Matthew 5:38-42 Beyond the Limits WC
McCarter
Introduction
It is never easy to say, "It is well with my soul." You have had difficult times in your life when you struggled to say that: struggles in your marriage or your finances, a death in the family, and many other things. The Lord Jesus acknowledges that life is not easy and teaches that life as a Christian will be that much more difficult. In today's text, the Lord
teaches how to deal with those high-pressure situations caused by others in the world around us. Maybe a hard-nosed police officer goes beyond his call to single you out, or the woman at the register in the grocery store is harsh in her words toward you, or your employer is causing your work life to be miserable. What are you to do?
This passage helps us to learn how to make it through
difficult circumstances. Specifically, Jesus wants to teach us how to manage
those times when others are misusing us. You may be in a situation just like
this at the moment or it may come your way in the near future.
READ Scripture-
This is the Word of God
You have heard
“An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth” is
surprisingly a well-known verse in America. It is odd that such a verse is so
often quoted. This command is given in Exodus in reference to harm that is done
to a pregnant woman and her child; the context of the command in Leviticus is
of a man who injures his neighbor; and in Deuteronomy false witnesses are to
bear the penalty they tried to bring on the innocent. It appears that these
laws were given to restrain the retaliation of a victim’s family and probably
the courts as well. If everyone was allowed to take the law into their own
hands we would live in chaos. Therefore, the Lord placed retribution in the
hands of the courts, but with limitations.
Remember that what Jesus is about to teach is not opposed
to the Old Testament teaching. The “eye for an eye” passages in the Mosaic Law
were to be sentences passed by the judges of Israel. The people were not to
take revenge for themselves. This is what I have determined: Jesus says in
essence, You have heard the laws
concerning how the courts should rule, now let me tell you what you are to do.
Thus, we will have to learn not only how to deal with high-pressure situations,
but we will also learn lessons in godly patience and humility.
But I tell you
Let us first say that Jesus is not giving directives
concerning the courts, the Mosaic Law we just cited did that, and His commands
are not in reference to war or self-defense. This teaching is targeted for
individuals. Jesus teaches that His followers are not to resist evil people.
Christians are not to retaliate according to what they think is right. The
Apostles also picked up this lesson and taught it to the churches. In Romans 12
Paul says, “Repay no one evil for evil,” and again in 1 Thessalonians 5 he
says, “See that no one renders evil for evil to anyone, but always pursue what
is good both for yourselves and for all.” Peter teaches in 1 Peter 3, “. . . not
returning evil for evil or reviling for reviling. . . .”
Jesus ends this section of His teaching with four
illustrations of how we are to respond to persecution, harassment, and
pressure. In each of these four examples of real life situations we will both
learn a lesson and receive an actual application to our own lives.
#1 Whoever slaps
you
In a society that was all about honor and shame, it was a
great humiliation to be slapped. If a man was slapped, he would return the same
in a tit-for-tat fashion that would typically turn into a full fight.
#2 If anyone wants
to sue you
The Old Testament Law did not allow for someone to sue
for another’s outer garment (or cloak). It was used as a blanket at night. So,
the inner garment (or tunic) could be taken away.
#3 Whoever compels
you to go one mile
Where do you think that little phrase, “Going the extra
mile” came from? Here it is. A Roman soldier had the right to demand private
citizens/subordinates to carry their military supplies and often did in a cruel
manner.
#4 Give to him who
asks you
What does this fourth illustration have to do with
non-retaliation? Consider those times that you asked to borrow something and
were told “no” and you told that same person “no” the next time they asked to
borrow from you. That is retaliation, which Jesus is teaching against. We are
to give to those who genuinely have need. Often times we have a hard time
deciding if someone truly has a need. It would be better to be duped than to
neglect a true need. Give what you can and not expect anything back.
Conclusion
Jesus has taught that those who follow Him, those who are
called by His name, are those who do not seek retaliation. We are not those who
pursue revenge for ourselves. Though I have not always obeyed it perfectly, a
passage that has really spoken to me through the years is from 1 Corinthians 6.
I think the directness of this passage may add another illustration to what
Jesus taught and may help us to better understand. In the context of the
Apostle’s scolding the Corinthians for using and abusing one another by taking
one another to court Paul says, “Why do you not rather accept wrong? Why do you
not rather let yourselves be cheated? No, you yourselves do wrong and cheat,
and you do these things to your brethren!” We are left with that simple,
straightforward question, why not let yourselves be cheated rather than seek
retaliation?
Yet, Jesus takes us much farther than that. As a follower
of the Lord Jesus Christ, it is not enough to simply not retaliate. We are to
go beyond the limits to selfless sacrifice. For example, when a first century
Jewish Christian was approached by a Roman soldier and forced to carry his bags
for a mile, it is not enough to obey the soldier and not retaliate. The
Christian was commanded to go beyond the limits. He was to go two miles with
the soldier’s belongings.