Matthew 5:38-42

Previously

Jesus is Teaching His Listeners How to Have Greater Righteousness Than the Scribes and Pharisees

Without Greater Righteousness, We Can’t Be Citizens of Jesus’ Everlasting Kingdom

Jesus Gives 6 Specific Examples of How to Have Greater Righteousness

1.) Don’t Murder = Don’t Remain Angry

2.) Don’t Commit Adultery = Don’t Look With Lustful Intentions at Another Person

3.) Give a Certificate of Divorce = Don’t Get Divorced at All (With 1 Exception)

4.) Fulfill Your Vows = Don’t Make Vows (Christian’s Shouldn’t Have to)

With Each of These Examples, the Scribes and Pharisees Had Twisted the Law to Mean Things that it was Never Intended to Mean

We are Starting His 5th Example This Morning

Matthew 5:38-42

In This Passage, Jesus is Going to Address the Concepts of Retaliation, Selflessness, Sacrificing One’s Rights, and Showing More Honor/Preference Toward Others than Oneself

He is Going to Describe 4 Situations His Followers Could Find Themselves in and Then How to React to Them

But First, He is Going to Show Us an OT Law that the Scribes and Pharisees Were Misinterpreting

Matthew 5:38 (NASB)

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

Jesus is Referencing Several Passages in the Old Law (Exodus 21:24; Leviticus 24:20; Deuteronomy 19:21)

Each of These Passages Were Given for the Purpose of Legislating Justice

They Were to Warn People With Wicked Intentions that Breaking the Law Has Consequences

If You Hurt Someone, You Will Be Hurt in Return as Retribution

But the Scribes and Pharisees Were Misinterpretting This Passage

Probably Using it the Same Way We Use it Today

When We Say “an Eye for an Eye”, We Mean, “I’m Justified in Getting Even, Seeking Revenge, and Getting Them Back for How They Treated Me.”

“If You Punched Me in the Eye, I Get to Punch You in the Eye!”

But This Law Wasn’t Allowing for Personal Retribution and Vengeance

It Was Stating that the Judges and Courts Must Render Punishments that Fit the Crimes Committed

If Someone Hits You in the Eye, You Aren’t Permitted to Throw a Punch Right Back and Continue the Chain of Violence

It was to Be Taken to the Court and Judged

If the Assaulter was Found Guilty, Then He Would Suffer a Like Punishment

His Punishment Wasn’t to Be Any Less Than What He Had Committed or Any Worse

By Jesus’ Day, Financial Compensation Had Become the Typical Means of Punishment for Such Crimes

If I Punch You in the Eye, I Would Have to Pay a Fair Amount of Money to You for the Damages I’d Caused

Jesus Wasn’t About to Teach Anything Brand New:

Leviticus 19:17–18 (NASB)

‘You shall not hate your fellow countryman in your heart; you may surely reprove your neighbor, but shall not incur sin because of him.

You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the sons of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself; I am the Lord.’

Proverbs 24:29 (NASB)

Do not say, “Thus I shall do to him as he has done to me; I will render to the man according to his work.”

The Law Never Called for God’s People to Pursue Vengeance Against One Another

But the Scribes and Pharisees May Have Been Using the “Eye for an Eye” Law as Authority to Do That Very Thing

Jesus is Going to Show His Followers that This Was Never the Heart/Spirit/Intention of the Old Law

He is Going to Show Us What God Expects of Us When We are Dealing With People Who Seek to Harm, Use, or Belittle Us

And What He Expects is Not Easy!

Matthew 5:39 (NASB)

“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.”

Here is the 1st Situation Followers of Jesus Might Find Themselves in

All My Life, I Have Looked at this Verse Through 21st Century American Eyes

I Assumed What was Happening Here was a Violent Person Assaulting Another Person

And That Would Mean That When Jesus Told His Followers Not to Resist, He Was Telling Them Not to Protect Themselves or Run Away

That Would Include Children Being Picked On By School Bullies, Wives Being Beaten Up By Their Husbands, and People Being Beaten and Robbed

I Can Assure You Jesus is Commanding No Such Thing in this Passage

In Jesus’ Day, to Backhand Someone On Their Right Cheek was More to Insult than to Injure

It was One of the Most Offensive Acts of Insult a Jewish Person Could Do to Another

The Person Who Did Such a Thing Could Be Fined a Great Deal

So Jesus Isn’t Teaching, “To Be One of My Followers, You Have to Subject Yourself to Daily Beatings.”

He is Saying, “When a Evil-Minded Person Insults You, Direspects You, or Publicly Humiliates You…”

“Do Not Resist it, Try to Stop Them, or Try to Get Even Through Insulting Them Back or Getting the Law Involved.”

Or Even if Jesus Were Talking About Being Physically Assaulted, the Principle Remains the Same

“Do Not Retaliate or Seek Revenge.”

“Remove Yourself From Those Situations, But Do Not Continue the Chain of Violence.”

To Turn the Other Cheek = Non-Retaliation

When We Follow Jesus’ Instructions to Turn the Other Cheek When Insulted or Harmed, We are Following the Heart/Spirit/Intention of the Law

Proverbs 20:22 (NASB)

Do not say, “I will repay evil”; Wait for the Lord, and He will save you.

God’s People Have Always Been Expected to Wait On God to Take Vengeance On Our Behalf

To Be Humble and Gentle

When We Choose to Wait on God Instead of Retaliating, God Promises to Save Us From Our Enemies

To Willingly Turn the Other Cheek is to Say, “I Don’t Value My Own Honor, Dignity, Glory, Status, or Praise.”

“I Value God’s Honor, Dignity, Glory, Status, and Praise!”

It Shows Our Insulters and Any On-Lookers That We Have Denied Ourselves

That We Die to Ourselves Daily By Taking Up the Cross of Shame and Death and Following After Jesus

That We Have a Greater Allegiance to Our King Than We Have to Ourselves

That I’m Okay With Being Injured and Humiliated as Long as He is Being Glorified

That I’m Okay With Being Pushed Down if it Raised Him Up

Isaiah 50:6 (NASB)

I gave My back to those who strike Me, And My cheeks to those who pluck out the beard; I did not cover My face from humiliation and spitting.

If My King is Willing to Suffer Humiliation and Harm for Me, Then I Should Be Willing to Suffer Humiliation and Harm for Him

Like Divorce, “An Eye for an Eye” Was Allowed By God Because of the Hardness of People’s Hearts

But Also Like Divorce, a Follower of Jesus Shouldn’t Seek to Use Such an Allowance

To Have Greater Righteousness Than the Scribes and Pharisees and Be Accepted into Jesus’ Kingdom…

We Must Not Retaliate When Evil-Minded People Harm and Insult Us

Matthew 5:40 (NASB)

“If anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, let him have your coat also.”

Here is the 2nd Situation Followers of Jesus Might Find Themselves in

We Aren’t Told the Reason Why, But We are Told a Follower of Jesus is Being Sued

And the Person Pursuing the Lawsuit is Suing Them for Their Shirt (Tunic)

This was a Body-Length Undergarment

Typically, if the Plaintiff (Person Persuing the Lawsuit) Wins, the Defendant (Person Being Sued) is Very Upset

But Jesus Tells His Followers That if They are Being Sued to Have Their Shirt Taken Away, They Should Give Up Their Coat as Well, Voluntarilly

It was Against the Law to Take Another Person’s Coat

Exodus 22:26–27 (NASB)

“If you ever take your neighbor’s cloak as a pledge, you are to return it to him before the sun sets, for that is his only covering; it is his cloak for his body. What else shall he sleep in? And it shall come about that when he cries out to Me, I will hear him, for I am gracious.”

The Coat was Often Used as Clothing During the Day and a Blanket at Night

So You Could Never Sue Someone and Take Their Coat

But a Person Could Give Up Their Coat Willingly

But Why Would They Ever Do That?

To Go Above and Beyond in Order to Seek Reconciliation With the One Whom They Have Wronged

Jesus Has Already Told His Followers How Important it is to Reconcile With Those Who Have Something Against Us

Here He is Adding to That Same Principle

Don’t Just Do What is Required to Make Things Right Between You and Someone Else

Go Above and Beyond to Reconcile the Relationship

Even if it Means You are Going to Have to Suffer (Be Cold at Night)

Reconciliation is Worth it

To Have Greater Righteousness Than the Scribes and Pharisees and Be Accepted into Jesus’ Kingdom…

We Must Go Above and Beyond to Make Things Right and Reconcile With Our Neighbors

Matthew 5:41 (NASB)

“Whoever forces you to go one mile, go with him two.”

Here is the 3rd Situation Followers of Jesus Might Find Themselves in

In Jesus’ Day, a Roman Official Could Force Their Subjects to Perform Menial Tasks

Roman Soldiers Forced Simon of Cyrene to Carry Jesus’ Cross for Him

A Common Task They Would Force the Jews to Perform Was Carrying Their Load for One Mile

A Roman Mile was 1,000 Paces (About 4,854 Feet - Less Than Our Mile)

This was Despised By the Jews Who Hated Being Under Roman Occupation

Jesus Tells His Followers to Not Only Carry Your Oppressor’s Load for the Obligated 1st Mile…

But They Must Also Voluntarily Carry the Load for Another Mile

Why?

Because Followers of Jesus are to Be Servants Like Jesus

And Being a Servant Like Jesus Means Serving Out of Humility and Love, Not Out of Compulsion

Think of the Impact that a Follower of Jesus Would Have On a Roman Soldier When He Voluntarilly Offers to Go Another Mile

Think of the Impact He Would Have on the On-Lookers When They Saw Him Struggling Underneath the Weight With a Smile On His Face

People Will Try to Use Us for Their Own Glory and Gratification

But, if We are Following Jesus, They Aren’t Using Us for Their Glory or Gratification

We are Using Them for God’s Glory and Gratification By Serving Them

To Have Greater Righteousness Than the Scribes and Pharisees and Be Accepted into Jesus’ Kingdom…

We Must Go Above and Beyond to Serve Others for God’s Glory

Matthew 5:42 (NASB)

“Give to him who asks of you, and do not turn away from him who wants to borrow from you.”

Here is the 4th Situation Followers of Jesus Might Find Themselves in

In the First 3 Situations, Someone is Trying to Harm, Insult, Retaliate, or Wrongfully Use a Follower of Jesus

But in this Situation, Someone is Asking for a Showing of Mercy From a Follower of Jesus

To Fit the Context, It Might Be That This Person is an Enemy to the Disciple

Either Way, Jesus is Teaching His Followers that They are to Give to Anyone Who is in Need

Whether They are a Friend, Stranger, or Enemy

Jesus Can’t Be Saying that We are to Give What We Have to Every Single Person Who Asks Us for Something

Every Christian Would Be Poor and Living On the Street if that Were the Case

He is Teaching that His Followers Must Be People Who are Always Generous With Others

Not Only Must His Followers Not Further Evil By Retaliating Against Those Seeking to Insult, Harm, or Use Us…

We Must Further the Good in the World By Our Generosity and Benevolence

To Have Greater Righteousness Than the Scribes and Pharisees and Be Accepted into Jesus’ Kingdom…

We Must Be Generous and Benevolent to All

Conclusion

Jesus’ Commands in this Passage are Very Simple and Easy to Understand

But They are Incredibly Hard to Put Into Practice

Paul Taught the Same Things in Romans 12:14-21

Romans 12:14–21 (NASB)

Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.

Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep.

Be of the same mind toward one another; do not be haughty in mind, but associate with the lowly. Do not be wise in your own estimation.

Never pay back evil for evil to anyone. Respect what is right in the sight of all men.

If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men.

Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord.

“But if your enemy is hungry, feed him, and if he is thirsty, give him a drink; for in so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.”

Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

There’s No Doubt that it Wasn’t Easy for Jesus to Practice What He Preached

But He Did

1 Peter 2:23 (NASB)

and while being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously;

Jesus Practiced What He Preached

But Do We Practice What He Preached?

To Be Followers of Jesus We Must:

Not Seek Retaliation

But Instead, Suffer Humiliation and Harm for Christ’s Glory

Go Above and Beyond to Reconcile With Those Who are Against Us

Go Above and Beyond to Serve Those Who Seek to Use Us

And to Be Generous and Benevolent to Those in Need

Only Then Can We Have More Righteousness Than the Scribes and Pharisees and Be Accepted Into Jesus’ Kingdom