Resisting Retaliation
Matthew 5:38-42
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SERMON SUMMARY When we are offended our sinful pride makes us want to strike back and make them pay. But in the kingdom of our Lord our retaliation must be restrained. If we do retaliate, it should be a response of love. |
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“You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ 39 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. 40 And if anyone would sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. 41 And if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. 42 Give to the one who begs from you, and do not refuse the one who would borrow from you."
Matthew 5:38-42
A number of months ago, if you were driving around the north Central Ohio area, there was a billboard campaign you would probably have seen. They were the “Misny Makes Em Pay” billboards. Tim Misny looked to be everything you wanted in a personal injury lawyer. The photos presented him as one who was tough. He just looked ruthless. He had a clenched fist, a pointed finger, a stern look. In his pinstriped suit he was nothing less than a courtroom gangster who would bring judges and juries to their knees.
We always laughed because those advertisements always seemed so over the top. But one thing you know for certain, they probably worked. People probably went home and googled Tim Misny because they wanted someone who would “make em pay.”
Obviously, there’s a need for justice when it comes to malpractice and dealing with companies that are less than likely to take care of their injured workers. But you know that those billboards were not just about getting compensated, were they? It’s about making them pay; it’s about getting back at them. It’s appealing because Misny is going to help me get a little revenge.
Of course, this vindictive spirit is not just for the one who has been confined to a wheelchair for the rest of his life. It is found in the locker room where athletes try to one up one another and talk a little smack. It is found in the living room where a child plots how to retaliate after having been robbed of his toy. It’s found in the office, just after a practical joke has been played. You can’t just let something like that slide or laugh it off. You feel that you have to retaliate some how and get back at them.
As we see here this morning, Jesus speaks to this very common problem. Jesus wants us to understand that the people of his kingdom are called to a high level of righteousness. Our righteousness needs to exceed that of the Pharisees and Scribes and he is here showing how it pertains to this whole notion of vindictiveness.
I want to talk about three things in regards to this vengeful spirit. I want to talk about what is normal, what is legal, and what is vital.
Before getting into our text, I want to begin by talking about what is normal. When it comes to retaliation, we need to understand the natural inclination of the human heart.
I. What is normal
We have to remember that the heart is sinful. You might say that the normal setting of the heart is summed up in Jeremiah 17:9, which says that the heart is “desperately wicked and beyond cure.” This is especially so when it comes to the issue of revenge.
Now, I doubt I have to explain this too much. I am certain you are all familiar the normal operations of the heart and how people handle things when they are offended. You’ve witnessed it and likely have been a perpetrator of it.
Let me just ask you kids: What typically happens when your brother or sister offends you? How do you typically respond? You usually fire right back, don’t you? Sometimes it is a response in kind, but that’s not the way it usually happens. Normally, you feel you need to respond with just a little more--a little more heat; a little more fire.
If your brother gives you a little push, it’s not enough to just give the same sort of push back, is it? We have to send a message, don’t we? You gotta make him pay, right? And we have to let him know that he really doesn’t want to mess with you. So you end up pushing him back a little harder.
But what happens then? Now your brother has just been offended. His pride has taken a hit. He can’t let that happen without some sort of retaliation now, can he? So he has to come back at you. So he ends up giving you a real nice shove. As a matter of fact, it’s got double the force that the first push had. It was so hard of a push that it ends up knocking you back a couple steps. Well, that’s okay because you need a couple steps to get some momentum now to fire back at him. But its really not a push anymore. It has so much force that it looks and feels more like a punch than a push. And now fists are flying and you’re in a real tussle.
You see the thing escalates, don’t you? You all know that it doesn’t take that long for things to fly out of control. What starts with a little name calling, can become all out fisticuffs in just a matter of seconds.
That’s the law of the heart. This is what naturally happens when we are left to ourselves. It isn’t enough for our sinful pride to respond in kind. We have to make them pay for that offense. Our vanity causes us to strike back with greater force.
There’s a good illustration of this in the life of David. As you read through the stories about David, much of what you learn is that he was a godly man. But From time to time Scripture shows us that he was a man just like us. In 1 Samuel 25 we read about how a guy by the name of Nabaal irked David. David and his soldiers had been faithful protectors of Nabaal’s land and animals. Nabaal was an incredibly rich man with flocks and herds that seemed to have no end. And with all the bandits and potential attacks by the Philistines, Nabaal never once suffered any losses due to the protection of David and his men. But one day David asked for a favor. He requested that his men be given some provisions because they were in need of some food. But Nabaal denied the request.
David was steamed. He couldn’t believe that he and his men would be treated with such disrespect, especially when they had gone out of their way to help Nabaal. So he told his men to strap on their swords and they headed towards Nabaal’s house. David had every intention of slaying Nabaal and making things right (so to speak). And the only thing that kept him from being involved in that sin was Nabaal’s wife Abigal who came out to catch David and calm him down.
That’s an illustration of what kind of heart David really had. And that’s the way we all act. There’s this haughty spirit within us that can’t stand being tweaked. So we become provoked (oftentimes bitterly so) and we feel this insatiable urge to defend our high and holy dignity. We gotta make them pay.
And mind you, this is not something we just do personally. This is what happens on the national scale. Wars escalate on the basis of the same principle. It’s not enough to respond in kind when our enemies lash out at us, but we have to carry out some sort of shock and awe campaign to show them what kind of power we have and remind them just who they are dealing with. And in a nuclear age, that can be a very dangerous thing.
All in all, its all the same principle. It all comes back to the heart and its natural, sinful disposition. In our pride we want to strike harder and with less mercy.
But once we understand what is normal for us, we can better understand what is legal.
II. What is legal
You see from our text that Jesus, once again, quotes one of the common sayings of his day. Now it is important that we understand that what he is quoting is an OT law. And it is important that we understand this law in its proper setting and the way it had come to be used in Jesus’ day. Otherwise we will miss the point Jesus is attempting to communicate
The first thing you should understand is that the principle of an eye for an eye was set down by God in the Old Testament. As a matter of fact, it is mentioned in three different places in the Torah (Exo_21:22-27; Lev_24:19-20; Deu_19:19). And, I might well mention that this was not just a good law that Moses set forth, it is the kind of law that should still be recognized in the civil law code of our own day and age.
To say that God demands an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth is to recognize that when legal cases are adjudicated, there should be a principle of equivalency that rules in the judgement that are rendered. When a man or a woman has committed a crime and is found guilty, that person should be punished. But in the sentencing process, the punishment that is inflicted should fit the crime.
This is what is commonly known today as lex talionis. That is Latin for the law of retribution. On the playground we might call it “tit for tat.”
You see, God was giving some guidance for how to handle legal matters. As you may well guess, the world can be fickle when it comes to how it issues a sentence for a crime. In the court of law there can be a tendency to inflict punishments that are either too light or too harsh. Depending on your person, you might really stick it to them or let them off pretty easily.
For instance, if you have notoriety and are a public figure, you might get off with a very light sentence. They can treat you with some deal of partiality and your punishment may not be as thorough as it ought to be.
On the other hand, there are some places that inflict punishments that are entirely too harsh. For instance, if you steal something, you might have your hands cut off. That punishment is entirely out of line. Not only is it gruesome, but it inhibits your ability to work to provide for yourself, your family, and make any form of restitution to the one who you robbed. What’s more, you are now no longer able to work and the rest of your days you are spent begging, which may be said to be a form of stealing.
This law was given to moderate those extremes. And, in particular, it was to keep people from taking advantage of the law and making you pay more than you should. It is a form of legal retaliation. It is supposed to keep people from taking advantage of the court system and making them pay. So, if you spill your coffee in your lap and then sue for damages, you shouldn’t be able to take them to the cleaners for millions and millions of dollars.
This law would keep that kind of thing from happening. It would make it so that there was fairness and justice in how those kinds of cases worked out.
So you recognize that God, in laying forth this law, was providing something good for society. He was setting forth a principle that would give some semblance of order and justice to society. The aim is to prevent excessive legal retaliation. Every society should abide by this kind of principle in regard to their legal proceedings.
The problem though, at least in Jesus’ day, was that the people had taken this civil law and made it into a personal command. They saw this as a way to justify their personal vengeful attitudes.
In other words, if someone chucked a rock through Joe’s window or cheated Joe out of some money, Joe thought he could respond by doing the very same thing to the one who first hurt him. So long as he responded in kind and broke the window (and not a door or the supports of the house, keeping with the eye for eye equivalency), then Joe was supposedly acting in a righteous, God honoring way.
But this law was not designed for that purpose. This law was not laid down to legitimize personal vindictiveness. It was supposed to be to prevent that kind of thing.
As a matter of fact, there are numerous Scriptures in the OT that said just the opposite:
Leviticus 19:18
You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your own people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the LORD.
Proverbs 20:22
Do not say, “I will repay evil”; wait for the LORD, and he will deliver you.
Proverbs 24:29
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.”
What had happened is that the people of Jesus’ time wanted to justify their retaliation. They were ignoring all the prohibitions against revenge and taking the one that backed their evil actions. They thought that just as long as you retaliated in a way that was proper, well then, God would approve.
This is not the case though. This is a terrible misapplication of the text. And this is why Jesus says what he says. He tells us in verses 39-42 what is crucial. And it all boils down to real genuine love.
III. What is crucial
In these verses Jesus gives 4 crucial illustrations. These are to show that retaliation is fine, if it is a retaliation of love.
The first one has to do with turning the other cheek. He says, “Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.”
Now think about what this involves. This is a slight offense. Slapping someone is a lot different than being punched or attacked with a knife. A slap is meant to degrade you. And especially if it is a slap on the right cheek. Most people are right handed. So, if you were to hit someone on the right cheek, it would be a back handed slap.
You understand that a slap or a backhanded slap is not going to cause bodily harm. It is merely a way of being slighted or showing disrespect.
This is an important thing to note because there are many who would like to take what is said here and use it to promote pacifism. They do not believe in any form of resistance or self defense when one is being attacked. And they will use this to deny any kind of activity in a war.
Scripture gives you authority to protect your life and defend yourself. I’m not going to go into that right now. I don’t think this is the place to develop a whole idea of just war. All we need to understand here is that this is not about your life being in any kind of danger. This verse is talking about being insulted (not assaulted).
But what are you to do when you find yourself being treated with a small degree of ignominy? Your response is to turn the other cheek. That is to say, you shouldn’t care too much about it. Let them humiliate you. It’s not that big of a deal. It isn’t going to cause that much real pain in the long run. You should be able to overlook it and not feel the need to retaliate.
And this is what Jesus himself did, mind you. 1 Peter 2 tells us that “when he was reviled, he reviled not in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously.” That’s the pattern that Christ would have for us.
The second thing Jesus mentions may go a little further than that. It may be a more harsh treatment. This time it is not an attack on your pride, but rather he’s dealing with your property. He says, “And if anyone would sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well.”
Now, the tunic would be like our T-shirt. The cloak would be like a jacket or winter coat. It doesn’t seem like much to us, but you realize that in ancient times your coat was your blanket. It was how you stayed warm at night. They probably didn’t have a nice, cozy down comforter on their bed. When they went to sleep, they pulled their coat over them to stay warm. That’s why there was a law in the OT about not being able to keep one’s cloak overnight.
So here’s a guy who is attacking your personal property. Someone is maybe being overly litigious and wants to get everything that he can from you. There are a couple things you could do. You could involve yourself in a long, contentious court battle to keep what is rightfully yours. You could retaliate by means of lawyers and petitions, so to speak. Or you could make your appeal with a meek spirit. Then, if that doesn’t solve things, it may very well be better to simply take the financial loss and move on. Sure, it may very well be something that will be somewhat difficult to recoup, but its not destroying your life in some sizable way. Its nothing that will be detrimental in the long run.
Jesus’ third illustration has to do with Roman soldiers who could temporarily conscript you into carrying their gear. The Romans could require you at any moment to leave whatever you were doing and walk that mile. Now, if you happened to go to the market or were on a business trip, that’s a little bit of an annoyance. It means two miles because you have to walk out and back. But Jesus says, “Don’t just go one mile, go two miles. Make it a 4 mile round trip.”
All in all, it’s going to be an hour or two out of your day. You might be a little tired. But you can recuperate from it. In the grand scheme of things, it’s not something that you should really pitch a fit about. It gets in the way of what you had wanted to accomplish, but it really doesn’t amount to anything more than a minor inconvenience.
But this is where love really shows itself. You go beyond what is required of you. Take your service to the ultimate degree and don’t just do the bare minimum.
That’s a good lesson to take to heart. When you are doing your chores, when your parents conscript you into making your bed and doing the dishes after dinner, don’t just do enough to get by. Go the extra mile. Go beyond what is required and really try and make a good impression.
The fourth illustration tells us to be liberal minded. “Give to the one who begs from you, and do not refuse the one who would borrow from you.”
Now, obviously, you don’t want to be a sucker or throw money at any person who comes begging. You might be reinforcing some bad behavior if you do.
But the overall principle is this: be ready to help. You can easily see someone say, “This guy wants me to help him with his rent, but it wasn’t that long ago that he was picking on me and made my life rough. It serves him right. He should get tossed out on his can.”
That’s just a vengeful spirit talking. That’s not living by the law of love that our Lord intends. Jesus wants you to retaliate. But he wants you to retaliation to be one of love. One of blessing.
That’s the crucial thing we are to remember. Retaliation as a principle of hatred is not an attribute of God’s kingdom. We are to retaliate with love and kindness, with a spirit of generosity and an aim to go the extra mile in our service.
Conclusion:
When it really comes down to it, we have to think of it in terms of what Christ has done for us. Jesus doesn’t live by the Misny principle. When dealing with us he doesn’t say, “I’m gonna make em pay.” He doesn’t treat us in a retaliatory way.
He could very well have said, “I already forgave him once. But he’s just gone back and done it again. All he does is provoke me time and again. The wretch is going to get what he deserves.”
No, when we come calling out to Christ, he doesn’t turn us away. He overlooks our sins. He essentially, turns the other cheek. And you might say he’s very liberal to give what is his. That’s what he does in our salvation. He gives us his righteousness so that we might be declared righteous. That’s the only way our righteousness can exceed that of the Pharisees and Scribes. It is through his liberal bestowal of it.
But, of course, that comes at a price. You might say he gives us his cloak. But it means that he’s at a loss. And that’s what the cross was for him.
That’s the beauty of the gospel. It turns the Misny principle on its head. It’s not, “I’ll make him pay.” But rather, “I’ll pay it. I’ll make that payment.”
So Christ is calling you to embrace that good gospel today. Embrace the righteousness that he offers and put away that retaliatory spirit. Let the Lord purge this way and let the law of love rule in you today.
We always laughed because those advertisements always seemed so over the top. But one thing you know for certain, they probably worked. People probably went home and googled Tim Misny because they wanted someone who would “make em pay.”
Obviously, there’s a need for justice when it comes to malpractice and dealing with companies that are less than likely to take care of their injured workers. But you know that those billboards were not just about getting compensated, were they? It’s about making them pay; it’s about getting back at them. It’s appealing because Misny is going to help me get a little revenge.
Of course, this vindictive spirit is not just for the one who has been confined to a wheelchair for the rest of his life. It is found in the locker room where athletes try to one up one another and talk a little smack. It is found in the living room where a child plots how to retaliate after having been robbed of his toy. It’s found in the office, just after a practical joke has been played. You can’t just let something like that slide or laugh it off. You feel that you have to retaliate some how and get back at them.
As we see here this morning, Jesus speaks to this very common problem. Jesus wants us to understand that the people of his kingdom are called to a high level of righteousness. Our righteousness needs to exceed that of the Pharisees and Scribes and he is here showing how it pertains to this whole notion of vindictiveness.
I want to talk about three things in regards to this vengeful spirit. I want to talk about what is normal, what is legal, and what is vital.
Before getting into our text, I want to begin by talking about what is normal. When it comes to retaliation, we need to understand the natural inclination of the human heart.
I. What is normal
We have to remember that the heart is sinful. You might say that the normal setting of the heart is summed up in Jeremiah 17:9, which says that the heart is “desperately wicked and beyond cure.” This is especially so when it comes to the issue of revenge.
Now, I doubt I have to explain this too much. I am certain you are all familiar the normal operations of the heart and how people handle things when they are offended. You’ve witnessed it and likely have been a perpetrator of it.
Let me just ask you kids: What typically happens when your brother or sister offends you? How do you typically respond? You usually fire right back, don’t you? Sometimes it is a response in kind, but that’s not the way it usually happens. Normally, you feel you need to respond with just a little more--a little more heat; a little more fire.
If your brother gives you a little push, it’s not enough to just give the same sort of push back, is it? We have to send a message, don’t we? You gotta make him pay, right? And we have to let him know that he really doesn’t want to mess with you. So you end up pushing him back a little harder.
But what happens then? Now your brother has just been offended. His pride has taken a hit. He can’t let that happen without some sort of retaliation now, can he? So he has to come back at you. So he ends up giving you a real nice shove. As a matter of fact, it’s got double the force that the first push had. It was so hard of a push that it ends up knocking you back a couple steps. Well, that’s okay because you need a couple steps to get some momentum now to fire back at him. But its really not a push anymore. It has so much force that it looks and feels more like a punch than a push. And now fists are flying and you’re in a real tussle.
You see the thing escalates, don’t you? You all know that it doesn’t take that long for things to fly out of control. What starts with a little name calling, can become all out fisticuffs in just a matter of seconds.
That’s the law of the heart. This is what naturally happens when we are left to ourselves. It isn’t enough for our sinful pride to respond in kind. We have to make them pay for that offense. Our vanity causes us to strike back with greater force.
There’s a good illustration of this in the life of David. As you read through the stories about David, much of what you learn is that he was a godly man. But From time to time Scripture shows us that he was a man just like us. In 1 Samuel 25 we read about how a guy by the name of Nabaal irked David. David and his soldiers had been faithful protectors of Nabaal’s land and animals. Nabaal was an incredibly rich man with flocks and herds that seemed to have no end. And with all the bandits and potential attacks by the Philistines, Nabaal never once suffered any losses due to the protection of David and his men. But one day David asked for a favor. He requested that his men be given some provisions because they were in need of some food. But Nabaal denied the request.
David was steamed. He couldn’t believe that he and his men would be treated with such disrespect, especially when they had gone out of their way to help Nabaal. So he told his men to strap on their swords and they headed towards Nabaal’s house. David had every intention of slaying Nabaal and making things right (so to speak). And the only thing that kept him from being involved in that sin was Nabaal’s wife Abigal who came out to catch David and calm him down.
That’s an illustration of what kind of heart David really had. And that’s the way we all act. There’s this haughty spirit within us that can’t stand being tweaked. So we become provoked (oftentimes bitterly so) and we feel this insatiable urge to defend our high and holy dignity. We gotta make them pay.
And mind you, this is not something we just do personally. This is what happens on the national scale. Wars escalate on the basis of the same principle. It’s not enough to respond in kind when our enemies lash out at us, but we have to carry out some sort of shock and awe campaign to show them what kind of power we have and remind them just who they are dealing with. And in a nuclear age, that can be a very dangerous thing.
All in all, its all the same principle. It all comes back to the heart and its natural, sinful disposition. In our pride we want to strike harder and with less mercy.
But once we understand what is normal for us, we can better understand what is legal.
II. What is legal
You see from our text that Jesus, once again, quotes one of the common sayings of his day. Now it is important that we understand that what he is quoting is an OT law. And it is important that we understand this law in its proper setting and the way it had come to be used in Jesus’ day. Otherwise we will miss the point Jesus is attempting to communicate
The first thing you should understand is that the principle of an eye for an eye was set down by God in the Old Testament. As a matter of fact, it is mentioned in three different places in the Torah (Exo_21:22-27; Lev_24:19-20; Deu_19:19). And, I might well mention that this was not just a good law that Moses set forth, it is the kind of law that should still be recognized in the civil law code of our own day and age.
To say that God demands an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth is to recognize that when legal cases are adjudicated, there should be a principle of equivalency that rules in the judgement that are rendered. When a man or a woman has committed a crime and is found guilty, that person should be punished. But in the sentencing process, the punishment that is inflicted should fit the crime.
This is what is commonly known today as lex talionis. That is Latin for the law of retribution. On the playground we might call it “tit for tat.”
You see, God was giving some guidance for how to handle legal matters. As you may well guess, the world can be fickle when it comes to how it issues a sentence for a crime. In the court of law there can be a tendency to inflict punishments that are either too light or too harsh. Depending on your person, you might really stick it to them or let them off pretty easily.
For instance, if you have notoriety and are a public figure, you might get off with a very light sentence. They can treat you with some deal of partiality and your punishment may not be as thorough as it ought to be.
On the other hand, there are some places that inflict punishments that are entirely too harsh. For instance, if you steal something, you might have your hands cut off. That punishment is entirely out of line. Not only is it gruesome, but it inhibits your ability to work to provide for yourself, your family, and make any form of restitution to the one who you robbed. What’s more, you are now no longer able to work and the rest of your days you are spent begging, which may be said to be a form of stealing.
This law was given to moderate those extremes. And, in particular, it was to keep people from taking advantage of the law and making you pay more than you should. It is a form of legal retaliation. It is supposed to keep people from taking advantage of the court system and making them pay. So, if you spill your coffee in your lap and then sue for damages, you shouldn’t be able to take them to the cleaners for millions and millions of dollars.
This law would keep that kind of thing from happening. It would make it so that there was fairness and justice in how those kinds of cases worked out.
So you recognize that God, in laying forth this law, was providing something good for society. He was setting forth a principle that would give some semblance of order and justice to society. The aim is to prevent excessive legal retaliation. Every society should abide by this kind of principle in regard to their legal proceedings.
The problem though, at least in Jesus’ day, was that the people had taken this civil law and made it into a personal command. They saw this as a way to justify their personal vengeful attitudes.
In other words, if someone chucked a rock through Joe’s window or cheated Joe out of some money, Joe thought he could respond by doing the very same thing to the one who first hurt him. So long as he responded in kind and broke the window (and not a door or the supports of the house, keeping with the eye for eye equivalency), then Joe was supposedly acting in a righteous, God honoring way.
But this law was not designed for that purpose. This law was not laid down to legitimize personal vindictiveness. It was supposed to be to prevent that kind of thing.
As a matter of fact, there are numerous Scriptures in the OT that said just the opposite:
Leviticus 19:18
You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your own people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the LORD.
Proverbs 20:22
Do not say, “I will repay evil”; wait for the LORD, and he will deliver you.
Proverbs 24:29
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.”
What had happened is that the people of Jesus’ time wanted to justify their retaliation. They were ignoring all the prohibitions against revenge and taking the one that backed their evil actions. They thought that just as long as you retaliated in a way that was proper, well then, God would approve.
This is not the case though. This is a terrible misapplication of the text. And this is why Jesus says what he says. He tells us in verses 39-42 what is crucial. And it all boils down to real genuine love.
III. What is crucial
In these verses Jesus gives 4 crucial illustrations. These are to show that retaliation is fine, if it is a retaliation of love.
The first one has to do with turning the other cheek. He says, “Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.”
Now think about what this involves. This is a slight offense. Slapping someone is a lot different than being punched or attacked with a knife. A slap is meant to degrade you. And especially if it is a slap on the right cheek. Most people are right handed. So, if you were to hit someone on the right cheek, it would be a back handed slap.
You understand that a slap or a backhanded slap is not going to cause bodily harm. It is merely a way of being slighted or showing disrespect.
This is an important thing to note because there are many who would like to take what is said here and use it to promote pacifism. They do not believe in any form of resistance or self defense when one is being attacked. And they will use this to deny any kind of activity in a war.
Scripture gives you authority to protect your life and defend yourself. I’m not going to go into that right now. I don’t think this is the place to develop a whole idea of just war. All we need to understand here is that this is not about your life being in any kind of danger. This verse is talking about being insulted (not assaulted).
But what are you to do when you find yourself being treated with a small degree of ignominy? Your response is to turn the other cheek. That is to say, you shouldn’t care too much about it. Let them humiliate you. It’s not that big of a deal. It isn’t going to cause that much real pain in the long run. You should be able to overlook it and not feel the need to retaliate.
And this is what Jesus himself did, mind you. 1 Peter 2 tells us that “when he was reviled, he reviled not in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously.” That’s the pattern that Christ would have for us.
The second thing Jesus mentions may go a little further than that. It may be a more harsh treatment. This time it is not an attack on your pride, but rather he’s dealing with your property. He says, “And if anyone would sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well.”
Now, the tunic would be like our T-shirt. The cloak would be like a jacket or winter coat. It doesn’t seem like much to us, but you realize that in ancient times your coat was your blanket. It was how you stayed warm at night. They probably didn’t have a nice, cozy down comforter on their bed. When they went to sleep, they pulled their coat over them to stay warm. That’s why there was a law in the OT about not being able to keep one’s cloak overnight.
So here’s a guy who is attacking your personal property. Someone is maybe being overly litigious and wants to get everything that he can from you. There are a couple things you could do. You could involve yourself in a long, contentious court battle to keep what is rightfully yours. You could retaliate by means of lawyers and petitions, so to speak. Or you could make your appeal with a meek spirit. Then, if that doesn’t solve things, it may very well be better to simply take the financial loss and move on. Sure, it may very well be something that will be somewhat difficult to recoup, but its not destroying your life in some sizable way. Its nothing that will be detrimental in the long run.
Jesus’ third illustration has to do with Roman soldiers who could temporarily conscript you into carrying their gear. The Romans could require you at any moment to leave whatever you were doing and walk that mile. Now, if you happened to go to the market or were on a business trip, that’s a little bit of an annoyance. It means two miles because you have to walk out and back. But Jesus says, “Don’t just go one mile, go two miles. Make it a 4 mile round trip.”
All in all, it’s going to be an hour or two out of your day. You might be a little tired. But you can recuperate from it. In the grand scheme of things, it’s not something that you should really pitch a fit about. It gets in the way of what you had wanted to accomplish, but it really doesn’t amount to anything more than a minor inconvenience.
But this is where love really shows itself. You go beyond what is required of you. Take your service to the ultimate degree and don’t just do the bare minimum.
That’s a good lesson to take to heart. When you are doing your chores, when your parents conscript you into making your bed and doing the dishes after dinner, don’t just do enough to get by. Go the extra mile. Go beyond what is required and really try and make a good impression.
The fourth illustration tells us to be liberal minded. “Give to the one who begs from you, and do not refuse the one who would borrow from you.”
Now, obviously, you don’t want to be a sucker or throw money at any person who comes begging. You might be reinforcing some bad behavior if you do.
But the overall principle is this: be ready to help. You can easily see someone say, “This guy wants me to help him with his rent, but it wasn’t that long ago that he was picking on me and made my life rough. It serves him right. He should get tossed out on his can.”
That’s just a vengeful spirit talking. That’s not living by the law of love that our Lord intends. Jesus wants you to retaliate. But he wants you to retaliation to be one of love. One of blessing.
That’s the crucial thing we are to remember. Retaliation as a principle of hatred is not an attribute of God’s kingdom. We are to retaliate with love and kindness, with a spirit of generosity and an aim to go the extra mile in our service.
Conclusion:
When it really comes down to it, we have to think of it in terms of what Christ has done for us. Jesus doesn’t live by the Misny principle. When dealing with us he doesn’t say, “I’m gonna make em pay.” He doesn’t treat us in a retaliatory way.
He could very well have said, “I already forgave him once. But he’s just gone back and done it again. All he does is provoke me time and again. The wretch is going to get what he deserves.”
No, when we come calling out to Christ, he doesn’t turn us away. He overlooks our sins. He essentially, turns the other cheek. And you might say he’s very liberal to give what is his. That’s what he does in our salvation. He gives us his righteousness so that we might be declared righteous. That’s the only way our righteousness can exceed that of the Pharisees and Scribes. It is through his liberal bestowal of it.
But, of course, that comes at a price. You might say he gives us his cloak. But it means that he’s at a loss. And that’s what the cross was for him.
That’s the beauty of the gospel. It turns the Misny principle on its head. It’s not, “I’ll make him pay.” But rather, “I’ll pay it. I’ll make that payment.”
So Christ is calling you to embrace that good gospel today. Embrace the righteousness that he offers and put away that retaliatory spirit. Let the Lord purge this way and let the law of love rule in you today.