Retaliation

Come and hear, all you who fear God, and I will tell what he has done for my soul. I cried to him with my mouth, and high praise was on my tongue. If I had cherished iniquity in my heart, the Lord would not have listened. But truly God has listened; he has attended to the voice of my prayer. Blessed be God, because he has not rejected my prayer or removed his steadfast love from me!

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Reading

Matthew 5:38–42 ESV

“You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if anyone would sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. And if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. Give to the one who begs from you, and do not refuse the one who would borrow from you.

Sermon

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Fifth Antithesis

Anger

Lust

Divorce

Oaths

Now: Retaliation

Love your enemies

What is our attitude towards others?

Do we care about how people perceive us?

Does it matter how we treat other people?

Are we resentful when asked to do things?

Do we find the needs of others a burden?

Tooth for a Tooth

Matthew 5:38 ESV

“You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’

Law of God...

Exodus 21:22–25 ESV

“When men strive together and hit a pregnant woman, so that her children come out, but there is no harm, the one who hit her shall surely be fined, as the woman’s husband shall impose on him, and he shall pay as the judges determine. But if there is harm, then you shall pay life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, stripe for stripe.

Law concerning witnesses, and punishing bearing false witness…

Deuteronomy 19:21 ESV

Your eye shall not pity. It shall be life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.

This is about the establishment of the Law courts

Do not take revenge

Justice should be administered independantly and publically

Pharisees appealed to this law to justify personal retribution and revenge

Later when the pharisees’ criticise the disciples for not following tradition, Jesus ...

Matthew 15:3 ESV

He answered them, “And why do you break the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition?

God was clear in His commands in the Old Testament...

Proverbs 20:22 ESV

Do not say, “I will repay evil”; wait for the Lord, and he will deliver you.

Proverbs 24:29 ESV

Do not say, “I will do to him as he has done to me; I will pay the man back for what he has done.”

Turn the other cheek

Matthew 5:39 ESV

But I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.

Jesus is condemning the spirit of lovelessness, hatred, and yearning for revenge

Do not oppose the evil-door with measures that arise from an unloving, unforgiving, unrelenting and vidictive disposition

“Turn the other cheek” means to show in attitude, word and deed that one is fulled with the spirit of love.

Paul reflected on this...

Romans 12:19–21 ESV

Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

Disagreements

Matthew 5:40 ESV

And if anyone would sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well.

This is with respect to the person who threatenes by means of a lawsuit

Rather than resentfully contesting this lawsuit, Jesus says to allow the plaintiff to have the outer robe as well

Cloak was often used as a night cover

Exodus 22:26–27 ESV

If ever you take your neighbor’s cloak in pledge, you shall return it to him before the sun goes down, for that is his only covering, and it is his cloak for his body; in what else shall he sleep? And if he cries to me, I will hear, for I am compassionate.

return..

Matthew 5:40 ESV

And if anyone would sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well.

Either, avoid the court case

Or, resolution following judgement

In summary: We have no right to hate the person who tried to deprive us of our possessions.

Love toward him should fill our hearts and reveal itself in our actions

Paul addressed the issue of believers dealing with issues properly...

1 Corinthians 6:1 ESV

When one of you has a grievance against another, does he dare go to law before the unrighteous instead of the saints?

Ezekiel was clear on the behaviour of a righteous man...

Ezekiel 18:5–9 ESV

“If a man is righteous and does what is just and right— if he does not eat upon the mountains or lift up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, does not defile his neighbor’s wife or approach a woman in her time of menstrual impurity, does not oppress anyone, but restores to the debtor his pledge, commits no robbery, gives his bread to the hungry and covers the naked with a garment, does not lend at interest or take any profit, withholds his hand from injustice, executes true justice between man and man, walks in my statutes, and keeps my rules by acting faithfully—he is righteous; he shall surely live, declares the Lord God.

Being required to do things

Matthew 5:41 ESV

And if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles.

Governance usually involved commissioning people to do things that needed doing.

e.g. Simone of Cyrene who was compelled to carry Jesus’ cross

Reference: compelling someone to render any kind of service

Jesus says that rather than to reveal a spirirt of bitterness or annoyance toward the one who forces a burden upon a person

We should take this position with a smile.

Did someone ask you to go with them and carry their load for a distance of one mile? Then do two miles.

Being asked to do things we don’t really want to do.

Helping others

Matthew 5:42 ESV

Give to the one who begs from you, and do not refuse the one who would borrow from you.

Do you ignore people when they ask for help?

Are they too much or a burden to your busy life?

Do you help them, but grudgingly?

Jesus says that we should put to oneside our selfishness and look forward to helping people liberally and magnanimously.

Not only showing kindness but love kindness

The bible teaches us on these aspects...

Exodus 22:25 ESV

“If you lend money to any of my people with you who is poor, you shall not be like a moneylender to him, and you shall not exact interest from him.

Lend without interest charges

Deuteronomy 15:7 ESV

“If among you, one of your brothers should become poor, in any of your towns within your land that the Lord your God is giving you, you shall not harden your heart or shut your hand against your poor brother,

do not harden your heart but look after others

God is generous towards us and so we should be generous towards others

Proverbs 19:17 ESV

Whoever is generous to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will repay him for his deed.

God sees what you do.

He will bless those who are obedient to him (evenings: Deut)

Example in the early church...

Acts 4:36–37 ESV

Thus Joseph, who was also called by the apostles Barnabas (which means son of encouragement), a Levite, a native of Cyprus, sold a field that belonged to him and brought the money and laid it at the apostles’ feet.

Prove your faith in God is genuine...

2 Corinthians 8:8–9 ESV

I say this not as a command, but to prove by the earnestness of others that your love also is genuine. For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich.

Illustrations of Jesus’ Teachings

Abraham, Rushing to rescue his nephew Lot, thout Lot had earlier revealed himseld to have extreme greed for wealth

Joseph, gnerously forgiving his brithers, who had sold him into slavery

David, twice sparing the life of King Saul

Elisha, setting bread and water before the invading Syrians

Stephen, interceding for those who were stoning him to death

Paul, after his convertion, writing Romans & Corinthians and putting it into practice! Facing persecution and showing love towards those who persecute them

Jesus, praying “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing”

Let us show the love and compassion towards others that Jesus demonstrated and commands us to do.

Hymn - THE SERVANT KING (396) - GRAHAM KENDRICK

Closing Prayer

Doxology

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