Rightly Divide the Word, Part 2
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Intro
Intro
Part 2 of Rightly Divide the Word, really seeing what the Bible teaches
There is one scripture that really irritates Christians
makes us say, “I know what the Bible says . . . but”
The one that says, “turn the other cheek” - Christians will outright say, “I can’t do it”, and even get an attitude about it
in referring to the turn the other cheek scripture, A rapper (a Christian) wrote these words,
“Try Jesus, Not me, 'Cause I throw hands
Try Jesus, Please don't try me, Because I fight
I know what He said about getting slapped
But if you touch me or mine
We gon' have to scrap
So Try Jesus
Please don't try me
Because I fight
every Christian knew exactly what he meant: I am not spiritually mature enough to turn the other cheek if someone slaps me, so don’t try it
people even start making t-shirts (show picture)
if you haven’t heard of this scripture, here it is
39 “But I say to you, do not resist an evil person; but whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also.
wait, what? Not only not slap them back, but let them slap you again?
Did Jesus want his followers to be doormats? Allow people to just run over us? Surrender to aggressors? Become gluttons for punishment?
I personally hope not (being upfront), but we must investigate to see what the word says . . .
so let’s look at the context
Chapter Context (chapter 5 of Matthew) - Sermon on the Mount
this verse is part of Jesus’ famous sermon on the Mount
in this sermon, Jesus said that he did not come to destroy or change the law/the established word of God, but to fulfill their laws . . . give a complete understanding, teach the spirit that is behind the law
and in this sermon, Jesus teaches that followers of God should go above and beyond what was expected by man, and striving to do what was expected by God
Jesus is taking to the people to a higher level of understanding of God’s will
and by verse 21 He Jesus starts teaching on relating to others; He deals with things like
Murder - in God’s eyes the goal is not just don’t murder, but don’t even have hate in your heart
adultery - in God’s eyes, the goal is is not just don’t cheat, but don’t have cheating in your heart
Therefore, in this part of the sermon Jesus is preaching on taking how we relate to others, to the next level . . . . the level God intended
Context - preaching style/strategy
in this sermon, Jesus often uses hyperbole to get his points across.
in other words, Jesus uses exaggeration for emphasis
Example: like a parent might say, “if you don’t clean up this room, you’ll be 18 before you even see your cell phone again!”
not really because they are only 6 years old, but emphasizing how serious that child better take cleaning their room
Here is an example of hyperbole in this sermon, a few verses before our main verse
29 “If your right eye makes you stumble, tear it out and throw it from you; for it is better for you to lose one of the parts of your body, than for your whole body to be thrown into hell.
30 “If your right hand makes you stumble, cut it off and throw it from you; for it is better for you to lose one of the parts of your body, than for your whole body to go into hell.
I have found no one who believes Jesus is literally talking about plucking out your own eyes or cutting off your hand when you mess up
but he IS emphasizing the seriousness of living right
we see Jesus uses some hyperbole for emphasis
so far, before we get to the verse in question, we know that
Jesus is preaching on how we should relate to people . . . . on the level God intended
Jesus is employing hyperbole for emphasis
context of preceding verse and a half
Matthew 5:38–39a (NASB95)
38 “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.’ 39 “But I say to you, do not resist an evil person
there is a pattern Jesus keeps using: “You have heard that it was said . . . But I say to you
in this sermon Jesus uses this pattern to introduce his main points . . .
“you have heard that it was said . . . old way of thinking
but I say unto you” . . . new way of thinking, which is his main point . . .
and then Jesus gives examples
He does this in verse 21 and following, 27 and following, 33 and following
and now in verse 38, Jesus talks about the old way of thinking - eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth
introduces the new way of thinking - do not resist an evil person
and the famous slap scripture is the first of four examples he gives
So lock in your mind that the big lesson for the section of scripture that contains our verse is “Do not resist an evil person
now, back to eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth
What was the original understanding, the old way of thinking
In the Old Testament, “eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth” started off as a government punishment guideline
you kill someone, you get executed
you injure someone, you are given the same injury as punishment
you cripple their ox, you have to replace their ox or pay for it
22 “Now suppose two men are fighting, and in the process they accidentally strike a pregnant woman so she gives birth prematurely. If no further injury results, the man who struck the woman must pay the amount of compensation the woman’s husband demands and the judges approve.
23 But if there is further injury, the punishment must match the injury: a life for a life,
24 an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, a hand for a hand, a foot for a foot,
eye for an eye is all about laws and government justice, fairness . . . judge is part of the equation
But over the years they had turned “eye for an eye” into a way of living, personal mission statements
if you get me, I promise I gonna get you back
people living a lifestyle of revenge and payback
But Jesus says that’s not next level thinking, that’s now the proper understanding of what God wants, in verse 39 . . .
39 “But I say to you, do not resist an evil person; but whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also.
“But I say to you” = instead of this revenge culture, instead of payback culture . . . .
“do not resist an evil person” = if you are not resisting, you are not fighting back . . . in other words, when it comes to evil people, relating to people that do you wrong, “don’t fight your own battles”
Then Jesus gives his first example
“whoever slaps you on your right cheek”
what did that mean to the people Jesus was preaching to? . . . a crowd of mostly Jewish people
In the Jewish culture, honor and shame were very important
honor your parents, don’t shame them
David often wrote in Psalms, do not let me be put to shame
Jesus said, whoever is ashamed of me . . .
Paul wrote, I am not ashamed of the gospel
most would be familiar with the idea that being slapped referenced someone shaming you, insulting you, dishonoring you, disrespecting you to the highest degree
10 People jeer and laugh at me. They slap my cheek in contempt. A mob gathers against me.
Job is saying people jeer and laugh, and “slap my cheek in contempt”
people were not lining up to get their chance to slap him, it simply meant that a lot of people were looking down on him, shaming him
30 Let him give his cheek to the smiter, Let him be filled with reproach.
Jeremiah was saying, “We’ve been so evil, let us accept the consequences of our actions and be shamed . . . give my cheek to be slapped, we deserve the insults, disgrace, the reproach, the dishonor
. . . even today we say, “that was a slap in the face” when someone totally disrespects us or dishonors us
So they would have understood that when Jesus said “being slapped on the right cheek” . . he is talking about suffering disrespect and insult . . . that could include or not include a physical strike to the face
why the right cheek?
most people are right handed, so if someone is facing you and they slapped you on the right cheek with their right hand . . . do the math . . . that means they back slapped you!
the ultimate personal insult! . . . “boy, I will backslap you”
So, Jesus teaches with the most provoking example possible, that even if you are insulted and shamed to the highest degree . . . .
“turn the other to him also”
the normal reaction would be to slap someone back
normal reaction is to disrespect them back
Jesus says not only don’t retaliate, but turn the other cheek for a slap
so is Jesus saying go around and allow yourself to be slapped twice . . . NO remember he has being using hyperbole to emphasize
he really wants to drive the point home that when dealing with and relating to evil people, DO NOT FIGHT YOUR OWN BATTLES
we’ve heard this before, this ain’t nothing new, this teaching is throughout the Bible
the Lord will fight your battles
the Lord will fight for you
stand still and see the salvation of the Lord
“Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord”
let’s keep going because Jesus gives three more exaggerated examples
40 “If anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, let him have your coat also.
shirt - their inner clothes
coat - your outer clothes
you must be a poor man if you are getting sued for your shirt
Jesus tells the poor man, if you are sued, instead of seeking retribution, just be naked
again Jesus uses hyperbole to make a point
41 “Whoever forces you to go one mile, go with him two.
another extreme example - this is what the hated Roman soldiers would do to the Jews (explain)
compel you to carry their 50/60 pound gear for a mile
his audience knew what he was referring to
Jesus tells them, just help your oppressor, and carry their stuff for two miles
this is where the saying, “go the extra mile” comes from
Jesus uses exaggeration to teach
Go the extra mile to avoid fighting your own battles
Go out of your way to let the Lord handle it
42 “Give to him who asks of you, and do not turn away from him who wants to borrow from you.
always give what people ask for no matter what
Is Jesus saying that if I ask for your house/car, you just hand me the keys?
no, JEsus is again using the teaching method of hyperbole to provide emphasis
do all you can, give all you can to avoid retaliating on evil people
And in context we can clearly the lesson of “turn the other cheek”: When dealing with evil folk, don’t seek revenge and retaliation
don’t say
I’m gonna get them
I’m gonna fix them
I’m gonna make them pay
don’t plot on how you will make them suffer
and Jesus really wants you to get this, this is important, so he uses hyperbole as a teaching tool
We can see this teaching lived out in the Bible
David was a faithful servant/soldier of King Saul. But King Saul got jealous of David because God made David successful, and so King Saul starts trying to hunt down and kill David . . . and David and few men who were faithful to him go on the run
I want you to imaging someone you have helped and served trying to kill you . . . dealing with an evil person
2 So Saul chose 3,000 elite troops from all Israel and went to search for David and his men near the rocks of the wild goats.
3 At the place where the road passes some sheepfolds, Saul went into a cave to relieve himself. But as it happened, David and his men were hiding farther back in that very cave!
4 “Now’s your opportunity!” David’s men whispered to him. “Today the Lord is telling you, ‘I will certainly put your enemy into your power, to do with as you wish.’ ” So David crept forward and cut off a piece of the hem of Saul’s robe.
David’s men say, “now is the time for retaliation, payback. This guy has been trying to kill you”
they even put the Lord’s name in it
But David did not strike Saul down, and he kept his men from killing the King, David simply just cut off a piece of King Saul’s robe . . .
after Saul left the Cave, David held up the piece of clothing to show Saul proof that he could have killed him
That’s how David dealt with the evil person in his life
yeah, that’s going the extra mile, that’s going above to leave room for God to fight for you . . . let God take care of it
And God did take care of it!
Saul ended up tormented by demons
paranoid of everyone around him
living a life of fear
and killed by a random arrow in a battle
and David ended up as king - yeah, that “Let the Lord fight for your battles stuff” worked out good for David
very next chapter
David still on the run, encounters Nabal - rich man, lots of livestock
David and his men could have stolen his livestock, but instead they helped protect his livestock from marauders
David said how about sharing a little with us, show a little grattitude
Nabal said, “No way” and even made fun of David, SHAMED HIM
David decided to kill him . . . but Nabal’s wife intervened, and David then decided to let it go, he did not retaliate, he let the shaming go . .
38 About ten days later, the Lord struck Nabal and he died.
39 When David heard that Nabal was dead, he said, “Blessed be the Lord, who has pleaded the cause of my reproach from the hand of Nabal and has kept back His servant from evil. The Lord has also returned the evildoing of Nabal on his own head.” Then David sent a proposal to Abigail, to take her as his wife.
notice David mentions my reproach (shame) . . . and that God kept him from evil (killing Nabal himself)
He gave room for the Lord to retaliate!
and David married his widow!
by letting the Lord fight for him, David won big!
that’s what the Bible teaches
9 Don’t repay evil for evil. Don’t retaliate with insults when people insult you. Instead, pay them back with a blessing. That is what God has called you to do, and he will grant you his blessing.
this is what turn the other cheek means AND what it will do for you . . . there is a blessing in it!
you don’t fight the evil of others with your own evil, you fight their evil with good!
21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
Jesus
you know who else lived this teaching out?
Jesus . . . . Jesus followed his own teaching, Jesus!
he showed us how to relate to evil people . . . next level relating
during this trials, on his way to the cross, on the cross . . . he was slapped, spit on, mocked, put on a cross as a criminal . . . SHAMED TO THE HIGHEST DEGREE
though he was the son of God
though he had done nothing wrong
But he did not retaliate, even though he could have called legions of angels to his cause
He left it in God’s hands
he fought evil with good
he definitely turned the other cheek
when on trial he didn’t fight the charges
talk about someone suing you for your clothes - they took his clothes and gambled for them
but he gave more than clothes, he gave his all, his own life
he went above and beyond
he went the extra mile to relate to evil people
the evil people wasn’t just those there, it was us too . . . it did it for us!
and that’s NO EXAGGERATION!
and when you let God fight for you, God will fight for you
in the end, not only did God raise him from the dead
but gave him all power in heaven and earth
and one day every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess that he is Lord
that’s what the concept of turning the other cheeck will do for you
that’s what letting God fight your battles with evil people will do for you