Seeds for 05/26/2023 - Matthew 5:38-42
Scripture: 38 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ 39 But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also. 40 And if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, hand over your coat as well. 41 If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles. 42 Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.
Observation: Mahatma Gandhi, who had memorized the Sermon on the Mount, once said, “An eye for an eye will only make the whole world blind.” Gandhi was successfully utilizing nonviolent resistance in a movement against the British Empire. This nonviolence tactic for social change deeply influenced Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and his associates in the United States.
“An eye for an eye” comes from the Torah, reiterated in various contexts in Exodus, Leviticus, and Deuteronomy. The basic principle here is proportionality, which is one of the conditions required in Just War Theory. In itself, it represents a remarkable advance in the ethics of war and conflict because it limits retaliation. I scratch a small section of your car door, the you key my whole vehicle. Not proportional at all. An eye for an eye, far from being some ancient barbarism, became a vital guiding principle for society and foreign affairs.
So, what do we make of Jesus’ stringent commands here?
It seems to me that only when “an eye for an eye” is seen for the impressive ethical resource it truly is are we able then to see the power of Jesus’ radical vision here.
This is not the actions of a weak person choosing the path of least resistance. Instead, they are, like Gandhi and King, intentionally chosen acts of nonviolence. Let’s remember who Jesus is addressing: People who are responding to His preaching and teaching by becoming His disciples (students, apprentices). He is also speaking to people who live with the military and political occupation of their ancestral homeland by the Roman Empire. Nonviolence is a tall order.
The inner personal work needed to carry out this vision would be transformative. One would need a radical vision of forgiveness. One would need a heart capable of selfless love for enemies. One would need incredible emotional maturity and self-discipline. In other words, one would need a love as deep as the cross and an ongoing experience of growing in the fruit of the Spirit in order to offer this kind of radical, risky love. What’s risky is that we pour out deeply humble, deeply merciful love, only to have it ignored or shoved aside. In other words, the riskiness of God’s love in Christ on the cross. Only people with cross-shaped lives could have the spiritual resources to give, give, give.
Of course, if we are giving so that the recipient will eventually recognize how wonderful we’ve been, then we are in for a world of hurt. There’s simply no guarantee of that response. That’s why we can’t do it for that reason. Love of Jesus, who walked this exact talk, is the only foundation on which to build this kind of sacrificial life.
Application:
What makes it hard to give selflessly with little prospect of appreciation from the recipient?
What else might the Holy Spirit be speaking with you about in the text today?
Prayer: Lord, show me where and with whom I might practice this selfless love, for your glory’s sake and not my own. Amen.
“But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it. This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.” (Matthew 13:23)
If you liked this post from Seeds of Faith, why not share it and/or subscribe?
All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™