Christian Righteousness and Love

 Two brothers listened as Pastor preached. "Jesus says to turn the other cheek. When someone hurts us, don't get even." Later, young Jimmy came sobbing to Mom. "I kicked John, & he kicked me back" Mom was concerned. "Jimmy, I'm sorry you're hurt. But don't kick John." Jimmy sobbed, "But Pastor said he isn't supposed to kick me back." That may be true. But it isn't license to strike 1st. Let's look at Matthew 5:38-48. 38"You've heard it said 'Eye for eye, & tooth for tooth' in in OT passages like Ex 21:23-24; Lv 24:19-20, & Dt 19:19, 21. Lex Talionis. Tit-for-tat. It's in in the Code of Hammurabi, circa 2260 B.C. It's the oldest law in the world. This law isn't a problem. But people don't see it like God wants. He gave to put limits on our revenge. No feuds. No vendettas. No killing someone for an insult. Only tit-for-tat. No more. Think about it. God is love. So, when others wrong us He's always wanted us to forgive them. The problem? Hard hearts. That's why God permitted divorce. Just so, God permitted revenge. But no more than tit-for-tat. Revenge & retaliation are never what God wants. What does He want? 39aI tell you, don't resist an evil person. When they hurt us, don't resist. Don't defend ourselves. Jesus didn't. At His trial, people struck, spit on, & scourged Him. Jesus could've unmade them. He didn't. Jesus didn't resist that kangaroo court or its physical abuse. Nor did He resist being crucified. Does He want that from us? 39bIf someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other to him also. To strike a right check, right-handed people will back-hand it. Jesus is talking about insult, not injury. But He doesn't limit it. So, even we're injured, accept it. Don't take revenge. Then what? Trust God to bring justice & reward us for obedience. He will. God promises to take care of His own. 40And if someone wants to sue you & take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. We don't really get it. In Jesus' day, you could sue someone for the shirt off their back. Even their cloak. They could keep the shirt. But not the cloak. Dt 24:12-13 says return it by sunset. Why? At night, the poor needed it to keep warm. So, even if s/he wins your cloak (not just your shirt), s/he has to returned it every night! The law says your right to a cloak is inalienable. Jesus is saying if they sue you & win your shirt, give them your cloak, too. Even if they can't legally keep it! In our sue-happy culture, does Jesus mean we can't defend ourselves legally? That'd be harsh! (Remember the lawsuit against McDonald's for a hot coffee burn?) I doubt Jesus means no legal protection from silly claims. But remember. He's speaking to disciples. If disciples suffer for the sake of His Name, we're to accept it gracefully. Retaliate with love. Not tit-for-tat. 41If someone forces you to go 1 mile, go with him 2 miles. Romans could force you carry their load for a mile. Remember Simon of Cyrene? Romans forced him to carry Jesus' cross. If they asked, you had to carry it. No matter who you are. No matter what you're doing. Almost everyone had had to. They all hated it. Jesus is saying, 'Retaliate with love, not tit-for-tat.' What if your persecutor is a chronic borrower? Jesus says, 42Give to the one who asks you. Don't turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you. Notice we give to borrowers. Not lend. Does Jesus mean we're supposed to enable "frequent fliers?" I don't think so. Don't give $ to panhandlers who will just spend it on beer or wine. Why? God's love. God wants them free from addiction. So, don't enable them. Then what does Jesus mean? Let God's agape love guide us. Choose their highest good. Don't lend $ someone needs for food. Gift it to them if we know they'll spend it on food. Even better, buy them the food. And when we know it's a hardship to repay, don't lend money. Give it. At all times, let love guide us. Agape love. Maybe agape lets them borrow a lawnmower. But agape won't give money to an alcoholic. Alexander Maclaren helps us get it. If someone is assaulting us, will turning the other cheek make them angrier? Encourage them to do it to someone else? And if they're robbing us by law, will giving our cloak make them even greedier? Will going the 2nd mile encourage a perpetrator to get harsher or more demanding? If so, God's love for them says we should resist them. God's love -agape-should guide us. Always. In Ro 12:17-21, Paul says the same. What's the principle in all this? 43"You've heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor & hate your enemy.' In the OT, that's Lv 19:18. But it's different. It only says, 18Don't seek revenge or bear a grudge against one of your people. Love your neighbor as yourself. I'm the Lord. Love. It doesn't say hate your enemy. Only the oral tradition said that. It's human nature. But it isn't what God wants. Jesus corrects us all. What does God really want? 44But I tell you: Love your enemies & pray for those who persecute you. Jesus did so in while His enemies were killing Him on the cross. In Lk 23:34, Jesus kept saying/praying (present imperfect) the same words. 34"Father, forgive them, for they don't know what they're doing." Why should we follow His example? Remember whose children we are. Remember who our elder brother is. Follow His example, 45aThat you may be sons of your Father in heaven. We'll show that we're His children by following Christ's example. Retaliate only with love. Our righteousness was never the deeds we did. It's the love we gave. Agape love. Just like the Father's Remember: that's what our Father does. 45bHe causes his sun to rise on the evil & the good, & sends rain on the righteous & the unrighteous. The Father already does what He asks us to do. He loves & blesses His enemies, not just His children. Besides, 46aIf you love those who love you, what reward will you get? 46bAren't even the tax collectors doing that? Even the worst people love those who love them. 47aAnd if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? 47bDon't even pagans do that? Jesus wants us to do better than unbelievers. Do what He does. He's the pioneer of our faith, not just its author & perfecter. One principle guides everything Jesus teaches us, today. 48Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect. How so? Remember how Jesus summarized the law? Love God with all our hearts. Love others as ourselves. In today's verses, He's correcting errors to help us understand what being perfect like God really means & looks like. Let's wrap up. In a 1958 issue of Christian Century, Dr. Norman Pittenger published "A Critique of C. S. Lewis." Among his criticisms was that Lewis didn't care much for the SotM. Lewis wrote a Rejoinder to Dr. Pittenger. "As to 'caring for' the Sermon on the Mount, if 'caring for' here means 'liking' or enjoying, I suppose no one 'cares for' it. Who likes being knocked flat on his face by a sledgehammer? I can hardly imagine a more deadly spiritual condition than that of a man who can read that passage with tranquil pleasure."1 Jesus calls us to a love so hard & so radical that we can hardly believe He means it. What does it look like? I love the way Garrison Keillor put it. "Do unto others who don't like you as you would have them do unto you, but you know they won't.... Shame them with goodness. Kill them with kindness. Cut their throats with courtesy."2 When people look at us, they should see Jesus' image. Not ours. How can that happen? It won't be business as usual. It won't be common courtesy. It'll only happen if we do something so radical that others want to know how we can do that. The way Jesus says to do so? Love our enemies. Just the way God loved us when we were still His enemies. We'll need the Holy Spirit's help, so let's pray. 1 Citation of 1958 Christian Century from commentary Preaching the Word, in loc. 2 Garrison Keillor, "The Keillor Reader" --------------- ------------------------------------------------------------ --------------- ------------------------------------------------------------ Christian Righteousness & Love - Matthew 5:38-48 Page 1 of 1