The 6 Hardest Things (you'll ever try to do) #5- Not Get Even; Build your Life #18

Intro: I’ve told this group before, I love westerns- novels, TV shows, & movies. One of my favorite movies is Tombstone- Kurt Russell is Wyatt Earp, Val Kilmer- Doc Holliday, Sam Elliott & Bill Paxton-the other 2 Earp brothers- Virgil & Morgan. Most of you probably know the story. Wyatt retired as a lawman & moved to Tombstone to reunite with his brothers. An outlaw gang called the Cowboys ran roughshod over everyone until there was a shootout at the OK Corral. In retaliation, the Cowboys murdered Morgan & attempted to murder Virgil, maiming him.

What follows is historically called the Vendetta Ride- Wyatt became a federal marshal & deputized Doc Holliday, Jack “Turkey Creek” Johnson, Sherman McMaster, & several others to bring the perpetrators to justice. It really amounted to legalized murder- making Earp the model of a real-life anti-hero. It’s been written that “Wyatt's action in taking justice into his own hands became one of the most well-known examples of American frontier justice in American history.” Justice or vengeance?

Have you ever been on your own vendetta ride? Think about a time in your life when you were hurt by someone, how did you respond? Did you ride a vendetta against them? Did you try to get even? It’s hard to not get even, isn’t it? Or to want to retaliate, even if we don’t act on it.

Even Jesus acknowledges that it’s hard to not get even, but He will show us a better way. Matthew 5:38–42, You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ 39But 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.

Why is it so hard to not get even, & what should we do instead?

1. We want to get REVENGE, vs. 38

Jesus recalls an OT teaching that is known as Lex Talionis (Latin for the Law of the Talon), aka the Rule of Reciprocity, or the principle of retribution. It is found in 3 main places in the Torah:

Exodus 21:12-27, Exodus 21:23-25, 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.

Leviticus 24:19–20, If a man causes disfigurement of his neighbor, as he has done, so shall it be done to him—20fracture for fracture, eye for eye, tooth for tooth; as he has caused disfigurement of a man, so shall it be done to him.

Deuteronomy 19:21, Your eye shall not pity: life shall be for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.

Jesus summarizes these teachings as “an eye for an eye & a tooth for a tooth.” It sounds right, doesn’t it- what you do to others shall be done to you in return. Almost common sense, isn’t it? If so, then why the law?

The law is holy, righteous, & good, like God who gave it. This law exists because we are NOT holy, righteous, & good. God is a just judge, but we are poor judges- not prone to right judgments about equal justice.

The “law of eye & tooth” governed a person’s response to harm. Our tendency is not justice, but vengeance. The law of retribution limited what could be done so that the punishment actually fits the crime.

ILL: I like true crime stories- I often listen to Dateline when walking Gus. One of the things you notice is that, unless the culprit gets life in prison or a death sentence, most of the family thinks they got off too lightly. Why? We don’t want justice, we want vengeance.

Because we’re poor judges of what is equal justice, we escalate retaliation & create a vicious cycle of harm. If someone hits us hard, we hit them harder. If they hurt us, we want them to hurt more. If we lose one eye, they must lose two! If my child loses two teeth, yours must lose four! It’s not justice we want, it’s vengeance. And that’s the reason for the law. We don’t want to just get even; we want to get revenge.

Which brings us to how Jesus applies this teaching in His day. It’s easy for us to understand Lex Talionis- it seems right, it seems fair, it seems just. But Jesus goes far beyond it. His teaching is not only that we shouldn’t seek revenge (which we know already), but that we shouldn’t even resist the evil done to us. If it’s hard to not want to get revenge, it’s even harder to not resist the person who wants to hurt us.

2. We want to RESIST Evil, vs. 39

Resist- to oppose, be against; express opposition. Jesus says to NOT do that, do not resist an evil person. Can you even imagine that? What must He mean by that? To understand it, we need to GREEK OUT a bit:

Evil- ponero = evil, wicked, bad; adjective describing a person who harms others; the same Gr. word in Matthew 5:37, But let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No.’ For whatever is more than these is from the evil one. (ponerou, or evil one in vs. 37 vs. ponero, or evil person in vs. 39)

What’s the difference between the 2 words?In vs. 37, the word “evil” is in the genitive case which marks a noun as the source of something, so we interpret that lying comes from the evil one (Satan, or devil).

The Bible clearly teaches that we should resist the devil. James 4:7, Therefore submit to God. Resistthe devil and he will flee from you.

So, resist the devil, but Jesus says don’t resist an evil person. In vs. 39, the case is the dative, used for indirect objects. It refers to a person or a thing for which something is given, or for whom something is done. In this instance what is being given is NON-RESISTANCE to an evil person.

The close relationship between vs. 37 (evil one) and vs. 39 (evil person) makes me wonder if the two are not related in some way. So, maybe the evil person is not the devil, but they might be controlled by him.

Eph 6:11–13, Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

In our text, Jesus is not saying to NOT stand, though that is what non-resistance initially sounds like. It’s standing in a different way, non-violent resistance; a way that is contrary to our natural responses.

3. Our Natural Responses are not RIGHT. Vss. 39-42

Jesus gives 4 case studies that are hard for us to understand. We’re not 1stc. Jews living under Roman occupation and oppression.

FOUR SCENARIOS:

1) face slap on the right cheek:probably a backhand to the right side of the face as a form of insult, public humiliation

2) lawsuit to get your undershirt (tunic- undergarment, robe-like garment worn next to the skin under out garments)

3) Roman soldiers had the legal right to force people to carry a load for 1 mile (e.g., their pack, heavy objects, even a cross)

4) Give to him who asks or wants to borrow; seems benign enough but remember to set it in context- that of an evil person.

What if the person who slaps you, sues you, or forces you to serve them comes to you & needs some money, or wants to borrow a tool from you- how are you likely going to respond? You will resist.

Our natural response is to deny them what they need, not to give them what they ask. Our natural response to getting slapped is to slap back, not turn the other cheek & let them do it again. Our natural response to a lawsuit is a countersuit, not to give them more than the judgment requires. Our natural response to force is to fight back, not to go further than we have to.

Jesus is not telling us to do nothing. He is not saying stand there & take it. He is saying to respond in a way that is beyond the letter of the law.

- if someone backhands you on your right cheek, give them the left.

- if someone sues the shirt off your back, give them your coat too.

- if someone forces you to go 1 mile with them, give them two (2ndMile).

- if someone asks you for a loan, give them the money.

IF THE LAW IS ABOUT JUSTICE, HE’S SAYING SHOW MERCY. IF THE LAW IS ABOUT GETTING EVEN, HE’S SAYING TO ELEVATE YOURSELF.

This is so counter cultural! The Kingdom of Christ operates differently than that of the world. It’s a different kind of economy than what we are used to. In Jesus’ kingdom, if anyone desires to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all (Mark 9:35).

Jesus gave His disciples a living, breathing example of what it looks like to get hurt & not get revenge, to not resist evil people or respond naturally. Nobody has ever gone further or given more than Jesus.

1 Peter 2:21-23, For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps: 22 “Who committed no sin, Nor was deceit found in His mouth”; 23 who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously;

The example of Jesus is not pacifism, it’s patience. Not to get even, but to elevate oneself. Not to get vengeance, but to get victory. Not to resist, but to get resurrected. Jesus trusted God, the righteous Judge.

If we are going to do the same, then when we encounter the evil person, we must not get revenge on them, we must not resist them, we must not go with our natural responses, we must make room for God.

4. We make ROOM for God to be God.

Paul has a great commentary on Jesus’ teaching in Romans 12:17-21, Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men. 18 If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men. 19 Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord.

20Therefore “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; If he is thirsty, give him a drink; For in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head.” 21Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

How do we make room for God to be God?

1st, we Trust Him. God said that He will repay all wrongs.

2nd, Turn the Tables on them. Free to actively do good to our enemies.

3rd, Triumph with Good. We win when we overcome evil with good.

Throughout this series we’re talking about 6 of the hardest things we’ll ever try to do- not kill someone (anger), not commit adultery (lust), not get divorced (selfishness), not lie(nature), & now not get even (justice).

I’m sorry if I have given the impression that all we need to do is NOT do these things. That’s not the point. The point is that WE WILL DO THEM, & we need SOMEONE to do something about it. Jesus did! It’s not our righteousness we need, it’s His. If we are going to enter the kingdom of heaven, we need the exceeding righteousness of Christ.