38Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth:
39But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also. 40And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloak also. 41And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain. 42Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away.
39But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also. 40And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloak also. 41And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain. 42Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away.
The command “an eye for any eye” can be found in Exodus 21:24; Leviticus 24:20; and Deuteronomy 19:21. In these passages, you will find a rule that regulated the decisions of judges. The judges were to order life for life, Eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burning for burning, wound for wound, and stripe for stripe. It’s clear that Christ found no fault with this rule as it applies to judges, and does not make any attempt to repeal the rule. But instead of confining this rule to judges, the Jews applied this rule to private conduct, thereby this rule turned out to be an excuse to take revenge. In light of the Jews interpretation, an individual was thereby justified by the law to take revenge.
In contradiction to the Jews interpretation of the law, Christ’s teaching directs us to not take matters into our own hands. In accord with His teaching in Matthew 18:15-18, Jesus not only teaches us to not take matters in our own hands, but to go beyond ourselves by taking it to the church if the matter can’t be resolved between you and the offender, or between two or three witnesses. Also Paul wrote, “Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath; for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord (Romans 12:19).” Jesus goes on to say that we are not to even resist evil. We are to turn to them the other cheek if they hit us on one cheek.
The natural inclination in matters of conflict is to defend ourselves and to get revenge. Vengeance seems to be part of our genetic code. However, Jesus Christ brings radical changes for our human behavior. Jesus Christ replaces our natural inclinations with Godly Standards. Jesus teaches us to forgive rather than to hold grudges. He teaches us to love rather than to hate. He teaches us to go the extra mile and to not turn away those who desire to borrow from us. Jesus’ teachings are certainly radical in that they go against the grain of our natural human conditioning.
The natural inclination in matters of conflict is to defend ourselves and to get revenge. Vengeance seems to be part of our genetic code. However, Jesus Christ brings radical changes for our human behavior. Jesus Christ replaces our natural inclinations with Godly Standards. Jesus teaches us to forgive rather than to hold grudges. He teaches us to love rather than to hate. He teaches us to go the extra mile and to not turn away those who desire to borrow from us. Jesus’ teachings are certainly radical in that they go against the grain of our natural human conditioning.
However, if we would learn to trust Him, we will reap the rewards of eternity. As Jesus prayed in the midst of His suffering, “not my will, but thy will must be done” (Luke 22:42b); as fellow believers, we must strive daily to do His will.
Committed to Serve,
Rev. Dr. A.L. Purham, Sr., Pastor
Freedom Baptist Church
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