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"You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.' But I tell you not to resist an evil person. But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also. If anyone wants to sue you and take away your tunic, let him have your cloak also. And whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two. Give to him who asks you, and from him who wants to borrow from you do not turn away.
"You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the tax collectors do so? Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect."
- Matthew 5:38-48
We are reading through the Sermon on the Mount, in chapters 5 - 7 of Matthew's Gospel. We began with the Beatitudes, then Jesus taught, "You are the salt of the earth," "Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill," and "Whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment." Yesterday, we read that He continued, "You have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not commit adultery.' But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish than for your whole body to be cast into hell. Furthermore it has been said, 'Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.' But I say to you that whoever divorces his wife for any reason except sexual immorality causes her to commit adultery; and whoever marries a woman who is divorced commits adultery. Again you have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform your oaths to the Lord.' But I say to you, do not swear at all: neither by heaven, for it is God's throne; nor by the earth, for it is His footstool; nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. Nor shall you swear by your head, because you cannot make one hair white or black. But let your 'Yes' be 'Yes,' and your 'No,' 'No.' For whatever is more than these is from the evil one."
"You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.' But I tell you not to resist an evil person. But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also. If anyone wants to sue you and take away your tunic, let him have your cloak also. And whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two. Give to him who asks you, and from him who wants to borrow from you do not turn away." For the Old Testament Law see Exodus 21:24; Leviticus 24:20, and Deuteronomy 19:21. This is a basic description of equal "justice," justice as a debt or trespass to be paid in kind. And it is important that we know that this was meant to limit vengeance. If we read the Old Testament carefully, we see that Genesis is filled with problems of human violence and especially retribution to the extreme. Jesus' fulfillment of the Law comes with a step further, a way out of violence. My study bible says that Jesus warns us not to resist violence with more violence, and that evil can only be overcome by good. With such a focus, we stay free from compromise with the devil, it says, and can bring our enemy under the yoke of God's love.
"You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the tax collectors do so?" Jesus emphasizes positive action that is not merely a knee-jerk response to whatever we find in our own environments. This is transcendence and choice. It's also a great emphasis on just who is the true Judge, on prayer. We can pray for the worst of our enemies, even for their conversion. And the great crux of all of Jesus' teachings really comes down to love, and just what that is. This is once again fulfillment by going beyond response in kind, to response that goes directly to serving God and our place as those who would please God.
"Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect." My study bible calls this a summary of all that has preceded in Jesus' Sermon. A Christian can grow in the perfection of the Father (Ephesians 4:13), which is shown by imitating God's love and mercy. (See Luke 6:36.)
Jesus writes here of a basic choice and disposition for how we are to please God. It's a kind of perspective that elevates us beyond our environment. If we understand Mosaic Law as a justice that was designed to limit retribution, then we can see Jesus' emphasis on love as taking us into the fulfillment of that Law. What does it mean to love? Does love mean that we condone unjust action, violence, exploitation, or bad behavior of any kind? No, it doesn't. In "loving our enemies" we don't say that all things and behaviors are good or desirable or appropriate or acceptable. What this is about is a positive emphasis on knowing who we are and what we serve, and that we are not limited to our circumstances. Are we the victims of violence, or injustice? Our response is not limited to the like, "in kind!" When we pray for our enemies, what we're doing is bringing God into the picture. We are asking God for direction and guidance, we're asking God for God's peace and justice. And we seek the response God would have us make. Jesus' love, throughout the Gospels, isn't just a warm and fuzzy acceptance of all things. Love is an active kind of God-likeness, and it includes justice and peace. But it does call us outside of our own limited environments and understanding. It calls us beyond the strength we thought we had into a greater transcendence. And it does ask us to see a bigger picture, to be better than the "tax collectors" of His time. That is the place where we are called in discipleship, we are called to a freedom beyond what the world would tell us, what everybody else thinks, or what someone else has done to us. We're called to make the best of the lives we have. There's really only one way to get there, and that is in a bond, a relationship, to the God who's above everything, to Christ who shows us a way through an imperfect world. Are we up for the challenge of His discipleship? Can we find that better Way? Think about what it really means to be children of God.
