You have heard that it was said, "An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth"

 

 "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 currently reading through the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5 - 7).   Earlier in this sermon, Jesus taught the disciples, "For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven."  In recent subsequent readings, Jesus has been teaching exactly what this means.  Yesterday we read that He taught, "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 ore 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."  My study Bible notes that in contrast to the Old Testament (Exodus 21:24; Leviticus 24:20; Deuteronomy 19:21), Jesus warns us not to resist violence with more violence.  It says that evil can only be overcome by good, which keeps us free from compromise with the devil and can bring our enemy under the yoke of God's love.  My study Bible includes a story of one of the desert saints.  He once found his hut being looted of its few possessions; he knelt in the corner praying for the bandits.  When they left, this monk realized they had not taken his walking stick.  He pursued them for days until he could give them this stick as well.  When they saw his humility, they returned everything to him and were converted to Jesus Christ. 

 

 "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?"  My study Bible explains that if we are freed from hate, sadness, and anger, then we are able to receive the greatest virtue, which is perfect love.  The love of enemies isn't simply an emotion, but it includes decision and action.  As my study Bible puts it, it is to treat our enemies as the closest members of our own family (see 1 John 4:7-21).  

 

"Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect."  According to my study Bible, this is the summary statement of all that has preceded so far in the Sermon on the Mount.  A Christian can grow in the perfection of the Father (Ephesians 4:13; 2 Peter 1:2-9).  This is shown by imitating God's love and mercy (see also Luke 6:36).  

 

 My study Bible sums up the teachings in today's reading in this way:  "An eye for an eye" -- a graphic way of seeing justice from a human perspective -- becomes "turn the other [cheek]" and "love your enemies."  It frames this as teaching that we must not only forsake vengeance, even when it is just retribution, but we must seek to treat others as God treats us, with mercy and grace.  Given this thought, it's very important to understand that in the Old Testament, "an eye for an eye" was in fact meant to be a limiting corrective for overarching, excess violence and cycles of revenge and retribution.  We read in the Old Testament of Lamech, a descendant of Cain.  He bragged to his wives in a song, "For I have killed a man for wounding me, even a young man for hurting me. If Cain shall be avenged sevenfold, then Lamech seventy-sevenfold" (Genesis 4:23-24).  Noah was the son of Lamech, and the flood came to the earth because of the violence and evil which proliferated among humankind (Genesis 6:1-8).  Therefore what we see and receive through Christ's teachings is the reversal of that previous reality and multiplication of sin, an antidote to it all; Jesus prescribes for us holiness as the response to world beset with problems of evil and multiplying sin and violence.  And in this is our salvation; this is what He brings to us.  The Incarnation of Jesus Christ, who is fully God and fully human, brings to us the capacity for holiness in His life lived among us, and our own nature capable of taking on the qualities of the divine, becoming more like God.  For this we have the Incarnation, including Christ's Ascension, in which human flesh becomes a part of heaven, divinized.  Jesus has sent us the Helper, the Holy Spirit, meant to lead us into the fruits that Jesus wants of us (Galatians 5:22-23).  This is our calling from Christ, to become divinized to the extent that we can, through process of faith unfolding in our lives, by rejecting that which we find in ourselves which is incompatible with that calling and internal work of the Holy Spirit in us.  It is in this context Christ teaches, "If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you . . ." in yesterday's reading (see above).  This process is called theosis among the Orthodox, and we are meant to grow in it, a lifetime process, the working out of our salvation (Philippians 2:12).  It's not something we invent, or devise for ourselves, it's not simply an intellectual process or belief, but it's the living of faith, using all the tools and structures given to us in Church and Tradition (including Scripture), and it's also a mystical process, depending upon the leading we find within our sacraments, that of Holy Baptism which confers the Holy Spirit, the Eucharist, and all others included.  This is a process whereby we become a part of what Christ called His family when He said, "Here are My mother and My brothers! For whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is My brother and sister and mother" (see Matthew 12:48-50).  All these tools and practices in the Church, including prayer, fasting, and almsgiving, are meant to help us to seek God's will for us, to find where it is we are called, to first seek the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 6:33).  For this must be our orientation and our salvation.  Lest we be concerned about the conditions Jesus' teachings seem to impose upon us, it should be understood that among the early Christian martyrs there were many soldiers.  They were not burdened by their faith to stop being soldiers in the Roman Empire, but died as martyrs for their faith by a refusal to participate in worship of the Emperor (as example, see the Forty Martyrs of Sepastia).  Jesus' teachings here are against vengeance, and favor mercy, but they don't preclude justice.  Instead, they teach us about a proactive kind of righteousness.  They teach us about the avoidance of unnecessary harm or aggression.  To turn the other cheek, to go the extra mile, to love an enemy does not mean that we are meant to suffer abuse or be blind to what is just.  But Jesus teaches us instead that we have God to serve first, and love upholds truth and justice as well.  It is not a teaching on submission to evil, but rather one that rejects the cycle of personal vengeance and retribution that produces of itself unnecessary evil.  It is through righteousness that evil is countered; this would include the protection of the innocent and defense against abuse and harm.  Additional evil is what Jesus is preaching against.  Additionally, the teaching in Greek may also closely be translated, "Do not resist the evil one" rather than an "evil person."  Indeed, this is the way the passage was read by St. John Chrysostom.  In some sense, his reading separates sin from sinner.  In that perspective, we are to understand that evil is not defeated through conventional means of retribution, or return of evil, but only through righteous behavior.  Whatever way we understand Christ's teachings, He is telling us that our circumstances don't determine who we need to be, but we need to remember always that our prime job is to be the children of our Father, and loyal to our calling. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect

 

 "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 currently reading through the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5 - 7).  Yesterday we read that Jesus taught, "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 our 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.'  Bu 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."  My study Bible contrasts this passage with passages from the Old Testament which Jesus quotes here regarding justice:  Exodus 21:24; Leviticus 24:20; Deuteronomy 19:21.   In Christ's New Covenant, He warns us not to resist violence with more violence.  Evil can only be overcome by good, my study Bible comments, which keeps us free from compromise with the devil and can bring our enemy under the yoke of God's love.  My study Bible tells a story of one of the desert saints:  He once found his hut being looted of its few possessions. His response was to kneel in a corner praying for the bandits.  When they left, he saw that they had not taken his walking stick.  The monk pursued them for days until he could give them his walking stick also.  Seeing his humility, they gave everything back to him, and were converted to Jesus Christ. 

 

 "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?"  My study Bible writes that this passage teaches us to be freed from hate, sadness, and anger, for then we are capable of receiving the greatest virtue, which is perfect love.  The love of enemies isn't just an emotion; it includes decision and action.  It is to treat and see our enemies as the closest members of our own family, my study Bible says (see 1 John 4:7-21).

 

"Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect."  According to my study Bible, this is the summary statement of all that has preceded.  The Christian can indeed grow in the perfect of the Father, it says (see Ephesians 4:13), which is shown by imitating God's love and mercy (compare Luke 6:26).

 

Jesus' sermon (or rather, this particular passage from the Sermon on the Mount) today really encapsulates a sense in which that love is the Law of God, the law of the Kingdom that He seeks to bring into the world.  Clearly we are not meant simply to accept that this is His way, we are meant to live His way.  We are meant to fully participate in this law of His Kingdom  in our practices, lives, and daily behaviors.  On the other hand, in this same sermon Jesus will preach to His disciples, "Do not give what is holy to the dogs; nor cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you in pieces" (Matthew 7:6).  How do we reconcile these two seemingly very different teachings?  The answer is found in love, in our understanding of what love is, what it teaches us, and how Christ as the example of love, leads us in that understanding.  Love is the act of caring for others, of wanting good for them, having compassion.  But we so often confuse love with indulgence, even with admiring flaws in ourselves or others, condoning everything.  But this is not Christ's love.  The man who would teach us to cleanse our hearts of lust and anger, who would teach us that our notions of blessedness are not simply about getting whatever we want in life, is certainly not practicing the kind of love that accepts all behavior as "good" or indulges every whim or emotion.  This is an entirely different notion of good, because it is a love that wants us to be close to Him, a part of His kingdom, and perfect on the terms of that Kingdom as the best we can be -- our highest good.  This is what Christ's love does and teaches.  If a parent has a child with a healthcare problem, staying home from an uncomfortable visit to the doctor would not really be the loving thing to do.  In the long run, wishing the good for a child would be to find ways to heal.  Showing a child love is teaching them to care properly for themselves, including self-discipline, not leaving them as immature or infantile.  So Christ also prepares us for our future, for participation in His kingdom, and our growth therein.  Today's passage stands notions of justice on their heads, in some sense, because Christ is emphasizing the need to practice love at all times, to be "like God."  Compassion is always called for, and it's important to remember that all that He teaches us comes out of a sense of love.  So, therefore, here He is teaching His disciples to be and do the same, and this must be particularly true of their behavior among one another, in His Church.  Perhaps the surest way to turn a vulnerable person away from the Church is to fail to heed Christ's teachings about the necessary practice of love.  In this Christ is consistent when He warns of woes to come to those who cause offense to the little ones in His Church (Matthew 18:7).  Once again, today's passage emphasizes that we are brought into communion with Christ, who is the fulfillment of the Law and the Prophets, so that we might become more like Him. We're taught first to love God with all our heart and soul and mind and strength, and this leads us to love of neighbor "as ourselves."  Presumably if we are truly disciples of Christ, we don't simply want to drown in our own errors and shortcomings, but love teaches us how to go forward, how to become better, and more like Him as we can.  So to love one's enemy is not simply to praise all that they do, or to approve or embrace it.  It is to practice the love of God as best we can discern by loving God -- Christ -- first and seeking to live the life He asks us to in all circumstances.  Christ says, "Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect." We are to seek to know God's love by returning it and growing in it; from there we learn what it is to love neighbor.  Let us learn to be that kind of perfect.

 

 

Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect

 

 "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 hi 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 

 

Currently we are reading through the Sermon on the Mount, found in St. Matthew's Gospel.  This week serves as preparation for Lent.  Yesterday we read that Jesus taught, "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 eye 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.  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 hi 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."  My study Bible comments that, in contrast to the Old Testament (Exodus 21:24; Leviticus 24:20; Deuteronomy 19:21), warns us not to resist violence with more violence.  Evil can only be overcome by good, my study Bible notes, which keeps us free from compromise with the devil and can bring our enemy under the yoke of God's love.  My study Bible offers a story from the Desert Monks:  A saint of the desert once found his hut was being looted of its meager possessions; he knelt in the corner praying for the bandits.  When they left, he saw that they had not taken his walking stick.  He pursued them for days until he could  give them his stick as well.  When they saw his humility, the bandits returned all to him and were converted to Christ.  

"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?"  My study Bible comments that if we should be freed from hate, sadness, and anger, then we are able to receive the greatest virtue, which is perfect love.  The love of enemies isn't a mere emotion.  It includes decision and action.  It means to treat and see our enemies as the closest members of our own family (see 1 John 4:7-21).  

"Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect."  My study Bible calls this verse the summary statement of all that has preceded it in the Sermon on the Mount.  It says that the Christian can indeed grow in the perfection of God the Father (Ephesians 4:13), which is shown by imitating God's love and mercy (compare to Luke 6:36).  

There are many ways in which Christ's words in this section of the Sermon on the Mount are difficult, particularly in a modern context.  If we walk through a city where homelessness and addiction are common, we're beset by the question of what our money goes to should we loan or give to all who ask (in other words, we might be funding an addiction, something that is not good for the person we're ostensibly helping).   We've all seen and heard of senselessly violent crime, or encounters on a subway, or any number of frightening things we wouldn't want to embrace with generosity.  Be all these things what they are, there is one thing that is made very clear by Christ in His teachings, and that is that we are not bound by what others do in terms of our response to the world.  We are not simply slaves to whatever trespass or bad deed another may do.  Indeed, Christ is suggesting to us that we take a proactive stand for love, that we determine our own actions and initiatives to come through imitation of God the Father, for there is no other command, worldly or otherwise, that can take precedence over such.  And this is where the love of God becomes the determiner for us of what our own perfection may look like.  It is in this kind of freedom, as my study Bible suggests, that we determine what our lives are like, what our priorities are, what we will do in life.  We should approach these teachings by first understanding that "an eye for an eye" was a concept that was meant to limit violence at the time it was given.  All we have to do is read the story of Lamech, and his vengeance of seventy-seven times to understand the picture of a world consumed with vengeance and violence for which the Law of Moses was given.  But Jesus is teaching that even this limited sense of vengeance is not really justice or righteousness.   It's not perfection.  Let us also keep in mind that Christ's teaching on being perfect is also an evolving and growing process of faith within us.  It consists of those steps in our faith practice that must consist of all the ways we shore up and build up our faith and our reliance on Christ.  We do this through prayer, through worship, through all the practices the Church offers us to help us on this way, including traditional Lenten practices such as fasting and making more time for God:  to consider our lives, increase our prayer, emphasize our almsgiving, and all the ways that we might practice such, for they are myriad.  Life is about learning to call upon God to find our way, to see our way ahead as a light in the darkness.  For this world might be very dark indeed if we are betrayed by friends or family, harmed by sickness or ill health, dismayed over cruelties or injustice.  These are the things that make it so essential to find our freedom to choose God's way for us, the time and space to pray, to accept God's version of perfection and not the world's demands we see through social media, or competing narratives of acquisition and triumph.  Let us consider the truly good, and find our way to that kind of perfection.

 

 

 

 

 

You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth'

 

 "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 currently reading through the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5 - 7).  Yesterday we read that Jesus taught, "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."   My study Bible says that in contrast to the Old Testament (Exodus 21:24; Leviticus 24:20; Deuteronomy 19:21), Jesus warns us not to resist violence with more violence.  Evil can only be overcome by good, it notes, which keeps us free from compromise with the devil 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?"  To be freed from hate, sadness, and anger, my study Bible says, is to be able to then receive the greatest virtue:  perfect love.  The love of enemies is not a mere emotion, but includes decision and action.  See 1 John 4:7-21.

"Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect."  My study Bible calls this the summary statement of all that has preceded.  The Christian can indeed grow in the perfection of the Father (Ephesians 4:13), which is shown by imitating God's love and mercy (compare Luke 6:36).  

 

What does it mean to be perfect?  Jesus gives us a model for perfection, God the Father.  It is an ultimate yardstick, something toward which to seek to grow, and to learn to grow in likeness to the things we know of God such as Jesus names.  There seems to be a complete emphasis here on an abundance of mercy; that without mercy we don't have real righteousness or justice.  It's significant to remember that when "an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth" was first said as part of the Law, it was given as a limitation to violence.   For context, the Old Testament tells us the story of escalating violence after sin entered into the world, with perhaps a pinnacle reached in the story of Lamech, who bragged that he would take vengeance seventy-seven fold (Genesis 4:22-24).  We might even bear in mind the story of Noah and what it tells us about the sinfulness of the world.  But in the story of salvation we are given Christ, whom the Revelation teaches us is "the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world" (Revelation 13:8).  Perhaps one way we are to understand Jesus' teachings here is to recall our ultimate reliance upon God for all things.  In Moses' song in Deuteronomy, an extremely ancient Scripture, we read, "Vengeance is Mine, and recompense; Their foot shall slip in due time; For the day of their calamity is at hand, And the things to come hasten upon them" (Deuteronomy 32:35, quoted by St. Paul in Romans 12:19).  Once again, we turn to Christ the Lord as the One teaching us about establishing community and right-relatedness -- but perhaps most of all we must consider how His teachings leave us room to find the way God would ask us to go in all circumstances.  To withdraw from immediate impulse is to have the capacity to check one's passions or emotions and to seek a way to cope with even difficult circumstances with God's help and guidance.  What Jesus is teaching is a way of life, a discipleship, that entails a lifetime of pursuit, in which we hopefully grow in our own capacity to become more "like Him."

 

 

So that you can be sons of your Father in heaven

 

 "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 currently reading through the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5 - 7).  In yesterday's reading, Jesus taught, "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."  My study Bible comments that in contrast to the Old Testament (Exodus 21:24; Leviticus 24:20; Deuteronomy 19:21), Jesus warns us not to resist violence with more violence.  Evil can only be overcome by good, which keeps us free from compromise with the devil and can bring the enemy under the yoke of God's love, it says. 

"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?"  My study Bible comments that if we are freed from the control of hate, sadness, and anger, then we can receive the greatest virtue, which is perfect love.  The love of enemies, it says, is not merely an emotion, but it includes decision and action.  (See 1 John 4:7-21.)  

 

 "Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect."  My study Bible says that this is the summary statement of all that has preceded (See Matthew 5:1-47).  The Christian can truly grow in the perfect of God the Father (Ephesians 4:13; 2 Peter 1), shown by imitating God's love and mercy (compare Luke 6:36).

 

 In the world today we see atrocities on many levels and in many places.  Wanton cruelty seems to be the norm in some corners of the world and for some peoples.  But in this context we must place our trust first where it belongs, in Jesus Christ, in the love of God.  It might be hard to understand, but for every evil thing we see in the world, we should be certain to understand a spiritual warfare that also accompanies that evil.  Where there is participation in hardship and cruelty, in injustice and oppressive, in those who'd make slaves of others or whose abuse knows no bounds, we can be sure there is also demonic activity in tandem.  Just as, as Christians, we seek to participate in the life of Christ through the sacraments and practices of the Church, so do people participating in cruelty and evil participate in the spiritual life of evil -- whether or not they are aware of it.  So, if we take injustice in this context and with this Christian theological and historical understanding, where does that take us?  It takes us back again to St. Paul's teaching in Ephesians 6:12, which is every bit as true today as it was then:  "For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places."   What this means is that we must accompany our horror and terror at the things we see with a new emphasis on our own spiritual life, on prayer and on seeking God's word and wisdom for how we respond to the things we find appalling.  This does not mean turning away from truth.  It doesn't mean we turn a blind eye to evil.  There is really no time to be given over to unfruitful pursuits that take us away from our awareness of what is to be done.  Are there people we can help who are suffering?  Can we take time for prayer, and remember to take the moments we need for rest and reflection?  Are we supporting what is good for ourselves, our loved ones, our communities?  In this way, we can respond even to what is evil in the world with love, for love is of God.  This does not mean tolerance of evil, nor does it mean appeasement of evil. But it does mean that circumstances call us for active vigilance such as is described in Jesus' prophesies of the end times.  In Matthew 24, Jesus tells us that "because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold."  He ends His prophesy by asking, "Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his master made ruler over his household, to give them food in due season? Blessed is that servant whom his master, when he comes, will find so doing.  Assuredly, I say to you that he will make him ruler over all his goods."  So we should ask ourselves what this means, when He speaks of a faithful and wise servant, who rules his household well, and nurtures and cares for the rest of the household properly.  What does it mean today to nurture and care for our household?  Who is our household and what is our household?  Can we nurture our fellow faithful?  Can we give time to show our love and care?  With what do we feed others?  Do we help to give them courage, or do we fall into a sinful despair that also harms others?  Do we find ways to help others to take heart, and take time to do the same ourselves?  Let us persist in our faith, and endure to the end, as Jesus has admonished, for this is what it means to return good for evil, to be perfect even as our Father in heaven is perfect.  Let us remember that each circumstance offers a chance to find His way, and to do as He did.  This is how an instrument of death became the sign of victory and life, the Cross that saves and means Resurrection.  This is how even martyrs give life to community, for they are spiritual heroes, understood in the Church from the beginning.  Let us consider what we can do even in times of evil, for there is more than meets the eye of the world to understand about life and the love of God.  Let us find strength and guidance in the righteousness of faith.

Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect

 

 "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 to 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 

 

At present we are reading through the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5 - 7).  In yesterday's reading, Jesus taught, "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 thrown; 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."  My study Bible comments that in contrast to the Old Testament (Exodus 21:24; Leviticus 24:20; Deuteronomy 19:21), Jesus warns us not to resist violence with more violence.  It notes that evil can only be overcome by good, which keeps us free from compromise with the devil 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 to 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?"  My study Bible says that if we are freed from hate, sadness, and anger, then we are able to receive the greatest virtue, which is perfect love.  The love of enemies is not simply an emotion, but rather includes decision and action.  

"Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect."  My study Bible calls this verse the summary statement of all that has preceded.  The Christian can grow in the perfection of the Father (see Ephesians 4:13), which is shown by imitation of God's love and mercy (compare Luke 6:36). 

What does it mean to be perfect?  And what is perfect love?  Clearly my study Bible states that we can learn to grow in the perfection of God; for Orthodox Christians, the mystical nature of the Church and the sacraments, the effects of prayer, and a life lived in faith reflect participation in the life and energies of Jesus Christ, the grace of God, and the action of God through Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, in us and in our lives.  This is a very mysterious process in which our faith plays a role to help us to be transformed in love, through repentance and our own "yes" to God.  So how we are made perfect in love, as the Father in heaven is perfect, to be conformed to the image and likeness of God in which we are created?   In this sense, Christ's summing up of the teachings He has given so far in the Sermon on the Mount reflects our present understanding of Christian theology and our participation in the life of His Church.  But let us ask again, what does it mean to be perfect, and what is perfect love?  There seem to be all kinds of love:  a popular notion would be that love is full indulgence of the desires of the beloved, but then there is also the notion of "tough love" -- that is, what one does out of love that may seem to be harsh or strict with the object of that love has terrible problems with their own behaviors.  I think it's relevant to understand that in the tradition of the Old Testament, God's word to Israel was meant for Israel; that is to say, the focus was on what was required to be a Jew, not on forcing all the world to follow the laws of Judaism.  Here, Christ speaks to His disciples, and He is teaching us what our responsibilities are if we are to call ourselves His followers.  Therefore, these commands are for us.  It is in that context that excommunication is understood:  that there are times when separation from the Church occurs even for the spiritual good of the person who is sinning, in the understanding that all are under God's care, and in hope that separation will help to bring the person back to the love of God (see 1 Corinthians 5:5, for example).  In our modern perspective which seems to orient itself to a kind of consumerism of all things, this may seem strange.  But on spiritual terms -- and within the context of the spiritual reality of God and this spiritual realm that permeates our world -- it is, in fact, a loving gesture if understood and properly administered.   Each of us needs to be reconciled to the love of God in whatever way we have need within ourselves; in fact, in this understanding, repentance becomes necessary to avoid more negative consequences of our own hypocritical behavior, for all is exposed to God.   So love takes on forms we might not necessarily understand are loving if we do not know the context in which love operates, and if we do not understand what is for the higher good of the person who is the beloved.  In all cases, loving action supports life and  nurturing; it does not indulge what is self-destructive and harmful, but neither must it be without mercy and what will work best in the long run.  In short, this command to be perfect is a command for lifelong learning of discernment of what constitutes love, what best serves God's purposes, and retains a focus not on what others are doing, but on our own lives and what it is that we need to do in that pursuit of perfection (see John 21:20-22).  In the modern social context of today, we see a tremendous focus on what everybody else is doing, on condemnation of another's action or choice, be that the support of a political party or some stand on a current issue.  The drive to focus attention on an enemy or a scapegoat, even if only to scare others into line (or to distract from one's own motives), is part of human history and the use of power for as long as history is recorded.    "Cancel culture" is one name given to this phenomenon in one of its forms today; this tendency is nothing new.   But this is not the focus recommended by Christ, not the focus of the Sermon on the Mount.  Let us learn discernment to follow His will and find His way, and practice what He preaches for us all, if we call ourselves His followers.  It is in this way that Christ's light will shine through us, that He asks us to be the salt of the earth, to distinguish ourselves as those who carry His name in the world.

You have heard that it was said, "An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth"

 

 "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, which is covered in Matthew chapters 5 - 7.  Yesterday we read that Jesus taught, "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."   My study Bible comments that in contrast to the Old Testament (Exodus 21:244, Leviticus 24:20, Deuteronomy 19:21), Jesus warns not to resist violence with yet more violence.  Evil can only be overcome by good, which keeps us free from compromise with the devil and can bring our enemy under the yoke of God's love.  It then relates a story from the desert monks, in which one saint of the desert once found his hut being looted of its few possessions, and knelt in a corner praying for the thieves.  When they left, he saw that they had not taken his walking stick; he pursued them for many days until he was able to give them the stick as well.  When they saw his humility they returned everything and were converted to Christ.

"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?"  My study Bible says that if we are freed from hate, sadness, and anger, we are able to receive the greatest virtue, which is perfect love.  The love of enemies, it says, is not merely an emotion, but includes decision and action.  It is to treat and to see our enemies as the closest members of our own family.  (See 1 John 4:7-21).

"Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect."  My study Bible calls this the summary statement of all that has preceded.  A Christian, it says, can grow in the perfection of the Father (Ephesians 4:13), which is shown by imitating God's love and mercy (compare Luke 6:36).  

Most people don't realize that the injunction of "an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth" was actually given in order to curtail vengeance.  It established a kind of justice not simply from a sense of appropriate retribution, but was more emphatically a sense in which it sought to limit severe retribution.  If we look at the Old Testament, we're given a story in which retributive vengeance spirals out of control, to become what we might call the prime problem and eventual outcome of the first murder, when Cain killed Abel.  (See Genesis 4.)   In order to protect Cain, who became cursed as a result, the LORD said that if he were murdered, it would be avenged seven times over, and placed a mark on Cain to prevent his murder.  But by the time we get to Cain's descendant Lamech, he brags in a song to his wives:  "Adah and Zillah, hear my voice;/Wives of Lamech, listen to my speech!/For I have killed a man for wounding me,/Even a young man for hurting me./If Cain shall be avenged sevenfold,/Then Lamech seventy-sevenfold."  Violence has begotten violence, and vengeance has become a way of life.  Genesis 4 ends with the statement:  "Then men began to call on the name of the Lord."  In a world in which violence has spiraled out of control thanks to retribution and vengeance, people begin to call upon the name of the Lord.  This is one way to read the text.   In places where we see out of control violence today, it is frequently due to the presence of gangs in which this sort of ongoing retributive "justice" continues.  Like Lamech, it becomes a type of "honor," a response to what might be seen as insult.  It is the opposite of Christ's teachings regarding our own understanding of our responses to insult and harm.  While the injunctions based on "an eye for an eye" curtailed vengeance for a sense of justice based on aims of restitution (for this is the sense of the Mosaic Law), Christ -- as He has so far throughout the Sermon on the Mount -- gets to the literal heart of the matter by focusing on the heart.   We are asked to consider our own responses to hurt and think about them.  What is the best way to respond?  Do we want to continue a cycle of retribution?  Would we rather put a stop to it with our own actions?  Do we want to try to maintain a sort of peace?  Above all, we should remember that the aim of the Law was community, and in the gospel of Christ the aim is community in which Christ is present within us and among us.  In Luke 17:21, Jesus teaches that "the kingdom of God is within you."  This phrase in the Greek, "within you," means both within and among you, indicating each of us and all of us:  in our hearts and in community.  So we should think of Jesus' teachings in today's reading:  before responding, we turn to that communion with God to find what is best for us.  I don't agree that this is a formula like a new set of rules:  it is, rather, a teaching for communion with God and relationship within community.  It is a sense in which our highest and first loyalty to God creates the community God wants for us.  This might include all kinds of responses such as discernment and discrimination (in the sense of thoughtful measuring), for He has also taught us to be "wise as serpents and harmless as doves" (Matthew 10:16).  But the deeper point here is that it is our relationship to the Father that determines our relationship to others, and this must be what we seek in our hearts, the place from which we find response to the world and to the things in it which challenge and hurt us.  One may be surprised at the effects of prayer on those who are hostile to us; it might not make us best friends but it does work to help to bring peace, both within us and among us.  Jesus' teachings also ask us to understand that material things are secondary:  they can be replaced.  Our lives themselves are made of deeper substance; and in true imitation of our Creator and our likeness to Creator we are capable of creating what we need and finding our way through life regarding the material in surprising ways (Luke 12:22-34).  A sense of what we're capable of with God's help gives us a more dynamic than static picture of our material wealth, and how it is used.  We go first to the relationship with God (Matthew 6:33).  Above all, Christ's teachings elevate us beyond the level of retribution to a powerful and dynamic relationship first with God, a participation in God's love, and from there a sense of ourselves which we seek to express in our relationship to the world.  Who are we really?  What do we choose to be?  With whom are we truly in communion?  How do we see ourselves in life?  It takes us out of merely victim status, and into participation, choice, commitment, and the capacity to act in ways that we choose rather than out of mere provocation.  Let us consider the ways in which His teachings liberate us and build up our lives with substance, for He teaches that we are so much more than we think we are, and He gives us goals which are worthy of that true substance.

 

 

Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect

 "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 currently reading through the Sermon on the Mount, chapters 5-7 of Matthew's Gospel.  Yesterday we read that Jesus taught,  "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."  Jesus quotes from the Law, found in Exodus 21:24, Leviticus 24:20, Deuteronomy 19:21.  In contrast to this, my study bible says, Jesus warns us not to resist violence with more violence.  Evil can only be overcome by good, it notes, which keeps us free from compromise with the devil and can bring our enemy under the yoke of God's love.  Note that Jesus doesn't excuse the bad behavior, nor does He state that there is no evil, nor that we won't have enemies.  He isn't speaking about remaining in a state of naivete about the world.  But He does give us a positive attribute to our own character that we strive to maintain.  Also, to resist here has a meaning of strong and forceful public opposition, an ardent and absolute stand of refusal; the word is used here is a military term in classical Greek.

"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."   Jesus is in some sense extending the concept of community to those outside our nominal community -- see and compare to Leviticus 19:18.  If we are freed from a slavery to hate, sadness, and anger, we are able to receive the greatest virtue, my study bible tells us, which is perfect love.  The love of enemies, it says, it not merely an emotion, but includes decision and action.  Compare this also to Proverbs 25:21-22, as quoted by St. Paul in Romans 12:20-21.  Jesus is teaching us a kind of love that surpasses even our own notions of love, a life in which we participate and dwell in God's love, learning to express that love as part of ourselves (see Ephesians 4:13, 1 John 4:7-21).

The teaching here is finally a summation of the goal of Christian discipleship, to "be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect."  How can we, as fallible human beings, be perfect?  What is Jesus talking about?  Christian discipleship is an active participation and communion.  He doesn't just give us a set of rules, but rather the fulfillment of the Law and Prophets in His Person (see Wednesday's reading).  As such, what He offers to us is not only His word and teaching but also His Person.  In the Eucharist, we partake of His body and blood, He gives us the Comforter to dwell with us, and where we are gathered, there He and His Father are as well.  His Kingdom lives within us and among us.  All of these teachings tell us what it is to live in a righteousness that surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees (again, see Wednesday's reading).  Thereby, what we seek when we live His teachings that fulfill the Law and the Prophets is more than an intellectual choice.  It is a fullness and wholeness of participation in something.  Just as the fullness of a human being is more than rational choices of need, of material existence, but rather includes beauty and truth, the things of the soul which are not limited by time, and a spiritual reality in which we dwell, so the fullness of the Law and Prophets is in He in whom St. Paul says we live and move and have our being (Acts 17:28).  None of these elements of our existence are split off from one another.  We so often wish to choose between them all.  But Christ teaches us about the fullness of our own being and humanity; we can't split off the intellect from the soul or soul from intellect.  His teachings give us substance that addresses the wholeness and fullness of who we are, and His righteousness calls us to that complete place.  Our true reality is such that we may dwell in this place with Him, the Father, and the Spirit and participate with the fullness of our own heart, soul, mind, spirit, and strength, and grow in the love that is of God.  Is it impossible for us to conceive of not resisting our enemies with absolute ferocity?  Are there ways in which we can grow to understand God's love as it calls for us to live it and learn it and bear it into the world like a lamp that shines in us?  Can we grow in this perfection?  Jesus invites us in to His kind of discipleship, a lifelong learning curve that calls upon the fullness of who we are as human beings.  We bring even our most damaged, wounded, defective, and sinful parts so that He can instruct what to leave behind, how to change, how to grow, and nurture what He asks of us in love.  It is this love in which we learn perfection, to be like our Father in heaven.  In a modern context, we may consider what it means to love as God loves, the boundaries we don't cross even when we are hurt by another.   All of Jesus' teachings are a whole, and complete together.  So far in the Sermon on the Mount He has taught us about name-calling,  adultery, easy divorce, the careless use of our words.  Let us understand it all in the context of what love is and does and accepts, and how love is our true discipline.

You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth'

 "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 (which began in Monday's reading, The Beatitudes).  Yesterday, we read that Jesus taught, "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."  An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth comes from references found in Exodus 21:24, Leviticus 24:20, and Deuteronomy 19:21.  This is a law that attempts to make the punishment "fit" the crime, and to limit vengeance.  Jesus takes it another step further, introducing us to an entirely new concept which is commensurate with the life of the Kingdom, even as we live our lives in this world, and with witnessing (even "martyrdom" -- martyr is the Greek word for witness), and Judgment.  In contrast to the Old Testament, says my study bible, Jesus warns not to resist violence with more violence.  It says, "Evil can only be overcome by good, which keeps us free from compromise with the devil 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."  If we look at Leviticus 19:18, we see again the theme of limitation on vengeance, meant to shore up community among the "people of God."  Jesus extends this, just as He has done with the statutes earlier in the Sermon on the Mount.  The question, Who is my neighbor? becomes relevant here, and will be answered in Luke's Gospel, in the story of the Good Samaritan.  My study bible says that if we are freed from hate, sadness, and anger, we are able to receive the greatest virtue:  perfect love.  The love of enemies isn't just an emotion, but includes decision and action.   Loving one's enemies, praying for those who've hurt us, doesn't preclude justice and truth and it doesn't mean covering up or embracing bad behavior:  it means all things are given to God -- and that we may pray that everyone come to God's love.   See also for reference Proverbs 25:21-22, as quoted by St. Paul in Romans 12:20.

"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."   Alternative readings give us "friends" for brethren (M-Text), and "Gentiles" for tax collectors (NU-Text).  (For a quick definition of these texts, see this note.)   What does it mean to be perfect, just as our Father in heaven is perfect?  It means we do our best to seek out and to reflect God's love and mercy.  In this way we grow in the perfection of the Father.

Jesus gives us a very tall order in today's Gospel reading.  But we can understand His message of love.  This is not about covering up bad behavior, ignoring real threats and hostility, nor denying harm.  But it is about an active exercise of love, seeking the will of the Father for all things, and finding in God's love and mercy a true guideline for everything in our lives, including all that is painful.  Refraining from vengeance remains an important understanding; righteous behavior asks from us one consistent thing:  to seek God's will through everything, knowing that it is not the injustice that we see in the world that is the final Judgment, but that God's Judgment must be what we seek out even in the here and the now.  There's an important understanding about witnessing, and the proverb cited by St. Paul that by overcoming evil with good, one may actually be more effectively responding to an enemy.  True justice, as most likely any attorney can tell us, rests in God's hands.  When we seek righteousness, we seek the best life we can live in the here and now.  We seek wisdom, we seek a limitation to violence and harm, and we also know and keep our eyes open to truth.  As we will see by Jesus' own example, He doesn't shrink from speaking the truth to those who would suppress it or twist it, but confrontation comes at the proper moment.  To be "wise as serpents and gentle as doves" will be Jesus' teaching to His disciples as they enter into their apostolic mission, and it's in keeping with today's teachings.  How do we best handle conflict and violence?  Jesus gives us a hint of what self-mastery means, effective truth-telling, and above all being our best reflection in the world of God the Father.