Village Schools of the Bible

SO, YOU WANT TO GET EVEN!
Matthew 5:38-42

This portion of the Sermon on the Mount, Matthew 5:38-42, might quite possibly be one of the most difficult portions of the Sermon for us to understand. The reason – Jesus is talking about people’s rights. We live in a “rights” conscious age. Our Declaration of Independence affirms that men have certain inalienable rights that are theirs because of God. Included among those rights are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. (It might be noted that the writers of the Declaration of Independence never stated that a person would attain that happiness). So, the battle cry today is “give me my rights.” We hear it from minorities, from children, from women, from the radical elements within our society.

Now, if I properly understand what Jesus is saying here in this text, it is that, as a believer, I may be asked to forfeit my rights to help someone else.

We begin our study of this text by asking ourselves the question: Do I have the right to retaliate when wronged? Jesus makes reference, in verse 38, to the teachings of the Mosaic Law which stated, But if there is any further injury, then you shall appoint as a penalty life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, bruise for bruise (Exodus 21:23-25). This text provides the principle of having the punishment exactly match the crime.

What were the purposes of this principle? First, it was to curtail further crime. We read in Deuteronomy 19:20 these words, And the rest will hear and be afraid, and will never again do such an evil thing among you. In essence, this principle of an eye for an eye was to be a deterrent for future crimes. Its second purpose was to prevent excessive punishment based on personal vengeance or retaliation. The Old Testament never allowed a person to take the law into his own hands.

However, by the time of Jesus, the religious authorities had interpreted this “eye for an eye” principle such that it became a means of seeking revenge. The result was that every man could become his own judge, jury, and executioner.

So, what did Jesus teach? First, let us look at what Jesus did not teach. He did not teach that a person should take no stand against evil. Even Jesus drove out the money changers from the temple because they had violated the principles God had ordained for that place. Jesus did not say that a person should wink at sin in the church, in fact, Jesus taught the need for reconciliation between errant brothers (Matthew 18:15-17).

What Jesus did teach was that a person should not seek retaliation when wronged by another. Jesus used the illustration of the slap on the cheek, considered one of the most demeaning acts as it was considered an attack on a person’s honor. Jesus is stating that we need to be prepared to take insults even as He did. It may not be pleasant to turn the other cheek, but it does model the actions of Christ toward those who hurled abuses against Him.

In our next study together we shall see if Jesus proclaims whether a person has any rights of his own. Dial in tomorrow for this important study.

Father, it is so very difficult for us to not want to have the wrongs made right. Turning the other cheek is hardly the attitude that is acceptable by our society today. We have a difficult time discerning between turning the other cheek and becoming a door mat upon which others walk. Please give us a spirit of discernment so that we can model the attitude that Christ had. For it is in His name that we pray. Amen.

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