(Matt Koerber)
Matthew 5:38-48 “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ 39 But I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. 40 And if anyone would sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. 41 And if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. 42 Give to the one who begs from you, and do not refuse the one who would borrow from you.
43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 so that you may be sons of your Father who is 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. 46 For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? 47 And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? 48 You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
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These two paragraphs are short but powerful. This section is an extension of Jesus’ consideration of the Law. This time he considers an Old Testament civil law about retribution. The principle of an “eye for an eye” is found in Deut 19:20-21 and was intended to place a limit on our desire for personal vengeance. The point of this is not to encourage people to take vengeance, but rather to limit the scope of vengeance so that the “punishment fits the crime.” Our human impulse is to respond drastically when we are hurt, thus seeking to deter further attacks. What Jesus says here is consistent with his approach to the Law in the prior paragraphs. Rather than discarding it – he strengthens it. I think that we can say that the underlying principle of justice is till a good principle for our civil society. It is wise to entrust our desire for vengeance to the courts and seek impartial and appropriate retribution. But for the followers of Christ, our personal interactions are meant to be marked by a much higher level of restraint.
Which brings us to one of the hardest things that Jesus talked about. His call to “Love your enemies” is vividly portrayed by the command to “turn the other cheek” (v.39) Clearly, Jesus is calling his people to challenging path of discipleship. And yet, we can think of many circumstances when it is hard to see how this principle applies. We may ask, if we simply acquiesce to every attack given to us, won’t we actually encourage evil doers? Or, if we give our money away every time we are asked (v.42), won’t we have nothing left?
In response to these questions, I want to speak personally and say that I think this teaching is very hard. There are questions here that I still don’t fully know how to answer. But I think that is part of the point. We are receiving a sermon from the Christ, the Word of God in human flesh. We should expect it to be disturbing and challenging… and ultimately life giving.
However, we can make some observations that allow helpful ways to move forward. The first observations is to remember that the Sermon on the Mount is about the Kingdom of Heaven. At the Heart of the Kingdom of Heaven is King Jesus. The principles described here were embodied in his earthly ministry. Jesus practiced what he preached. For example, when he was on trial, Jesus was slapped by the high priest, but did not respond with aggression (Matt 26:67-68.) He also freely offered grace and healing to those who asked. A second observation is that Jesus is presenting principles for our engagement with others. These principles require wisdom to apply in many situations. This is not easy to do, and we are often tempted to take short cuts. We may err on the side of following them too woodenly, or err on the side of dismissing them all together. Both of these are short cuts that often result in missing the underlying principle. We should expect that the application is complicated. When we look at the life and ministry of Jesus we see that his conduct is varied and often surprising. For example, he moved meekly toward the cross and did not resist the evil purposes of his enemies. Instead, he trusted that his heavenly father would bring about a good purpose (1 Peter 2:23.) However, on other occasions he pushed back hard against false teachers (Matt 23.) He also believed that as the Lord of the Temple, it was within his authority to cleanse it when it was corrupted by marketplace activity (Matt 21:12-22.) We also know that it is common for Jesus to use highly colorful and metaphorical language to describe spiritual principles. The goal is to identify the principle and apply that with wisdom to our situations.
I believe that we can see two interrelated principles in this passage. The first, is that now is a time for salvation. Jesus knew that one day the judgment of God will fall on all people, and that he, himself, will be instrumental in the final judgment (Matt 24.) But, his mission on earth was a mission of mercy. (His discussion of judgment and mercy in John 3, highlights this distinction.) All of our actions should be oriented around this great purpose. We might call it the gospel purpose. The good news of the Kingdom is being announced and we are meant to be salt and light, making that known to the world. All of our interactions with enemies are potential opportunities to make the mercy of God known. For this reason Jesus highlights the love of God toward all people in this section, noting the rain that falls on the just and the unjust (v.45.) And for this purpose, Jesus prayed on the cross, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34.)
The second principle is that the clear point of this section is that our conduct toward our enemies should be loving. He said directly, “I say to you, love you enemies” (v.44) Therefore, we can approach the complex web of ethical concerns by asking, how will my actions express love for my enemies? Consider the two questions I asked in the beginning as examples:
(i.) Jesus calls us to turn the other cheek (v.39.) The slap to the cheek was understood to be an insult that was meant to escalate a conflict. Turning the other cheek is an act of de-escalation. This is loving to our enemies. However, allowing a person to violently assault us would be allow them to engage in deeply sinful behavior. It is not loving to allow people to sin – either against us or against someone else. Actions that limit the ability of our enemies to commit this sin and violently assault us are loving to them, and respectful of our own bodies as God’s temple. The application of this principle is challenging and requires deep dependence upon God and the support of his church.
(ii.) Jesus also commands radical generosity which “gives to the one who begs from you” (v.42.) Again, generosity threatens our financial security and places us in uncomfortable positions of dependence upon God. This is loving. However, wisdom shows us that in some situations giving money to a beggar does not help them, but can even hurt them. If an addict is asking for money with the clear intention of using that money to further their addiction it is not loving to fund this sinful behavior. As before, the application of this principle is challenging and requires deep dependence upon God and the support of his church. In this particular area, the material support of the needy in our churches is overseen by deacons who are called and ordained to wrestle with these deeply spiritual issues.
There is a lot of space in between the two errors we might make here. As we navigate between easy dismissal of the Sermon on the Mount and a wooden application that can miss the greater principles of love and mercy, we need God’s help. I suppose that is the greatest lesson of all. May we all grow closer to Jesus as we seek to take his words seriously and apply them to the every-day struggles of our lives!