resist one who is evil." If Jesus sees this as the contrast to the previous line, thenthis must mean that we are not to pay evil back with evil, even if it is an "equal and fair" amount. Ido not believe Jesus is saying that we are not to resist evil, but that we are not to resist it with evilmeans. This makes the most sense in the context. I found further insight on the Greek in a bookentitled Kingdom Ethics (IVP, 2003). The Greek for "evil" can mean either "by evil means" or "theevil person", and which to choose must be decided from the context. As I stated, this follows Jesusquoting "an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth" which has to do with a particular means fordealing with evil or pain. Secondly, the authors go on to note that the Greek word translated"resist" is "used in the Greek translation of the Hebrew Scriptures ... and in the Greek sources of

the time, Josephus and Philo, for armed resistance in military encounters in the majority ofcases." Their conclusion is that a more accurate translation to this verse would be "do not retaliateor resist violently or revengefully, by evil means."(p. 138).

Jesus now goes on to give three examples of what a true righteousness looks like in situationswhere you might be tempted to give back "tit-for-tat." It is important to see that in each of thesesituations, the righteous person acts out of freedom toward the other rather than just reacting towhat occurs. It seems to me that in all of these cases, this freedom is rooted in the understandingthat true righteousness begins in being poor in spirit. The truly righteous one knows that her/hisidentity and life do not come from themselves but are found in God, so no one can take it fromthem. This allows them to act independently of the others actions towards them in any given

situation.

In the first example someone strikes you on the right cheek. According to The Bible BackgroundCommentary (IVP) a "blow on the right cheek was the most grievous insult possible in the ancientworld ..." and "both Jewish and Roman law permitted prosecution for this offense" (p. 60). To actby the standards of justice and fairness, one would seek retribution for this act. But Jesus suggeststhat true righteousness means turning and offering the other cheek as well. In other words, whatthe righteous man is saying by this action is "You think you have insulted me by this action, but in

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order to show you that you have no power to insult me because I know to whom I belong, I willoffer to let you slap my other cheek as well."

In the second example someone is out to sue you and take your coat. As in the previous example,someone is trying to "lord it over" you, to control and abuse you. They believe they are in the seatof power over you. But Jesus suggests you dispel this notion here by giving them your cloak aswell. They are out to take it by force from you, but you turn around and demonstrate that if they

intend to wrongfully take it from you, you are going to choose to give to them freely if they need itso badly.

The third example comes from the law at that time. A Roman soldier could legally make you carrysomething (usually all his military baggage) for him for one mile. If the soldier makes this demandof you, you may well feel as if you are being forced to do this, that you have no choice. The soldiercan lord it over you because of his position in the occupying army. You would be tempted to findsome way to retaliate, to get back at this soldier for this humiliation of being forced to carry histhings for him. But Jesus tells His hearers that true righteousness would lead you to walk a secondmile for the man as well. It is as if you are saying, "You think that you are forcing me to do this, asif I have no choice. To show you that I am free from your tyranny and that I freely choose to do

this, because I serve an even higher Authority, I will go with you even farther than you expect meto."

Lastly, Jesus encourages His listeners to be generous givers. He tells them not to refuse either theperson who begs from them or the person who wants to borrow from them. They are not to react inthese situations by trying to protect themselves and make sure that everything remains even andfair. Their response is not to come from the immediate situation, but out of a freedom that indicatesthat they know that money is not the source of their lives and security.

Jesus is the One who fulfills this righteousness. He does not move towards us in reaction to howwe deal with Him. He comes to us with a lavish love and grace which is in no way merited by our

situation. He is not reacting to our loveliness, goodness, and impressive good deeds. In Ephesians2:4-5, Paul says that God poured out His great love for us while we were still dead in our sins.Jesus is not motivated by trying to carve out His fair share, or by seeing that we get what wedeserve. He is not dependent on our actions to know how to feel and act towards us. Jesus acts outof a tremendous freedom, a freedom that comes from knowing that His life and identity come fromHis wonderful Father and so He has nothing He needs to protect or guard from us.

This is the amazing righteousness that is at the heart of the triune God, and that Jesus in fulfillingthe law has come to share with us. We are truly poor in spirit--silly creatures so often grasping tomake sure that we get our share, that we keep things even, as if our lives were at their deepest levelbound up with our own efforts. The tit-for-tat mindset assumes that life, and our identities and

worth, are limited commodities that we all need to compete for. The good news that Jesus revealshere is that this is simply not the case. There is a true righteousness that operates out of thefreedom that comes from knowing the truth, the reality that you are indeed the beloved daughter orson of God. He gives us our lives, our identities and they are secure in Him. So we return goodeven for evil.

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It is wonderful to know that this righteousness, this free love and grace that Jesus pours out on us,is the righteousness He is transforming us to fully share in. And what a great way to live that so farexceeds the endless cycle of keeping things even.

Introduction

Around 120 A.D., a Roman satirist named Juvenal wrote these words:

Indeed, it's always a paltry, feeble, tiny mind that takes pleasure in revenge. You can deduce itwithout further evidence than this, that no one delights more in vengeance than a woman.

Ladies, how do you feel about that? Dont you just want to kill the man that said that? Ive gotgood news for you. Hes already been dead for almost 2000 years. You know, when I hear this, Ijust wonder what this guys wife must have been like!

The truth is that its not just women who are interested in revenge. We all are. Its something thatwe find sweet and satisfyingto know that the other person got what was coming to them. Welove to get even.

Jesus also has something to say about the subject of revenge, and unlike his contemporary, hemeant this teaching for both men and women.

Back before the 40 Days of Purpose began, we were studying the teachings of Jesus in Matthew 5-7, also called The Sermon on the Mount. Its part of what were calling The Jesus Curriculum,the things that Jesus wanted us his followers to know.

First Jesus talked about the character of the people who are in the kingdom. Then he talked aboutthe code of the kingdom: the way Jesus wants his followers to be.

He tells us that our righteousness must be genuinenot just external actions, but internal attitudes.In Jesus day, (The Pharisees)

But Jesus wants both our external actions and our internal attitudes to match his character.

1a For example, everyone agrees that murder is wrong. Thats obvious. But murder is merely theexternal evidence of an internal attitude.

1b Jesus said that it is also wrong to harbor unresolved anger in your heartwhether or not it leadsto murder.

2a Likewise, nearly everyone recognizes that adultery is wrong.

2b But Jesus says that its also wrong to nurture sexual desire in your heart for someone other thanyour spouse.

3a God permits divorce because when a marriage has failed, its wrong to just abandon yourspouse and leave them unable to remarry.

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3b But Jesus says that its wrong to capriciously divorce your spouse just because youre tired ofbeing married to him or her.

4a Lastly, we saw that its wrong to go back on your word.

4b But Jesus says that the important thing is to be a truthful person, inside and out.

Title: Sweet Revenge

As we return to this passage in Matthew 5:38, we find that the next few verses are about justiceand revenge. God has given us some legitimate avenues for justice here on earth, but Jesus warnsus that personal revenge is something completely different. Revenge may taste sweet, but itswrong.

As as John Milton wrote in Paradise Lost:

Revenge, at first though sweet,Bitter ere long back on itself recoils.

Our passage today is a very confusing one that has often been misunderstood in several differentways. Its led to all kinds of sloppy thinking about what kind of a person Jesus was and what hetaught.

This passage is also the source of four very well-known sayings that almost everyone has heard orused before, but not everyone understands:

An eye for an eye.

Turn the other cheek.

Go the second mile.

Give him the shirt off your back.

So lets open our Bibles and take a look at what Jesus teaches about revenge in Matthew 5:38

[5:38] "You have heard that it was said, 'Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.'

Anti = instead of (same word used of Jesus dying instead of us).2

A replacement.

This was meant to restrain revenge, to make sure that the punishment did not exceed the crime.There was room for grace and alternative punishments. But this kept people from going too far intheir punishments.

When someone hurts us

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Our natural tendency is payback.

We want them to hurt like we were hurt. We talk about getting even, and settling the score. Theidea is that because they hurt us we now owe them some hurt in return. And thats one debt wereonly too glad to settle. In fact, usually its not enough to get even. We usually want to add just alittle more. Like playing poker: I see your insult and I raise you a poke in the eye!

This policy, written into the OT, was actually designed to prevent personal vendettas frominflicting a harsher punishment than the criminal deserved. If somebody blinded someone, theyshouldnt be killed for it. They should be held accountable for only an eye. Many times these debtswere paid with a cash settlementwhatever amount an eye or a tooth was worth. The Biblesupports measured justice.

But even if we stay within the bounds of inflicting reciprocal pain, were still missing the point.Because our external conformity to the demands of justice is often masking an internal problem:we want revenge. And revenge is sin. So Jesus says,

[5:38] "You have heard that it was said, 'Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.' [39] But I tell you, Do

not resist an evil person.

When we are hurt, we want payback.

But Jesus says, Dont fight back.

The word resist means to oppose, set ones self against

Stand plus Anti. To be hostile towards

The idea is not so much about non-resistance as it is about not facing off.

This is not pacifism (a refusal to meet evil with violence or war).

There seems to be plenty of room in the Bible for self-defense.

But this is clearly not aggressive, either.

This verse is a specific warning not to take personal retribution.

Dont escalate the situation by getting even.

Rather, de-escalate. Diffuse. Lower the stakes.

Pacify. Endure. Forgive.

This is not a natural response:

Nikita Khrushchev, Soviet statesman, wrote in 1971

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We had no use for the policy of the Gospels: if someone slaps you, just turn the other cheek. Wehad shown that anyone who slapped us on our cheek would get his head kicked off.

Jesus calls us to respond counter-intuitively. Instead of meeting evil with equal or greater force, heurges us to meet evil with a completely different force: with good. Instead of paying back in kind,we are called to pay back with kindness.

Theres a parallel passage inRomans 12 that explains how this works.

Romans 12:17-21 (NIV)Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in theeyes of everybody.

Dont do evil just because someone did evil to you.

They did the wrong thing. You do the right thing.

Doesnt that sound like something you tell your kids?

The younger one hits the older one. So the older one hits them back.

Then the younger one complains to mom and dad.

Mom, Jimmy hit me.

Mom says, Jimmy, did you hit your little sister?

Yeah.

Why would you do such a thing?

Because she hit me first.

And you want so bad for them to get it.

Look, you take care of you and Ill take care of your little sister. Believe me, youve got yourhands full taking care of you. You just concentrate on making sure that youre doing the right thingand dont worry about what your sister is doing. Ill take care of her.

Thats exactly what God is trying to say to us. Dont get involved in the business of trying to getevenmaking sure everybody gets what they deserve. Thats Gods job and hes really good at it.

Instead, were supposed to try to get along as much as possible.

[18] If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.

May not be possible, but we should do whatever we can on our side.

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But if we do that, if no one stands up to the aggressor, if we dont give him what he deserves, thenhes just going to keep on doing it! If he gets away with it this time, hes just doing to do it tosomeone else. Where does that leave justice?

God has an answer for you:

[19] Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: "It is mine

to avenge; I will repay," says the Lord.

God will take care of justice. It may not be when we want it. It may not be how we want it. But Hewill make sure that justice is done.

This policy is not a lack of justice. It is a call not to take personal revenge in order to get justice.Leave justice and revenge to God.

Some of that justice we wont see until we get to heaven. But some of that is going to happen hereon earth. In fact, God has a special agent he uses for that very purpose. No, its not meor you.Its the French. That is, its the French governmentand the American government and the

South African government and the Iraqi government. The Bible says that God uses government tobring a measure of justice to the world. Its not perfect justice and its not enough. But while werewaiting for the perfect justice of the Kingdom, the governments of the world at least hold back eviland bring some modicum of justice to the world. They are Gods justice agents, Gods instruments.

Romans 13: 4 (NIV) [Government] is God's servant to do you good. But if you do wrong, beafraid, for he does not bear the sword for nothing. He is God's servant, an agent of wrath to bring

punishment on the wrongdoer.

The sword = the power execution and waging war

A legitimate, biblical function of government is to punish those who do wrong. And when they do,they function as Gods agents to punish evil. That is part of how God administers justice. Its notperfect. But one day, Gods going to fix all that, too, and there will be perfect justice. So in themeantime, were supposed to keep out of it and let God do his thing. Weve got a different job todo. Paul goes on in Romans 12:

Do not take revenge [20] On the contrary: "If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty,

give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head."

[21] Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

We are to answer evil with good. The trap is to be overcome by evil, to be so hurt, so wounded thatwe too choose an evil path by personally trying to settle the score. But God says, try paying backevil with good. What happens is even more devastating to the person who hurt you.

Everybody understands tit for tat. Thats the way the world works. But they have a really hard timewith paying back evil with good. It makes their conscience burn. It drives them to rethink theirapproach because its not producing what they expected. Thats the way to overcome evil. Not by

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fighting it. Not by punishing it. Not by stamping it out. But by smothering it with kindness andgenerosity until it can no longer breathe.

Lets go back to our passage in Matthew 5. Starting in verse 39, Jesus gives us four examples ofthis principle of answering evil with kindness and generosity.

Physical assault

Unfair lawsuits

Compulsory service

Exploited generosity

Heres the first one in verse 39:

[5:39] If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.

In Jesus day, getting struck on the right cheek meant a slap across the face with the back of thehand. (Who wants to illustrate?)

It was a terrible insult (and still is today in the Middle East).

This verse doesnt mean dont defend yourself.

It doesnt mean to ask for another hit.

Both Jesus and Paul were literally struck on the cheek and both of them appealed to their rights.But they also didnt hit back.

And thats the force of this verse. If you are struck, if youre insulted, dont fight back. Dontretaliate. Dont try to get even. Let it go. Forgive.

It would be better to receive a second blow on the other cheek than to stoop to the same level asthe person who attacked you.

Thats what it means to turn the other cheek. Dont try to get even.

In other words,

Be kind and generous even when

Someone verbally or physically assaults your person

The good news is, you dont have to wait for violence to put this principle into practice. Have youever met someone at church or school or on the job and they just werent very nice to you? Itwasnt because of anything you didor maybe it wasbut they just werent very kind or friendly.

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How did you respond? I tell you what we all like to do. We like to say, Well, fine. Two can playat that game. Im just going to be not friendly right back.

Turning the other cheek, though, means answering that snub with kindness and generositybeingfriendly to them even though they were unfriendly to you. Its not some masochistic desire to besnubbed again, but its showing your face as if there has been no offense, because youve alreadyforgiven them and youre leaving the issue of justice and fairness to God.

The second example is in verse 40:

[5:40] And if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well.

The tunic was a shirt, the garment worn closest to the body. On top of that you wore a cloak whichwas almost like a blanket. In our day, you might sue someones pants off. But in Jesus day theydidnt wear pants. So Jewish law permitted a person to sue someone for their shirt.

The cloak was actually protected by law. It could not be taken away.

The lawsuit in this verse might be a legitimate case, but I think there is also an overtone in thispassage that suggests that it might even be an unfair settlement. Once again, the idea is not that aChristian is some wimp, that if you get unjustly sued that you shouldnt put on a defense or youshould automatically give the plaintiff all hes asking for and more. The idea is again that weshouldnt try to get even. Dont counter-sue to get them back and make them pay. Instead, begenerous with what you own. Hold on to your possessions loosely. So loosely that youre willingto give them up if the only way to hang onto them is to fight for them, stooping to the same levelas the one who is cheating you.

In other words,

Be kind and generous even when

Someone unjustly cheats you out of your property

If youre in the wrong, make a generous settlement. And if youre not in the wrong, put on adefense, but dont try to get revenge. Dont hold so tightly to what you own that it prevents youfrom making peace. In 1 Corinthians 6:7, Paul says, The very fact that you have lawsuits amongyou means you have been completely defeated already. Why not rather be wronged? Why notrather be cheated?

The third example is in verse 41:

[5:41] If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles.

In the Roman Empire, a soldier or government official could force someone to carry their luggagefor them. However, Roman law said that a person could only be forced to do this service for onemile and then he was free to go.

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Im sure that no one liked this forced labor when it happened. They probably resented it just asmuch as we do when were forced into something. I can just see some slave saying, Fine. I mayhave to carry his stuff, but you never know what might happen to it. It could get really dirty if Iaccidentally drop it in the mud. You just never know.

But Jesus says, dont resent it. Dont try to get even. Instead be generous. Repay evil with good.Offer to go another mile. Give him more than he has the right to demand.

In other words,

Be kind and generous even when

Someone forces you to do something against your will

Heres a nice practical example. How many of you like paying taxes? Dont you resent it? Dontyou wish you could find some way to make sure the government doesnt get a dime? I wonder ifJesus would suggest that in addition to paying our taxes with gladness that we also pay the seconddollar. The government supports all kinds of social programs that feed, house and educate the

poor. We could resent having to pay for it or we could say, You know, I can do better than that. Ican volunteer to build a house or teach someone to read. I can support an organization thatprovides baby supplies for unwed mothers.

If theres something that youre doing only because you have to do it, be careful that you dontfind subtle little ways of venting your resentment by getting revenge. Jesus says, do it gladly andthen on top of that, be generous.

The final example is in verse 42:

[5:42] Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow

from you.

This is another one of those verses that causes so much soul-searching and confusion. At facevalue, this seems to be saying that we should give everyone whatever they ask for. In fact, Illmake it even more unappealing. I think that because of the context, its probably talking aboutpeople who are actually taking advantage of your generosity. What they deserve is nothing. ButJesus tells us to continue to be generous. Dont try to punish them by cutting them off from help.Be kind. Be generous. Even if they mistreat you or manipulate you or lie to you.

In other words,

Be kind and generous even when

Someone takes advantage of your generosity

Almost every week we have someone whos never been to our church come by off the streetlooking for money. Many of them are liars. One Sunday morning this guy came by here lookingfor money to get his car fixed. He said needed an operation and the only place he could get it donewas at the VA hospital in Houston because thats where he was registered. If we could just give

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him enough to repair his transmission, he was going to drive there. His surgery was scheduled fortomorrow.

When I hear a story like that, my heart goes out to this poor guy. I imagine what it would be like tobe in that situation and I think about everything that God has given me. And I want to dosomething to help him. Except for one thing.

I remembered the same guy driving the same car telling David Nicholson the exact same story onanother Sunday morning about a year earlier. Dave gave him about $50. So I told him: You knowwhat? You were here a year ago and you told us that exact same story. And that guy got angryand started shouting at me and telling me what a sorry church we were that we wouldnt even helpsomeone in need. Then he drove away. Its amazing to me how many of the folks who ask us formoney know this verse in Matthew, Give to the one who asks you. And theyre ready to quote itas soon as it becomes obvious that theyre not going to get what they asked for.

You know, there are a lot of things that bug me, but one thing that really hacks me off is whenpeople take advantage of grace. And when someone does that, when they answer our generositywith insults and threats, when they demonstrate absolutely no gratitude for our kindness or the

churchs money or my time, it makes me really angry. You know what Id like to do? Id like toinsult them right back. Id like to never waste another minute of my time with them. Id like tomake sure they never see another dime from us.

But Jesus says, Dont turn away. Dont try to get even. Dont try to make sure they get what theydeserve. Be kind and generous.

By the way, this verse doesnt say, Give people whatever they ask of you. It says, Give to theone who asks you. There are many requests we cannot fulfill. There are many requests we shouldnot fulfill. We should ask questions and we have to use discernment in handling requests formoney. But theres no reason that in the process we cant be kind and generous, even when

someone takes advantage of our generosity. You know what? Thats part of the Kingdom Code.

Conclusion

Jesus says, I know that justice is important to you. I know that it hurts when youve been wronged.But be careful. Theres a danger here. Never let your thirst for justice turn into a quest for revenge.Dont get even. Youve been attacked and cheated and forced and taken advantage of. But answerthe evil with kindness and generosity. And then leave everything else to God.

1Copyright 2004 by Lewis B. Bell III. This is the edited manuscript of Lesson 6 in the The

Kingdom Code series delivered by Chip Bell at Fellowship Bible Church Arapaho in Dallas, TXon July 25, 2004. Anyone is at liberty to use this lesson for educational purposes only, with credit.

2ajnqivsthmi1.be hostile toward; 2.resist, oppose, rebel, set ones self against

ajnqivsthmi, to set against,to set up in opposition2.to match with, compareII.to standagainst, especially in battle, to withstand, oppose. 2. absolute to make a stand.

http://bible.org/seriespage/sweet-revenge-matthew-538-42-romans-1217-21#P7_126http://bible.org/seriespage/sweet-revenge-matthew-538-42-romans-1217-21#P7_126http://bible.org/seriespage/sweet-revenge-matthew-538-42-romans-1217-21#P40_3951http://bible.org/seriespage/sweet-revenge-matthew-538-42-romans-1217-21#P40_3951http://bible.org/seriespage/sweet-revenge-matthew-538-42-romans-1217-21#P7_126http://bible.org/seriespage/sweet-revenge-matthew-538-42-romans-1217-21#P40_3951

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ajnqivsthmi,set against, in battle,set upin opposition, weigh against, outweigh. 2.matchwith, compare.II. Passive with intransitive.stand against, especially in battle, withstand. 2. ofthings, turn out unfavourably to one. 3. absolute, make a stand, resist, fight on.

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In a nutshell: Christians are called to a higher standard of living than normal human behavior. Weare called to non-retaliation when wronged; think in terms of duties, rather than rights; and helpingothers, even when it infringes on your liberty and comfort. Then, to top it all off, help someone inneed, if you can, without thought of what you will get in return.

I. Introduction

A. Illustration: Late one summer evening in Broken Bow, Nebraska, a weary truck driver pulledhis rig into an all-night truck stop. He was tired and hungry. The waitress had just served himwhen three tough looking, members of the Hell's Angels motorcycle gang pulled into the diner,and decided to give this truck driver a hard time.

They verbally abused him, then one of the gang members grabbed the hamburger off his plate,another took handful of his French fries, and the third picked up his coffee and began to drink it.

How the truck driver responded is legendary. He calmly rose, picked up his check, walked to thefront of the room, put the check and his money on the cash register, and went out the door. The

waitress placed the money in the cash register, then followed after him, and stood watching out thedoor 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 overthree motorcycles on his way out of the parking lot."

My initial reaction to that story is... "Yesssssss!" It reminds me of old saying, "Don't get mad, geteven!"

The problem is, that's not anything like Jesus tells us we should act when we are in situations thatbeg for retaliation, revenge, or getting even.

B. Real issue

In today's passage from the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus tells us how he expects the people whofollow Him to act in these kinds of situations. Please turn in your Bibles to Matthew 5:38.

C. Oldest Law on the books

Matthew 5:38 38 "You have heard that it was said, `Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.'

What Jesus is referring to is, literally, the oldest law on the books. As far back as 2285 B.C.,during the time of the Babylonian king, Hammurabi, this law has been in existence. It is mentionedin several places in the Old Testament...

Exodus 21:23-25 23 But if there is serious injury, you are to take life for life, 24 eye for eye, toothfor tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, 25 burn for burn, wound for wound, bruise for bruise.

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Leviticus 24:19-20 19 If anyone injures his neighbor, whatever he has done must be done to him:20 fracture for fracture, eye for eye, tooth for tooth. As he has injured the other, so he is to beinjured.

Deuteronomy 19:21 21 Show no pity: life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, footfor foot.

C. Two Things Are True About This Law

But, in all of these cases, whether during the time of King Hammurabi, or during the OldTestament times of Moses, or any of the other people groups who might have followed thisprinciple, two things were true about this law...

1. This law was a form of mercy. The original intent of the law was to limit vengeance. In theearliest days of tribal society, blood feuds were a characteristic. If a man of one tribe injured a manof another tribe, it wasn't unusual for all the members of the tribe of the injured man to quicklymove to take vengeance on all the members of the tribe of the man who committed the injury. Andusually, the vengeance desired was nothing less than death.

So, what this law does is goes against the natural, tribal, vengeful nature of human beings andlimits vengeance. An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth lays it down that only the man whocommitted the crime is to be punished, and his punishment must be no more than equal to thedamage he inflicted.

So, you can see, that in its earliest forms, the intention was one of mercy, not vengeance orretribution.

2. This law prevented private vengeance. In every case where this law was on the bookseven inits earliest forms in Babylon and in Old Testament Judaismthe grievance was to be handled by a

judge. This issue was always decided in court, in an orderly and public way.

This law was never intended to give an individual person the right to indulge in even the least littlebit of vengeance. It was, in every case, intended to be a guide for a judge to follow in theassessment of a penalty for a crime that was committed.

D. Jesus' new paradigm

1. Consistent

But Jesus is consistent with every other time He's used this phrase "You heard it said...". He uses

the old Law to introduce God's way of doing things, rather than the normal, human way of doingthings. Specifically, Jesus addresses three things that human beings value very much, and givesGod's perspective on how we are to handle those values: The three things Jesus addressesare...dignity, security, and liberty.

And what we'll see this morning is a divine perspective on these human values, through three wordpictures that were very relevant to the original hearers of this sermon, but are going to take someexplaining for us, today.

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II. 3 New Principles in Three Word Pictures

A. Dignity

Matthew 5:39 39 But I tell you, Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the rightcheek, turn to him the other also.

Because human beings are created in the image of God, a human being has the right to expectbasic dignity, respect and consideration from other people. But if we're wise, we know that wewon't always be treated with dignity, respect and consideration . In fact, the Bible is very clear thatif you are a follower of Jesus Christ, you can expect to be ridiculed, mistreated and be showncontempt.

2 Timothy 3:12 12 In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will bepersecuted,

Now, everyone on that hillside in Palestine, listening to these words, knew that if you were a Jew,the most demeaning and contemptuous act you could have done to you was to be slapped in the

face. A slap in the face was a direct attack on your dignity, your honor, and your good name.

In fact, a slap on the face to a Jew in Jesus' day was to be treated as less than human. One of thecommentators I read this week said, "Even a slave would rather have been struck across the backwith a whip than be slapped in the face by his master's hand." (John MacArthur, Matthew 1-7)

To strike someone in Jesus' day on the right cheek was a vicious insult. But look at what Jesus saysHis followers are to do when we are insulted, even in the most vicious wayHe says we are to"turn to him the other also".

In that simple statement, Jesus tells us more about what we are NOT TO DO, than what we are to

do. Turning the other cheek demonstrates a non-avenging, non-retaliatory, humble and gentle spiritthat is to characterize Jesus Christ's followers. And, this falls right in line with one of the openingstatements Jesus made in this sermon...

Matthew 5: 7 7 Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.

So, in practice, this first word picture tells us that when someone attacks our dignity, we are not todefend it by retaliation. We are to leave that protection and defense to God, knowing that somedaywe will have that hurt wiped away when we reign with Him in His heavenly kingdom in all it'sglory and majesty.

B. Duty vs. Rights

The second word picture addresses the issue of the duties of a Christian, as opposed to theirindividual rights.

Matthew 5:40 40 And if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak aswell.

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The tunic in Jesus time, was something like a woman's slip, or a man's undershirt. It was a light,semi-undergarment worn for modesty and protection. Even the poorest of people generally had atleast two tunics.

But over the tunic a person wore a cloak. The cloak was a blanket-like outer garment. This cloakdoubled as two things. First of all, it was the outer robe, during the day. Secondly, at night, when itgot cold, it was a person's blanket. Generally speaking, the normal Jewish person only had one

cloak.

Now, it was a normal thing for the extra tunic of a person to be given as collateral or bond during acourt proceeding. Sometimes, in a serious offense, a person's cloak was even required by the courtsto be given to the party bringing a lawsuit. However, God had laid down rules regarding thispractice...

Exodus 22:26-27 26 If you take your neighbor's cloak as a pledge, return it to him by sunset, 27because his cloak is the only covering he has for his body. What else will he sleep in? When hecries out to me, I will hear, for I am compassionate.

The point is, that in legal proceedings, a person had a right to get his cloak back before sundown.A person's right was that his cloak could not be taken away from him permanently.

So, the picture, through this illustration, that Jesus is giving is simply this: As a Christian, eventhough you have rights, don't demand that you receive them.

William Barclay makes an insightful application of this in his commentary on this verse (front ofbulletin)

"Churches are tragically full of people (who demand their rights), officials whose territory hasbeen invaded, office-bearers who have not been accorded their proper place, courts which do

business with a manual of practice and procedure on the table all the time, lest anyone's rightsshould be invaded. People like that have not even begun to see what Christianity is. The Christianthinks not of his rights, but of his duties; not of his privileges, but of his responsibilities."

Illustration: I lost so much respect for a Superintendent that I served under in anotherdenomination, because he insisted on carrying around a copy of the denomination's Book ofDiscipline (denominational handbook) to make sure, to use his words, "...that his rights as theleader of the Conference were not being violated."

And friends, Jesus is saying that if your Christian practice has come to thatif you are moreconcerned with your rights than with your duties as a follower of Jesus Christthen you've missed

the power of God in your life. Your relationship with Christ has sunk to nothing more than fireinsurance. And the consequences to that lack of trust in God and what He values is that you'llnever experience the abundant and meaningful life that God meant for Christians to experience, foras long as you insist on holding on to your rights.

C. Helping before Liberty or Convenience

Human dignity and human rights have been addressed. Now Jesus addresses human liberty.

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Matthew 5:41 41 If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. The word "forces"in this verse, could better be translated, "Compel". That word has a Persian history to it.

Illustration: We Americans might think that our Pony Express was the first of its kind. But itwasn't. Back during the time of the prophet Daniel, the Persians had an amazing postal system.Each road in the empire was divided into stages lasting one day. At the end of each stage there wasfood and water for the courier, and water and food for the horses, plus there were fresh horses for

the next leg of the journey. But if by any chance there was anything lacking, any private personcould be "compelled" into giving food, lodging, horses, assistance, and even made to carry themessage or messages himself for one of the stages.

Well, this is the same word Jesus uses here, when He uses the word, "Forces". It was a commonpractice for a Roman soldier to "force" or "compel" a Jew to supply food, or to provide lodging, orto carry his baggage. Sometimes this was done in a kind way. But most often it was done in ademeaning way, that was met by disgust, anger and grudging service, on the part of the Jewishperson.

There is an example of this in the Good Friday account, where Simon of Cyrene was "compelled"

or "forced" to carry Jesus' cross by the Roman soldiers, after Jesus collapsed under its weight.

So, Jesus message to his audience was this.. .Suppose a Roman soldier comes to you, when you'reminding your own business, you're tired, and you've had a bad day at the office or in theclassroom, or on the golf course. And that soldier forces you to carry his suitcase one mile. Jesus issaying, don't be bitter; don't be resentful; and don't pout. Instead, do it with cheerfulness, and offerto carry it an extra mile, if the soldier needs your help.

The principle is this: Don't be thinking about your liberty, your freedom, your convenience, orwhat you would rather do. Instead, be thinking about your duty and the privilege to be of service toothers, and show the love of Jesus Christ through what you can do.

Illustration: One cold night in December, two years ago, when we were living in Missouri, wecame home from a Bible study on a Wednesday night. Now, one of my favorite TV programs is"Law and Order", and I wanted to be home in time to see it at 9:00 PM. That was my time tounwind and not be disturbed.

When we pulled into our driveway, about 5 minutes to 9, we saw a car with a young woman in it,parked in our neighbors driveway, with the engine running. Diane thought it might be ourneighbor, Terry, and maybe she was locked out of her house, or something else was wrong. WhileI selfishly went inside, Diane went to investigate. It turned out that it was our neighbor's sister,Victoria, waiting to have Terry and Eric help her with a computer project.

But our neighbors, Eric and Terry, were at a school function for one of their children, and were latein getting home. So, Diane invited her over to our house to wait in the warmth of the family roomand get something warm to drink. And I'm thinking, "I really need to just unwind. It's late. I don'twant to be with anyone else, I've been with people all day."

You see, Diane was following the principle Jesus was laying down here, and I wasn't.

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We can apply that principle to many areas of our life: to ministries in our church; to how wehandle and react to our neighbors' needs; to how we treat needy people at work and school; and tohow we respond to people who ask for our help. Jesus' point is that if you're going to be Hisfollower, then how you react in these circumstances shouldn't be based on your personal freedom,or your needs or your wants; rather, the issue is your willingness to serve someone in need. Howdo you measure up?

III. Practical Application

Now, after addressing these three values that human beings hold dear: dignity, basic rights, andliberty..., Jesus wraps this section up with a point of practical application of these issues to acommon occurrence in Jewish society.

Matthew 5:42 42 Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants toborrow from you.

Now, Jesus is referring to a shrewd maneuver that was being practiced by the Pharisees, to getaround one of God's laws. You see, in the Old Testament, God set down some very specific rules

regarding lending money to people who were in need.

Deuteronomy 15:7-10 7 If there is a poor man among your brothers in any of the towns of the landthat the LORD your God is giving you, do not be hardhearted or tightfisted toward your poorbrother. 8 Rather be openhanded and freely lend him whatever he needs. 9 Be careful not to harborthis wicked thought: "The seventh year, the year for canceling debts, is near," so that you do notshow ill will toward your needy brother and give him nothing. He may then appeal to the LORDagainst you, and you will be found guilty of sin. 10 Give generously to him and do so without agrudging heart; then because of this the LORD your God will bless you in all your work and ineverything you put your hand to.

Here was God's law. During every seventh year, all debts were to be canceled that were owed to afellow Jew. This was how God watched over the poor of His chosen people.

So, out fear of losing what was "rightfully" theirs, the Pharisees of Jesus day were making apractice not to loan any money, or to lend any financial help to any of their fellow Jews during thesixth or seventh yearbecause they were afraid of not getting back what they perceived wasrightfully theirs.

And you see how this all fits practically into what Jesus has been teaching us about rights, aboutduties and about inconveniences.

If you have an issue with not getting paid back , then you've just taken on a problem that doesn'tbelong to you. You see, since it all belongs to God anyway, that's God's problem. And Jesus issaying that even your rights to being a shrewd business person, pales in importance whencompared to the vital principle of giving up your rights in order to advance His Kingdom.

IV. Conclusion

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As you can see, this teaching isn't for "spiritual lightweights". Jesus calls us to a higher standard ofconduct and motivation that the rest of the world.

I'm going to leave you with something I came across this recently. I think it sums up this wholeissue of my rights verses God's values. It goes like this...

Well, here I am, Lord. You said "Take up your cross," and I'm here to do it.

It's not easy, you know, this self-denial thing. I plan to go through with it, though. Yes sir!

I'll bet you wish more people were willing to be disciples like me. I've counted the cost andsurrendered my life, even though it's not an easy road.

You mind if I look over these crosses I have to bear? I'd kind of like a new one. I'm not fussy, youunderstand; but a disciple has to be relevant these days.

I was wondering -- are there any that are padded? I'm thinking of attracting others, see? And if Icould show them a comfortable cross, I'm sure I could get a lot more people to follow you. Got to

keep up with what people want, you know.

And I need something durable so I can treasure it always.

Oh, is there one that's sort of small so it would fit under my coat? One shouldn't be too obvious.

Funny, there doesn't seem to be much of a choice here. Just that coarse, rough wood. I mean thatwould hurt. Don't you have something more distinctive, Lord? I can tell you right now, none of myfriends are going to be impressed by this shoddy workmanship. They'll think I'm a nut orsomething. And my family will be just mortified.

What's that? It's either one of these or forget the whole thing? But Lord, I want to be your disciple,I mean, just being with you; that's all that counts; but life has to have a balance, too.

What's that you say? Read the Sermon on the Mount? I did. But you don't understand -- nobodylives that way, today! Who's going to be attracted by having to give up their rights?

I mean, I want to; but let's not over do it. If I start getting radical like this, they'll take me off to thefunny farm. Know what I mean?

I mean being a disciple is challenging and exciting and I want to do it; but I do have some rights,you know.

Lord...? Jesus...? Now where do you suppose He went?

Friends, That's the bottom line. Jesus expects a different standard from us than what the worldexpects of us. This Sermon on the Mount is a challenge. Knowing it, you're going to have todecide who you're going to follow.

Amen.

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Matthew 5:38-42

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 toughlooking, 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 onemight expect. Instead, he calmly rose, picked up his check, walked to the front of the room, put thecheck and his money on the cash register, and went out the door. The waitress followed him to putthe 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 overthree motorcycles on his way out of the parking lot."

Do you love hearing stories like that? Stories of revenge and retaliation? I think we all share thattype 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!"

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 havecertain 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'srights, gay rights, prisoner's rights, and the list goes on and on. There is talk now that Malvo, oneof the D.C. area snipers, may have had his rights violated. He was driving around shooting peopleindiscrimently - and he has rights?

We want what we think is ours. And we are willing to fight for it. When anyone threatens ourrights or takes what we think belongs to us, we are inclined to retaliate.

Here in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus deals directly with the issue ofrights. He reveals how weare to respond when we have been wronged. He gives us valuable insight into the selfish desireswhich drive us and cause us to be consumed with self-interest.

Let me remind you that in the Sermon on the Mount Jesus is speaking to believers, all believers.To enter the Kingdom of heaven one must trust in Christ and be born from above. A person can'tjust decide to live by the Sermon on the Mount and then do it. You can't. It is so easy to read thesecommands like the Nike commercial: "Just Do It!" So we must never lose sight of the bigger pointthat we can only live these commands out once our heart has been transformed by Christ.

This is a very difficult section, not difficult to understand, but difficult to accept and to live out.

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How do you respond to being wronged? This is the real question we must answer. Our desire is toretaliate. There is no question about that. All of us have been wronged, and all of us have wantedto 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 wemust 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 our text this morning:

Matthew 5:38 (NKJV) "You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye and a tooth for a

tooth.'

Notice that Jesus again said, "Ye have heard that it was said...But I say unto you."With thisexpression, Jesus is saying there is a contrast between what He is teaching and what the scribesand Pharisees have taught. The scribes and Pharisees took this statement: "an eye for an eye, and atooth for a tooth" out of context as many today do. They expounded this precept as though Godhad given permission for each individual to take the law into his own hands and avenge his ownwrongs. They taught that it allowed each person to take private revenge upon his enemies. Thus a

spirit of resistance was cherished and the act of retaliation condoned.

When Jesus pointed out this common maxim, He was quoting directly from three Old Testamentpassages (Exodus 21:24; Leviticus 24:20 Deuteronomy 19:21). This law was given to Moses toassure that thejudges would render righteous and proper judgment. In every instance in the OldTestament when a reference was made to "an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth," it wasreferring to judgment rendered by judges. A punishment sufficient to serve as a deterrent to thecrime was to be rendered. This law was also to insure against a judgment being rendered that wasexorbitant. For a minor crime, you were not to lose your life; there was not to be unreasonablepunishment. The measurement of punishment had to be exact. If you had caused the damage ofsomeone's eye, the punishment may not exceed that of removing an eye. In other words, the

punishment had to be equal to the crime. What is being taught in the Old Testament by "An eye foran eye, and a tooth for a tooth" is that the punishment rendered by the judges must be appropriateto the crime. It was not a license to seek revenge by individuals.

Exodus 21:22-25 (NKJV) "If men fight, and hurt a woman with child, so that she gives birth

prematurely, yet no harm follows, he shall surely be punished accordingly as the woman's

husband imposes on him; and he shall pay as the judges determine. 23 "But if any harm

follows, then you shall give life for life, 24 "eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot

for foot, 25 "burn for burn, wound for wound, stripe for stripe.

Notice the end of verse 22 "...he shall pay as the judges determine..."the context is of judicial

proceedings.

If you have committed murder, then you must give your life. That is still true today. Capitalpunishment is appropriate for a murderer, but capital punishment is not appropriate for punchingsomeone in the face.

With this Scripture, the Lord is teaching that in the judicial process, justice must be met in properproportion with the crime. The punishment must be appropriate for the crime committed to work

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as a deterrent against crime. In today's society, people commit murder and receive three years injail where they sit on a sofa in front of a television set; then they are turned free. This is not properadministration of justice. This type of sentence for such a crime is not a deterrent. What ishappening? Murder is becoming rampant. The Lord says that in the judicial process, thepunishment must be appropriate to the crime.

Please understand this; every time the Old Testament speaks of "an eye for an eye, and a tooth for

a tooth," it is always in the matter of a judicial proceeding.

The pharisaical teaching of, "eye for eye, tooth for tooth," in the way of revenge flew squarely inthe face of:

Proverbs 24:29 (NKJV) Do not say, "I will do to him just as he has done to me; I will render

to the man according to his work."

Does the Scripture contradict itself? No, it does not! This verse clearly says that one should not saythey will seek revenge. The scribes and Pharisees took it out of context; they were teaching arevengeful spirit:

Proverbs 20:22 (NKJV) Do not say, "I will recompense evil"; Wait for the LORD, and He

will save you.

The Lord is saying that vengeance is His. Do you know why? The Lord knows the thoughts andintents of the heart; not only that, He has also ordained judges.

Revenge, or defending your own borders, is the first impulse of the unregenerate. We are not tofight with the same spirit as they do; we must have a Christ-like response.

An eye for and eye is the law of just recompense. It is not intended to be taken literally. If I put a

dent in the fender of your car, I should be the one to pay for the damages. You shouldn't have topay it, but I shouldn't have to buy you a new car. An eye for an eye.

Please notice carefully what Jesus expects from the citizens of His kingdom:

Matthew 5:39-42 (NKJV) "But I tell you not to resist an evil person. But whoever slaps you

on your right cheek, turn the other to him also. 40 "If anyone wants to sue you and take

away your tunic, let him have your cloak also. 41 "And whoever compels you to go one mile,

go with him two. 42 "Give to him who asks you, and from him who wants to borrow from

you do not turn away.

Is this to be taken literally? This is an important question, is it not? So, what do you think are thesecommands to be taken literally? If you say, "Yes, these are to be taken literally" then I'm going toask you for you car keys. Jesus said, "Give to him who asks you". So, I'm asking you to give meyour car keys. If you take this literally, then you must give me your car keys. Do you see theproblem here? So how do we know if these verses are to be taken literally or not. Good question,I'm glad you asked. We all know what Jesus said. The important question is, "What did he meanby what he said?" How do we determine that? We are to determine what the Bible means by theuse ofHermeneutics. What is hermeneutics? It is the science of biblical interpretation. The

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purpose of hermeneutics is to establish guidelines and rules for interpreting the Bible. Any writtendocument is subject to misinterpretation and thus we have developed rules to safeguard us fromsuch misunderstanding.

God has spoken, and what He has said is recorded in Scripture. The basic need of hermeneutics isto ascertain what God meant by what he said. If we are going to rightly handle the word of God,we must diligently work at it applying the rules of hermeneutics.

The primary rule of hermeneutics is called: The Analogy of Faith - this means that Scriptureinterprets Scripture. No part of Scripture can be interpreted in such a way as to render it in conflictwith what is clearly taught elsewhere in Scripture.

Using the rule of the analogy of faith, let's look at what Jesus said and see if what he said is to betaken literally.

When Jesus says, "I tell you not to resist an evil person", is he saying that we are not to resistevil? The word "resist" is from the Greek word anthistemi, which means: "to stand against, i.e.oppose, resist, withstand." Is Jesus saying, "Don't oppose evil"? No, he is not, and we know this by

comparing Scripture with Scripture.

The teaching of Christ in other passages forbids us to understand "resist not evil" in an unqualifiedand universal sense. He gave explicit directions to His disciples concerning their duty toward thosewho wronged them:

Matthew 18:15-17 (NKJV) "Moreover if your brother sins against you, go and tell him his

fault between you and him alone. If he hears you, you have gained your brother. 16 "But if

he will not hear, take with you one or two more, that 'by the mouth of two or three witnesses

every word may be established.' 17 "And if he refuses to hear them, tell it to the church. But

if he refuses even to hear the church, let him be to you like a heathen and a tax collector.

Now that is very definite resistance to evil: it challenges the wrong done, examines the offence,and punishes the wrongdoer.

Notice how Paul deals with Peters hypocrisy:

Galatians 2:11-13 (NKJV) Now when Peter had come to Antioch, I withstood [anthistemi]him to his face, because he was to be blamed; 12 for before certain men came from James, he

would eat with the Gentiles; but when they came, he withdrew and separated himself, fearing

those who were of the circumcision. 13 And the rest of the Jews also played the hypocrite

with him, so that even Barnabas was carried away with their hypocrisy.

Paul "resisted" Peter when his actions were evil. He didn't ignore Peter's hypocrisy, he stoodagainst it. Paul was a man of God, he was not disobeying Jesus' words.

Believers, we are to resist evil. We are to stand against evil. The Bible clearly teaches us that weare to speak the truth, to stand for the oppressed, to uphold righteousness. What Christ wasforbidding was not the resisting of evil by a lawful defense, but by way ofprivate revenge.

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To deduce from this passage the doctrine of unlimited non-resistance to evil is to pervert itsteaching, just as to insist that the plucking out of a right eye which offends or the cutting off of anoffending right hand (vv. 29, 30) must be understood and obeyed literally, would be to missentirely our Lord's meaning in those verses.

What Jesus is saying is that we are never to personally retaliate against other people. We are neverto 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.

Matthew 5:39 (NKJV) "But I tell you not to resist an evil person. But whoever slaps you on

your right cheek, turn the other to him also.

In these next four verses Jesus teaches his followers that they are to respond to evil by doing good!Jesus illustrates this principle with several examples: 1) Responding to physical abuse (verse 39b).2) Responding to a civil suit, by giving more than what the person is suing! (verse 40). 3)Responding to government oppression, by offering to do more than what is being demanded ofyou! (verse 41). 4) Responding to those asking for help, by giving them what they ask! (verse 42).

Let's look at the first one; Responding to physical abuse.

Our text speaks of being smitten on the right cheek, which indicates a backhanded slap. NowScripture presumes that a person is right-handed. If you and I are facing each other and I slap yourface, I am going to slap you on the left cheek because I use my right hand. This Scripture talksabout being slapped on the right cheek which means you use the backside of your hand to swat theother person on the right cheek. In Bible times, a backhanded slap was a degrading, insulting slapacross the face.

That backhanded slap in the face can also be degrading, insulting words which are untrue. Itdoesn't necessarily have to be a physical slap. It is a backhand slap anytime you are saying

insulting or degrading things to or about a person, especially if they are untrue, but it can bebackhanded even if they are true. Such words can be especially insulting when spoken in front ofothers.

Are we to literally turn the other cheek when we are slapped? Remember, Scripture interpretsScripture. Jesus said in our text, "...whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to himalso."We know that Scripture does not contradict itself, and certainly Jesus does not contradictHimself. Yet Jesus defended Himself when He was smitten wrongly on the cheek; He did not justturn the other cheek:

John 18:22-23 (NKJV) And when He had said these things, one of the officers who stood by

struck Jesus with the palm of his hand, saying, "Do You answer the high priest like that?" 23Jesus answered him, "If I have spoken evil, bear witness of the evil; but if well, why do you

strike Me?"

The Lord Jesus admonished them of their violation against the principle of the law, but He did notgo out to avenge Himself. This is the principle the Lord Jesus teaches when He says if they smiteyou on the right cheek, turn also the left. He is not saying to just let people slap your face. Jesus is

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teaching that you do not go out in a revengeful spirit, but He did defend Himself when He wassmitten by pointing out to them their wrong.

Notice how Paul responds to being struck:

Acts 23:2-3 (NKJV) And the high priest Ananias commanded those who stood by him to

strike him on the mouth. 3 Then Paul said to him, "God will strike you, you whitewashed

wall! For you sit to judge me according to the law, and do you command me to be struckcontrary to the law?"

Was Paul in violation of Jesus' teaching? No! Jesus was obviously not teaching that we should turnthe other cheek when slapped, but that we should not retaliate.

Jesus' next example is of responding to a civil suit:

Matthew 5:40 (NKJV) "If anyone wants to sue you and take away your tunic, let him have

your cloak also.

Jesus is speaking of the evildoer who wrongfully takes your possessions. Someone might sue youat the law to take your possessions to make you pay your debts. Scripture is not speaking aboutthis; it is speaking about someone taking your possessions when you owe them nothing.

This does not mean that you surrender your property without defending yourself, but that you donot go out to retaliate. I want you to understand, it does not mean that if someone comes to takeyour property unjustly that you just give them everything you have. This is not what this Scriptureis saying. It is saying that you do not go out to retaliate.

These words of our Savior, "If anyone wants to sue you and take away your tunic, let him haveyour cloak also"must not be taken out of context. To properly understand Scripture, we must

never take it out of context. These words of Jesus were in the context of His teaching on how thepharisaical teaching of "an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth" was contrary to Christianity.Jesus is contrasting the pharisaical teaching of revenge with the intent and spirit of the law. Thespirit of revenge is what the Lord is teaching against.

This does not mean that there is never a time when it is necessary to go to court. In fact, this is thetrue meaning of "an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth." It involves the courts. Every time "aneye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth" is mentioned in the Old Testament, it is in the context ofhow to administer justice. If it were wrong to go to court, why would the Lord have established thecourt system? Why would He have established the principle of "an eye for an eye, and a tooth for atooth" in the courts if it were wrong to go to court? This is the God ordained place where justice is

to be meted out. God has ordained the courts. We are not to avenge ourselves in a revenging spirit;justice is to be meted out in the courts which God has established.

The Apostle Paul stood up for legal principles, yet without seeking revenge or retaliation. Paul andSilas were wrongfully beaten, put in prison, and bound with chains. Paul did not seek revenge, buthe defended himself using the law.

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Acts 16:37 (NKJV) But Paul said to them, "They have beaten us openly, uncondemned

Romans, and have thrown us into prison. And now do they put us out secretly? No indeed!

Let them come themselves and get us out."

He is charging them with their wrong. They may have had great fears that Paul would haverevenge and sue them at the law, because he and Silas were Romans condemned unjustly. Paul didnot seek revenge. He walked in the principle of Christ's teachings, but he certainly stood to defend.

There is a difference.

Jesus' next example is of responding to government oppression:

Matthew 5:41 (NKJV) "And whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two.

This is the third of the four examples the Lord Jesus is using to correct the perverted teaching ofthe scribes and Pharisees regarding revenge.

The word "compel" is from the Greek word aggareuo, it means: "to be a courier; i.e., byimplication to press into public service:--compel (to go).to force".

To understand what Jesus is talking about, we have to understand the history of the times and placewhere the Lord Jesus spoke these words. Jesus spoke of a Persian custom adopted by the Romansoldiers when traveling. They compelled a person to serve as a baggage-carrier or as a guide todirect the traveler. It was the custom of the time to compel a person to do this for one mile. Nowthe Lord Jesus says that if they compel you to go one mile, offer to go two miles. Why? The Jewsgrumbled and felt frustrated within their hearts when a Roman soldier compelled them to carry hisbaggage for one mile. Jesus is showing them that they had the wrong attitude and an unchristianspirit. They were not fulfilling the spirit of the law.

We read an example of this custom in:

Mark 15:21 (NKJV) Then they compelled a certain man, Simon a Cyrenian, the father of

Alexander and Rufus, as he was coming out of the country and passing by, to bear His cross.

The man was coming out of the country, into the city, and they arbitrarily summoned him andcompelled him to carry the cross. This spirit of resentment brought about much murmuring. TheJews hated the presence of the Romans in their country. It was especially humiliating for them tobe compelled, as a servant, to carry a Roman's baggage for a mile. A Jew, regardless of hisposition in the community, could be forced to turn from his journey to be a servant of the Romansoldier. Scribes, Pharisees, or the ordinary citizen who was Jewish had to stop in their journey,wherever they were going, to carry the soldier's baggage.

The Lord Jesus contrasts this spirit of rebellion with the spirit of submission, not only as unto theRomans, but as unto the Lord. When we go that extra mile cheerfully, it reveals a submissive heart.

Jesus then gives a fourth example of responding to those asking for help, by giving them what theyask:

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Matthew 5:42 (NKJV) "Give to him who asks you, and from him who wants to borrow from

you do not turn away.

Natural man does not see his possessions as loaned to him by the Lord, but as something he hasearned. This is you and I by nature. When we have gained some assets through our labor, by thesweat of our brow, then we put a tag on that as mine. I earned it by my hard work, but that is notthe Spirit of the Lord.

When we have a biblical perspective, we can say with the Psalmist in:

Psalms 50:10 (NKJV) For every beast of the forest is Mine, And the cattle on a thousand

hills.

What we have to understand is that everything that we have, that we claim is only a loan from theLord, He has lent it to us to use for His service. The cattle, the gold, the silver are the Lord's.

When He tells you to loan it to your fellow man, He is instructing you, as His steward, as to whatHe wants you to do with that which is the Lord's. It is not ours. We have to understand that when

we lend unto our neighbor; it is lending as unto the Lord.

Please listen carefully; though I don't think that these commands by Christ are to be taken literally,as I have tried to demonstrate, I do not think that it is wrong to literally respond in this way. I thinkthat one of the most convicting scriptures to our self-centered materialistic attitudes is:

Hebrews 10:32-34 (NKJV) But recall the former days in which, after you were illuminated,

you endured a great struggle with sufferings: 33 partly while you were made a spectacle both

by reproaches and tribulations, and partly while you became companions of those who were

so treated; 34 for you had compassion on me in my chains, and joyfully accepted the

plundering of your goods, knowing that you have a better and an enduring possession for

yourselves in heaven.

It says they, "joyfully accepted the plundering of your goods". I would very much like to tell youthat this is a textual error, but it's not! This is very convicting. This is the concrete action of thetribulation mentioned in verse 33. Their property was being confiscated.

The word "plundering" is from the Greekharpage, which most likely points to mob violence, theunjust seizer of their property. Notice that it doesn't say anything about retaliation or resistance. Iwould like it to say, "And they took their AR-15's and AK-47's and joyfully defended theirproperty." But it says, "They took it joyfully."

Now, I know from experience that ordinally there is nothing in this world that causes moredistress, depression, grief, anxiety and sorrow than the loss of one's material goods - especiallythose material goods for which an individual has diligently and honestly labored, and which theyand their families still need. But our text says they accepted it joyfully. How could they have thisattitude? What did they know that we don't? God! They knew God in such an intimate way that itcontrolled how they lived. Joy is a by-product of a spirit controlled life.

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Listen to what some Christians in the second century had to say, "Do good, and give liberally to allwho are in need from the wages God gives you. Do not hesitate about to whom you should notgive. Give to all. For God wishes gifts to be made to all out of His bounties." (Hermas, 135 A.D.)

"And he said to love not only our neighbors but also our enemies, and to be givers and sharers, notonly with the good but also to be liberal givers towards those who take away our possessions."(Irenaeus, 185 A.D.)

These statements were written at a time when Christians were constantly mistreated, abused, andmanipulated by others!

It is difficult to even consider actually doing what Jesus commands us to do in this text. The ideaof turning the other cheek when someone gives us an insulting slap is not what we really want todo. We want to strike back. We feel we have the right. When someone feels wronged by us andwants compensation, to be willing to give more than is required is not something we relish. Wewant to defend ourselves and be vindicated. When we are coerced into doing something we don'twant to do, the idea of doubling that demand is repugnant to us. When we feel we are being takenadvantage 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 andcompassion are not deserved.

What purpose does this serve? Why would Jesus call us to live by this higher law? He calls us tocompassion in order to show the love of God through our lives. By doing so, we become a livingtestimony to His grace and mercy. This is what Jesus is after in our lives. He wants to develop ourcharacter to the point where we are not concerned to assert our own rights. He desires that we lookat 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 becomemore 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 isto touch people's hearts by His mercy. His purpose is to develop our character so that we areconformed to the nature of Jesus Christ. His purpose is to reveal His Kingdom on earth throughHis people.

The choice is yours. The choice is either to take matters in your own hands or to be an agent of theKingdom of God. You can assert your rights, or you can reach out to others. You can retaliate, oryou can show compassion.

Paul summed this up in one verse:

Romans 12:21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

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By: Rev. Adrian Dieleman

This sermon was preached on June 17, 2001

Matthew 5:38-42"Eyes and Teeth"

Introduction

Topic: RevengeSubtopic:Index: 2281Date: 8/1990.15Title:

Janine Brooks was a dental student when a man ran into her car and drove away. That was 10years ago. Her damaged car resulted in a considerable financial burden on her student income butthe motorist neither apologized nor ever paid for the damage he had done.Ten years later Janine Brooks, the former student, is now a dentist and guess who came to her

office needing a tooth to be pulled? He did not recognize her; she recognized him. She told him itwouldn't hurt; she lied.Or, consider this:Topic: RevengeSubtopic:Index: 2281Date: 8/1992.10Title:

From the Business Farmer News, Scottsbluff, Nebraska: In the column under "For Sale or Trade"it says:

"Will trade one white wedding gown size 16 -- never worn. Will trade for 38 caliber revolver."These two stories illustrate the subject of our Scripture reading for this evening: the all to commondesire for revenge.

I The Law of Moses

A Throughout our study of the Sermon on the Mount we have looked at the law of Moses, whatthe Rabbis said about that law, and then what Jesus said about that law. Since the Old Testamentspeaks in a number of places about "Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth" (Ex 21:24; Lev 24:20; Deut19