Matthew 5:33-42 "Oaths & Retaliation- Beyond the Natural"

Good morning Church Family! Please turn in your Bibles to Matthew Chapter 5. We have come as far as verse 33, where we will pick up on the topic of Oaths in the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus has been teaching His disciples, in this sermon, about who they are. They are citizens of His kingdom, and as such they should act like it, but it's an impossible task on our own. Thankfully, after we are saved, God's Holy Spirit in-dwells us and helps us to become all that Jesus describes His citizens as in this sermon...Blessed, in many ways, as we saw in the Beatitudes; Salt and Light; and righteous even beyond the Scribes and Pharisees. As Jesus explains the true intent of the law, we can also see that there is no room in the heart of Kingdom citizens for unrighteous anger, lust, and unfaithfulness...as we previously looked at laws on Murder, Adultery and Divorce. Today, we continue looking at two more topics from the law, Oaths and Retaliation...and Jesus will give the true intent of the law. Let's pray, and then we will pick up in verse 33. Today's message is entitled, "Oaths & Retaliation. " Matt 5:33-37 "Again you have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform your oaths to the Lord.' 34 But I say to you, do not swear at all: neither by heaven, for it is God's throne; 35 nor by the earth, for it is His footstool; nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. 36 Nor shall you swear by your head, because you cannot make one hair white or black. 37 But let your 'Yes' be 'Yes,' and your 'No,' 'No.' For whatever is more than these is from the evil one." 1. In Jesus' day, the common teaching was verse 33, "You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform your oaths to the Lord." a. The teaching of the day reflected a condensed version of several OT verses (Exodus 20:7; Leviticus 19:12; Numbers 30:2, and Deuteronomy 5:11; 6:3; 23:21-23). 1. Listen to Lev 19:11-13. Leviticus 19:12 is the specific verse that addresses not swearing falsely, but the verses just before and after reveals the key heart issue. b. Lev 19:11-13 "'You shall not steal, nor deal falsely, nor lie to one another. 12 And you shall not swear by My name falsely, nor shall you profane the name of your God: I am the LORD. 13 'You shall not cheat your neighbor, nor rob him." c. Do you see that? The issue is lying, cheating, stealing. This is the problem with the heart, and the reason Jesus corrects the teaching from the Rabbis is because they are only addressing the symptom...they were not getting to the heart of the issue. 1. Comparable to medical practices today... You have a headache...take 2 of these pills. You have dry skin, apply this cream. But, what is causing these problems? Modern medicine so often neglects addressing the cause...it's reactionary, not preventative. And, that was the issue Jesus took with the Rabbi's teaching...they were so focused on the oath, and not on the heart issue that people were not being honest with one another. They were lying and taking advantage of each other. 2. So, Jesus states, verse 34, "But I say to you, do not swear at all: neither by heaven, for it is God's throne; 35 nor by the earth, for it is His footstool; nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. 36 Nor shall you swear by your head, because you cannot make one hair white or black." a. The Jews would swear (as in taking an oath. Jesus is not referring to using curse words). Jews would swear under oath, like we would say in court, "Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you God?" The Jews were very particular not to swear using God's name, so they would swear by heaven, by the earth, by Jerusalem, or by their head so that they did not violate the 3rd Commandment. b. The 3rd of the Ten Commandments states, "You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain." Ex 20:7. c. Often times, we think of this commandment as a prohibition from saying, "OMG." And, that is part of what the 3rd Commandment is driving at...God's name is holy and should be revered, not just used like any common word or expression frivolously or vainly. It should not be said with empty meaning. 1. But, the command is deeper in that is it also prohibiting using God's name when taking an oath...IF you are insincere and do not intend on keeping the oath. 2. Several times in Scripture, we see people take oaths under God, and there was no issue, because they were sincere. a. Paul swore under oath numerous times in scripture stating, "For God is my witness..." (Rom 1:9; 2 Cor 1:23; 1 Thess 2:5, 10; Phil 1:8). b. During Jesus' trial, He stood before the Sanhedrin [Jewish Supreme judicial council]. Matt 25:63-64 records, "And the high priest answered and said to Him, "I put You under oath by the living God: Tell us if You are the Christ, the Son of God!" 64 Jesus said to him, "It is as you said." i. Jesus had no problem answering under the oath of God, because He spoke truthfully. Technically, since Jesus is God, He is swearing by His own name, which is consistent with the OT. c. God, Himself in the OT, would enact Covenants by His name and take oaths of judgment in His name, because there was no other name higher. i. "By Myself I have sworn, says the LORD..." Gen 22:16 ii. "'Behold, I have sworn by My great name,' says the LORD..." Jer 44:26 iii. "The Lord GOD has sworn by Himself..." Amos 6:8 iv. Heb 6:14 "For when God made a promise to Abraham, because He could swear by no one greater, He swore by Himself, 14 saying, "Surely blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply you." d. Deut 6:13 "You shall fear the LORD your God and serve Him, and shall take oaths in His name." In Deut, the people were instructed to fear or reverence God and TO take oaths in God's name. And, this is not a contradiction to Jesus saying "do not swear..." Jesus was teaching honesty, and it was assumed if you take an oath in God's name you will also be honest, because you revere God. 3. Some people really get hung up on Jesus' word, ""But I say to you, do not swear at all..." The issue is not taking an oath. The issue is when you take an oath, but in your heart you are lying. a. Some people worry today about being under oath in court (Jehovah Witnesses, Anabaptists, etc.). They take this verse in Matt 5 "Do not swear..." and think, "well what am I going to do? They are going to ask me, "Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole, truth, and nothing but the truth so help you God? And, I will go against Jesus' words in Matt 5 if I do, so I won't take an oath in court." They are missing the whole point of what Jesus is teaching. I have no issue to take an oath in court, unless you or I plan to lie afterwards. If you plan to tell the truth, there is no issue. b. When you take an oath in the court setting...on the outside you look good...you took an oath under God- which means you are promising to all the witnesses that you will be honest, and by using God's name, you also formerly make Him a witness. But, if on the inside you intend on lying, you are full of deception. In a trial, you could deceive all the witnesses, and the judge... outside the court room, you may deceive all the people in your life, but do you know who will never be deceived? God. God sees all, God knows all... c. Scripture declares "...the LORD searches all hearts and understands all the intent of the thoughts." 1 Ch 28:9 d. Jer 17:10 states, "...I the LORD, search the heart, I test the mind, Even to give every man according to his ways, According to the fruit of his doings." And, do you remember the famous verse just prior? Jer 17:9, which tells us why Yahweh searches the heart and tests the mind... i. Jer 17:9 "The heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked; Who can know it?" e. God knows we have an issue with lying to others, and even to ourselves. But, we cannot lie to God. He knows our true motives and intents. He knows if we are being honest. We will not get away with lying. f. Moses told the Tribes of Reuben and Gad, who wanted to remain and settle in the land east of the Jordan that if they fulfilled their oath to fight alongside their brothers, they could return to that land blameless before God, But he also warned, Num 32:23 23 But if you do not do so, then take note, you have sinned against the LORD; and be sure your sin will find you out." i. Your sin will find you out. You will not get away with the sin of lying. It will be discovered. d. So, back in Matt 5:34, again the issue was the Rabbi's were creating a system where they supposed if they did not swear by God, if they removed His name from the oath, they would not violate the 3rd Commandment. Thus, they tried to create a loophole. They would swear by things that were seemingly binding...by heaven, by earth, Jerusalem, or by their own head.... just not regularly by God's name. 1. So, Jesus tells them to stop swearing. It doesn't please God if you remove His name when you lie. You are still lying. It still violates the heart of scripture. 2. And, Jesus tells His disciples, that everything they were swearing by...heaven, earth, Jerusalem, and even their own head. It's all God's anyway. You cannot remove God from the picture. You cannot take God out of your oath. a. Heaven is God's throne...He is present there. b. Earth is His footstool...it's, figuratively, what He props His feet up on (Isa 66:1). c. Jerusalem is the city of the great King...it's His Holy city. d. And, you. Your head. You are God's creation. And, you cannot even change the color of your own hair [this is before hair dye products]. e. So, just stop. Stop the false system of trying to circumvent the law. Stop the lying. Stop the deceiving. None of it is pleasing to God. e. In Matt 23:16-17, Jesus pronounced several "Woes" to the Scribes and Pharisees for their trickery with oaths. Jesus said, "Woe to you, blind guides, who say, 'Whoever swears by the temple, it is nothing; but whoever swears by the gold of the temple, he is obliged to perform it.' 17 Fools and blind! For which is greater, the gold or the temple that sanctifies the gold? 18 And, 'Whoever swears by the altar, it is nothing; but whoever swears by the gift that is on it, he is obliged to perform it.' 19 Fools and blind! For which is greater, the gift or the altar that sanctifies the gift? 20 Therefore he who swears by the altar, swears by it and by all things on it. 21 He who swears by the temple, swears by it and by Him who dwells in it. 22 And he who swears by heaven, swears by the throne of God and by Him who sits on it." 1. Just as in Matt 5, where Jesus mentions not to swear by heaven, earth, Jerusalem, or your head, hear we have another example. The religious leaders were swearing by the gold of the temple and the gift on the altar. 2. Woes were pronounced because they esteemed the material (the gold and the gift) over the spiritual (the temple and the altar), and they made fine distinctions whereby they could evade honoring an oath. They were being deceptive and dishonest, and for all these reason Jesus rebuked them, and sets them straight that oaths are binding. 3. But above the need to swear by an oath at all, Jesus teaches in Matt 5:37 "But let your 'Yes' be 'Yes,' and your 'No,' 'No.' For whatever is more than these is from the evil one." a. There is no need for some hollow oath, some public show, just be a man or woman or your word. We have several ways of saying this today, "Say what you mean, and mean what you say;" or "He or she is good for their word," of "My word is my bond." b. In society today, it is extremely uncommon to exchange goods on good faith and on your verbal word- you have to sign a contract. The bank is not going to loan you money for a house or a car just by your word. They make you sign a contract because many people default on their loans...even with the written contracts. And, often, this is because we are dishonest...we lie. c. Jesus says, if you need more than just giving your word...your "yes" or your "no," anything else is evil...it's from the evil one. It is not in God's nature to lie...and we should reflect His nature in our honest dealings with others. It's the nature of Satan, and his followers, to live by dishonesty and lies. 1. In John 8:44, Jesus rebuked the Pharisees and described Satan. Jesus said, "You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it." 2. And, then there's Jesus...Scripture declares He is "full of grace and truth" (Jn 1:14); He is "the way, the truth, and the life..." (Jn 14:6); to Pilate Jesus said, "for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth." Jn 18:37 3. So, who are you aiming to emulate? Who do you want to be like...Jesus, THE truth, or Satan, the father of lies? Jesus said, "Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice." 4. Jesus has been shaping His disciples for some 2000 years with this sermon. He wants us to be honest. If you are known for your honesty, people can trust your witness when you tell them about Jesus. If you are known for your dishonesty, how weak will your witness be when you tell someone about Jesus? How can they even trust you if you lie about everything else? He does not want us to lie. What does it say about me if you can only trust my words when I take an oath? "You can trust Marc when he takes an oath, but if he doesn't take an oath...watch that guy!" Just be truthful. Let your 'Yes' be 'Yes,' and your 'No,' 'No.' In this next segment, Jesus addresses retaliation and our heart attitude when offended, sued, pressed, or pressured. Let's continue to verses 38-42. Matt 5:38 "You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.' 1. Jesus now addresses what was called the lex talionis, the law of retaliation...getting back at someone for harming or offending you. a. This law is derived from several OT passages that pertain to legal judgments... i. Ex 21:22-25 "...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." ii. Lev 24:19-20 "'If a man causes disfigurement of his neighbor, as he has done, so shall it be done to him-20 fracture for fracture, eye for eye, tooth for tooth; as he has caused disfigurement of a man, so shall it be done to him." iii. Deut 19:21 "Your eye shall not pity: life shall be for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot." b. Often times verses like these are quoted by haters of God, and they describe "the God of the OT"...how brutal He was (BTW...Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Heb 13:8) so don't think there are 2 different Gods...or that God has 2 different personalities...). i. These haters of God mock Christianity and encourage distancing ourselves from God, or at least forsaking the teachings of OT scripture. What these naysayers fail to realize is that these scriptures are a direct teaching on brutality, but not Gods...the brutality was ours. ii. "Eye for and eye, tooth for a tooth..." is not simply a command for justice when someone has committed a crime (which is what any good legal system does) ...it is also limiting punishment. God knows our nature that we will seek revenge, but we are not equitable...we are not fair in our judgments and retribution. If you knock out my tooth, I will knock out all of yours. If you gouge out my eye, I'll take your life. This is how brutal people are, thus God limited retaliation. iii. God also entrusted this law of retaliation to the judicial system, not to each individual. God was not instructing chaos...He did not give a license to everyone to seek vengeance. In fact, Lev 19:18 states, "You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the children of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the LORD." iv. Similar to the law of Divorce, God gave these laws because the hearts of the people were hard. c. Jesus' teaching here in Matthew demonstrates the beginning of fulfillment of OT prophecies concerning the New Covenant. i. Jer 31:31, 33 "Behold, the days are coming, says the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah. 33 I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people." 1. In the New Covenant, people live by the laws true intent. It is part of us internally, not an external writing. By the Holy Spirit, we are in sync with God...or at least we can be. ii. Ezek 36:26-27 "I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. 27 I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them." 1. The hard heartedness of the past will be gone. God's in-dwelling Holy Spirit now guides us to live lives of holiness...set apartness from sin and the world...to live according to God's ways. 2. If you are struggling to live a life of holiness, what are you doing about it? Are you tapping into the source of your strength by abiding in the vine? Are your eyes fixed on Jesus, and His word? Are you talking to God and asking Him to help you? Are you in fellowship with believers who will hold you accountable? 3. God has done His part in giving you His Spirit. And, we have a part to do as well. 4. Jesus said to His Apostles, "...the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you." Jn 14:26 a. The Apostles spent a lot of time with Jesus and heard His teachings, thus the Holy Spirit would help them remember all the lessons inside them. b. It's the same for us. The Holy Spirit will help you and I remember these same lessons and teachings of Jesus when we need it. But, like the Apostles, there must be an investment of time on our parts with Jesus. And, since He is not with us physically, we must rely on what we do have...reading His word, listening to Sermons, time in prayer, and so forth. This is our part today. 2. In Matt 5:39 Jesus further refines the teaching to its true intent... verse 39 "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." a. Jesus' statement "not to resist an evil person" is best understood under the context of a court hearing given the context of the lex talionis (the law of retribution- eye for an eye). i. Jesus is not teaching a general rule in life where we are not to resist evil people personally. He is not teaching us to be pacifists or doormats. ii. I want to emphasize this because some people have misinterpreted these verses and are hesitant to defend themselves or their loved ones. If you are in danger of harm from another person, defend yourself. iii. Besides the context being a legal setting, the context is also of insults predominately to pride, and Jesus will deal with our heart attitudes. b. You could claim your rights...an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth. You can follow the letter of the Law, but what does scripture say? i. Rom 12: 17-21 instructs "Repay no one evil for evil. [primarily Paul is addressing a situation where an unbeliever has harmed a believer] Have regard for good things in the sight of all men. 18 If it is possible, [and it's not always 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 [Dt 32:35], "Vengeance is Mine, I will repay," says the Lord. 20 Therefore "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." [quoting Pro 25:21-22...the principle is the same that brought us to Christ... love. Rom 2:4 "...the goodness [or the kindness] of God leads you to repentance."] 21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good." ii. So, can you exercise mercy, just as Jesus exercised mercy? Can you go beyond mercy and exercise grace and love which Jesus illustrates by offering the other cheek, giving your cloak also, going the extra mile, and giving your material possessions? c. Jesus provides us these 4 illustrations that primarily are insults to our pride...nothing we need to react in retaliation over. i. The natural reaction to having our pride hurt is retaliation; Jesus is teaching the supernatural reaction...love. The Jews obeyed the letter of the law; Jesus is teaching them to obey the Spirit of the Law. 1. In all four illustrations, Jesus commands His followers to take the higher road of love. He uses 4 imperatives (4 commands). "Turn," "let," "go," and "give." a. "Turn the other" ...cheek; "Let him have your cloak;" "Go with him two;" and "Give to him." All imperatives. Not suggestions, but commands to live by the Spirit of the law. ii. To be slapped on the right cheek is a back handed slap. A slap of insult that would not be physically damaging, except to your pride. By definition a slap is an open palmed slap...not with a fist. 1. The reason I say this was a back handed slap is because the Bible is largely right handed dominant in its examples. Being left handed was uncommon, so when a person is left handed, the Bible specifies. Ehud, the Judge, was left handed (Judges 3); there were 700 men in Judges 20 who were very accurate in slinging a stone. But, the Bible assumes a person is right handed, and to slap the right cheek with your right hand, meant this was a back-handed slap. A slap of insult to your pride. 2. If someone is so petty to slap you in the face, to insult your pride.... What are you going to do? Are you going to slap them back? Beat them up? Are you going to engage in a duel? Will worthless bloodshed be spilt? Is defending your pride worth escalating a situation, or can you swallow your pride? By offering the other cheek, you are not retaliating. You are being humble. iii. Someone who sues you and takes your tunic (inner garment; shirt) ... Look if they are that desperate to go through all the trouble for a shirt, give them your cloak (coat) also. They obviously need it more that you. 1. You would be repaying evil with kindness, evil with love. 2. Important to note...this verse is not stating...allow yourself to be sued for any reason and not seek council or defend yourself. The example here is relatively frivolous litigation...nothing to defend oneself over. iv. Someone who compels you to go one mile, go two. A common phrase today is "Go the extra mile" and it originates from this verse. It carries the meaning 'to do more than required." 1. Historically, a Roman Soldier could compel a citizen to carry their backpack for a mile. Compel by def. means "impress, force, or press into service", such as Simon of Cyrene who was compelled to bear Jesus' cross (Matt 27:32). 2. Under the Roman Law of Impressment, a Roman Soldier could compel a Jewish Citizen to carry their pack for 1000 paces (Roman Mile; estimated .92 English Miles) ... No easy task because the pack could weigh up to 100 lbs. 3. So, Jesus teaches while you are only required by law to go one mile, go two. Certainly it was frustrating, inconvenient and a burden to carry a heavy pack for one mile. One's pride would be damaged, one's day would be disrupted... as you were forced into service the first mile. But, the second mile would not be by compulsion, but by choice. 4. With the right heart attitude of love, a great door to share Christ is opened whenever we practice going the extra mile. Some call this the "Gospel of the second mile." v. The fourth and final example Jesus provides is "Give to him who asks you, and from him who wants to borrow from you do not turn away." 1. Material possessions become an idol in the lives of many people, even believers. Jesus is pressing His disciples here to be open handed, and generous. OT verses that prohibit charging interest on loans come to mind as well. 2. It's not convenient to help others in need. You work hard for your possessions, and you've earned them. It's not natural to let go of our possessions, but as we concentrate on storing up treasures in heaven...as we are eternally minded...our heart attitude towards earthly possessions can be changed as well. d. In these four examples, Jesus challenges our heart attitudes when we are faced with insult, injustice, and inconvenience. Jesus challenges believers to choose humility, seeking peace, and selflessness. i. When evil has been done to you, repaying evil with evil is the natural thing to do. But, Jesus' teaching here is not natural...it's supernatural. ii. It's supernatural to be offended by someone...to be hurt by someone, and to answer softly...to answer peacable....to answer in love. e. Consider Jesus' attitude when He was wronged? 1 Pet 2:23 speaking about Jesus states, "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..." i. Jesus could have called down twelve legions of angels...But, He didn't. He committed Himself to the Father that His plan would be fulfilled. This is supernatural. f. So, how about you? If it is possible, can you trust in the Lord to meet out His vengeance? Which may just be pouring out goodness to lead a person to repentance. Can you pour out kindness and grace, even when you are justified to retaliate? i. Can you take the higher road? When faced with a situation that will disrupt your peace, that will offend your pride, or may cost you material things...can you choose to not strike back, resist refusing to comply, and to be open handed with your material things. ii. Will you live by the letter of the law, or the Spirit of the law? Worship Team Come I find it amazing how each week continue on this chapter and verse journey through the Bible. There are no Teaching Series that we fabricate. We just simply teach through the Bible. And, it is amazing that God's teachings are always right on time, and speak into our circumstances. For us today, He has taught us that if we are to be His Kingdom Citizens, we should be known by our word...honesty is a key character trait of His people. And, He challenges us to examine our heart attitudes when our pride is hurt, when we could retaliate. Everything Jesus is teaching and doing in us, as we are sanctified by His word of truth, is stretching us beyond the natural to the supernatural. Let's pray and praise Him for what He is doing. If you need prayer...