Retaliation Matthew 5:38-42
l Reference Verses Found in Ex 21:24 & Lev 24:20
l It Was Jewish Custom to Uphold Vengeful Retaliation
l However, These Verses Placed a Restriction on Retaliation, Not An Encouragement To It.
l No Excessive Punishment, But Only What Fit the Crime
l This Was Given To The Nation, Not To Individuals
l Also, Against Self-Appointed Vigilante Action
l Jesus Stressed The Need to Decisively Break The Natural Chain of Evil Action That Characterizes Human Relations
l First, A Blow On The Cheek, Which is an Injury to the Body
l Ye resist not-Don’t Oppose Evil in Return
l Evil-The Wicked Man Doing the Evil
l Do Not Take Revenge On Someone Who Wrongs You (1 Thes 5:15)
l Shall smite-In the Process of Striking
l Thy right cheek-An Insult
l Don’t Trade Such Insults Even If It Means Receiving More
l Does Not Mean:
l Christians Are To Subject Themselves or Others to Physical Danger or Abuse
l Christians Should Be Pacifists or Only Fight Just Wars
l Examples Are Outward, But Represent Inward Attitudes
l Turn-Reflects The Mental Condition Necessary For The Action
l Second, The Loss Of A Coat, Which Is A Wrong To My Estate
l Will-Trial has not Yet Begun
l Sue thee at the law-Verse Clearly Limited to a Legal Context
l Coat-The Inner Garment in Pledge For A Debt (Ex 22:26)
l Cloke-An Outer More Costly Garment
l Principle: Even Those Things Which We Regard As Our Rights by Law, We Must Be Prepared to Abandon
l Thirdly, The Going A Mile By Constraint, Which Is A Wrong To My Liberty
l Shall compel thee to go-The Forced Transport of Military Baggage
l A mile-A Roman Mile of A Thousand Paces
l Christians Must Not Be Going To Court Over Every Little Thing
l If The Injury Requires Us to Seek Reparation, It Must Be For a Good End, and Without The Thought of Revenge
l Lastly, We Must Be Charitable
l Not Only Do No Hurt, But Labor to Do Them All The Good We Can
l Give to him that asketh thee-The Sense of Unpleasant Asking Is Here Implied
l Borrow of thee-Simple Borrowing to Meet a Need
l Not Usury Which Was Forbidden Among the Jews (Ex 22:25)
l Turn not thou away-A Graphic Expression of Compassion
l We Must Have Judgment or Discretion, So That We Do Not Give To The Idle & Unworthy (Ps 112:5)
l Summary:
l Dwelling on Legalism and Fairness Leads to an Over Emphasis On Rights
l A Willingness to Forego One’s Rights is Not Incompatible With a Stand for Principles
l Personal Self-Sacrifice Replaces Personal Retaliation (Rom 12:19)
l The Beatitude Referred To Is Blessed Are the Merciful
|