Welcome to The MHB Podcast. This is Michael Baun. And welcome to my 191st episode. In this episode we’re going to continue our study in the gospel of Matthew. We’re finishing up chapter 5. Throughout this chapter we’ve explored the first part of the Sermon on the Mount. We’ve covered the beatitudes, we’ve talked about what it means to be salt and light, how Christ came to fulfill the law, we also discussed anger, in the previous episode we explored what Jesus said about lust, divorce, and oath taking. In this episode we’re going to take a deep dive into retaliation and what it means to love your enemies. Being meek enough to practice restraint when it comes to retaliation and being humble enough to love your enemies are undoubtedly two of the most difficult doctrines to follow in this generation. Demonizing others and doing whatever it takes to win have practically been coded into the DNA of our postmodern culture. It’s in the air we breathe at this point. But Christ calls us to a higher standard and it’s a standard which often feels like it doesn’t make sense in our world. Let’s unpack it by beginning with verses 38-42:
Mat 5:38 “You have heard that it was said, ‘AN EYE FOR AN EYE, AND A TOOTH FOR A TOOTH.’
Mat 5:39 “But I say to you, do not resist an evil person; but whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also.
Mat 5:40 “If anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, let him have your coat also.
Mat 5:41 “Whoever forces you to go one mile, go with him two.
Mat 5:42 “Give to him who asks of you, and do not turn away from him who wants to borrow from you.
The first thing we notice in this passage is a judicial dictum similarly made famous by Hammurabi’s Code: and eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth. This same idea was presented through Old Testament law in the books of Exodus, Leviticus, and Deuteronomy. If you understand the Old Testament law to be instructing individuals in how they should administer justice for themselves, then this passage in Matthew appears to repeal it. But that was never the meaning of the Old Testament instruction. The Old Testament instruction is setting a standard of proportion by which magistrates and judges should administer justice on another’s behalf. This was done to prevent judges from meting out death sentences in response to minor offenses. The goal was punishment which fit the crime, and Jesus was in no way repealing this goal.
Jesus was speaking against Jewish teachers who – through their lack of compassion – encouraged private individuals to seek their own revenge when harmed. These religious elite were known for cruelty in punishment, and the most striking example is when they called for Christ’s crucifixion. Roman crucifixion was reserved for the most heinous of crimes. Not only was Jesus innocent of such crimes, but He was in fact innocent of any crime at all. Even the Roman governor Pontius Pilate saw how ludicrous it was for the Jews to demand His crucifixion. In many cases the Jewish teachers preferred the harshness and severity of personal revenge over against settling the matter in court.
On the other side of the same corrupt coin, there were also judges who neither feared God nor respected Him. These kinds of judges would often be too lenient in their punishment of crime. They failed to see a reason for deterring evil-doers and they didn’t care about vindicating the oppressed. The Old Testament law regarding eye for an eye was really just a basic pillar of social policy. You can’t restrain violence and protect innocence without enforcing the law through appropriate punishment. This seems like it should be obvious, but we’re actually losing sight of it even in our modern societies today. Letting criminals go without punishment spawns more criminals – and it really is that simple.
Now let’s focus in more on what Jesus is saying in this passage. His fundamental interest here is in the condition of your own heart. He’s saying if you’re the victim of a crime, you should forgive the injury done to you and avoid seeking punishment beyond what is necessary for the public good. You should not seek your own revenge in addition to the punishment handed down by the justice system. You should not harbor bitterness, hatred, or resentment over the injury done to you. Christ Himself demonstrated the gold standard of this kind of meekness when He asked the Father to forgive His murderers even while He was hanging from the cross.
In order to properly understand this instruction we have to have an accurate bearing on the definition of meekness. Meekness is not cowardice. It is not pacifism as a consequence of weakness. To be meek means to have the power and resist using it on improper motivations. Misapprehending the idea of meekness has led many Christians throughout history to embrace a kind of radical pacifism. I don’t think this pacifism is what we’re called to at all. When Jesus instructs us not to resist an evil person I don’t think he’s impeaching the idea of self-preservation in the least. He’s especially not suggesting we sit idly by while someone else is victimized. As a Christian, it’s certainly permissible to take action to avoid evil or resist evil so far as is necessary for your own security. But you cross over into sin the moment you return evil for evil, or when you hold a grudge, or when you seek to avenge yourself or others. Your goal is not to get even with those who have treated you unkindly, your goal is to go beyond them by forgiving them.
There’s something to be said here concerning timing. Sometimes you’ll see Christian groups use self-preservation as a justification for preemptive offensive strikes. This becomes territory where we must be extraordinarily careful in our discernment. A good example of where a preemptive strike is morally acceptable would be violently intervening to prevent an impending crime. But this very same intervention becomes sin the moment you use it against a person for a crime which isn’t truly impending. There’s nothing biblically unethical about a police officer using deadly force against a suspect who is about to take fatal action against the officer. But if the officer takes the life of the suspect over an exchange that is clearly and demonstrably less than fatal – then this officer may be guilty of murder. You can see how the grounds for violence as a Christian are incredibly treacherous and I think this is one of the reasons why we should resort to meekness and deescalation in order to avoid ever walking on such ground.
Self-preservation stops the moment your attacker stops. So if you’ve been struck and the strike is followed by good reason to believe your attacker is finished – then you no longer have justification to strike. That’s easy to say when recording a podcast, but retaliation becomes incredibly enticing when in the midst of violent conflict. The key here is to always maintain a space in your worldview for God’s wrath. If you view God as an anemic, hippie pacifist then the temptation for personal revenge increases dramatically. You’ll start to think that if you don’t make the person pay for their deeds then they’ll get away with it forever.
We must remember that every person who has ever lived will give an account for everything they’ve done including every idle word they’ve spoken – and we ourselves will give an account as well. Without the forgiveness of Christ each of us will face the wrath of God. Scripture suggests that this reality should terrify you more than any kind of punishment worldly authority can deliver. It’s useful to remember this when governing authorities fail to serve justice against the person who hurt you. And remember, the reality of God’s wrath doesn’t mean our governing authorities should be impotent – they do need to retaliate in proper measure as required to protect public peace.
Jesus goes on to teach us how we might patiently yield to those who bear down hard upon us. He uses several examples. The first example is when you receive injury to your own body. In this case it’s a blow to the cheek – which can be understood as physical harm as well as an affront to dignity itself. Instead of avenging the injury we should turn the other cheek and patiently prepare for another – always keeping in mind self-preservation, of course. If the slap to the cheek is not putting your life in immediate danger then your wisest course of action is to take no further notice of it. You should forgive and forget. It’s important to note that this only applies in situations where it’s your own cheek in question. If it’s the cheek of your wife or your child or some other helpless person – then your duty is to intervene and stop the violence with minimal necessary force. If the person who commits the abuse becomes a public nuisance because of their poor behavior, then leave it to law enforcement to serve justice.
If you conduct yourself this way in public you’ll notice other people around you possibly assuming you’re a coward and maybe even laughing at you or jeering at you. You shouldn’t take these taunts to heart, because they come from the mouths of proud fools. You can be certain the wise men and women around you will value you and honor you for it – because you are imitating their Lord and Savior. Jesus, who is the King of Kings, did not strike back at those who struck His face. If imitating Christ in this way places a larger target on your back for future non-life-threatening attacks – then so be it. Blessed are those who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness.
We should trust God in His providence to protect us in the way of our duty. One example of how this works in reality is when your attacker becomes confounded and ashamed over your lack of resistance. When violent conflict is about to happen, it’s often the resistance itself which justifies further and increased violence in the eyes of the perpetrator. It bears repeating that we are NOT talking about life-threatening encounters here. In grave danger you need to neutralize the threat and sometimes you need to act fast. Proverbs 25 tells us that treating our enemies with kindness will heap burning coals on his head. In addition to keeping God’s wrath as a constant reality in the scope of your worldview, you should also always remember God’s reward for those who suffer for righteousness. Scripture says you are blessed for a reason, and you will be rewarded when you enter into eternal glory in Heaven.
Verse 40 of Matthew 5 says “And if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, let him have your coat as well.” This verse is often interpreted as a call to willingly give up material possessions when asked, rather than engaging in legal battles or disputes over property. This teaching goes against the natural human desire to hold onto what we have and to protect our possessions. Instead, it calls for a willingness to let go of material possessions and to place a higher value on love, compassion, and nonviolence. By willingly giving up our possessions, we demonstrate that we are not attached to material things and that we are willing to let go of them for the sake of peace and harmony.
This verse also challenges us to consider what is truly important in life. Are we more concerned with accumulating wealth and possessions, or are we willing to let go of these things in order to follow Jesus’s teachings and to live a life of love and compassion for others?
Ultimately, the message of verse 40 is one of selflessness and the importance of loving others above all else. It calls on us to be willing to let go of material possessions and to prioritize relationships and the well-being of others over our own self-interest.
This doesn’t mean that wealth is inherently bad. However, it does teach that material possessions should not be our main focus or priority in life. It is possible to be wealthy and to use one’s wealth in a way that is consistent with the teachings of Christ. For example, a person might use their wealth to help others in need, to support charitable causes, or to alleviate the suffering which attends privation. However, it is also possible for wealth to become an obstacle to following Jesus’s teachings if it is pursued or held onto in an unhealthy or selfish way.
In Matthew 19 Jesus also teaches that it is difficult for a wealthy person to enter the kingdom of heaven. This does not necessarily mean that wealth is evil, but rather that it can be a temptation and a distraction from what is truly important. It’s also not trivial to note that it’s impossible for anyone at all to enter the kingdom of heaven outside of the righteousness of Christ. It is important to be mindful of how we use our wealth. Every dollar you spend is going to shape the world in some way and it’s also going to shape your spirit. This is a great responsibility but once you grasp it you’ll see that it’s also a great power which you have to influence the world for goodness.
A big part of Christ’s injunction to give up your coat is the importance of becoming a peace-maker. The willingness to give up possessions can demonstrate a desire for peace and reconciliation. By willingly letting go of material possessions, we show that we are not willing to fight or argue over them, and that we value peace and harmony above material possessions. This can help to defuse conflicts and can create an atmosphere of goodwill and cooperation.
The principle of giving up possessions when asked can also demonstrate a willingness to make sacrifices for the sake of peace. By letting go of something that is valuable to us, we show that we are willing to make sacrifices in order to maintain or restore peace. This can help to build trust and can foster a spirit of compromise. The principle of giving up possessions when asked can also serve as a model for how to respond to aggression and violence in a non-violent way. By responding to violence and aggression with love and compassion, rather than with revenge or retaliation, we can help to de-escalate conflicts and can promote a culture of peace.
Verse 41 is often interpreted as a call to willingly go above and beyond what is asked of us, even when we are being treated unfairly or unjustly. At the time that Jesus spoke these words, Roman soldiers had the authority to conscript civilians into service for up to one mile. This meant that if a soldier encountered someone on the road and needed them to carry a message or do some other task, they could legally force that person to do it. In this context, Jesus’s teaching to go the extra mile would have been a radical call to willingly serve and cooperate with one’s oppressors.
However, this teaching is not just about compliance in the face of oppression. It also teaches us about the importance of selflessness and the value of serving others. By willingly going the extra mile, we show that we are more concerned with the well-being of others than with our own comfort or convenience. This is a powerful example of love in action, and it challenges us to consider how we can serve others in our own lives. When you think about going above and beyond to serve others in a Christlike fashion, consider the following:
You could offer to help others without being asked, such as by volunteering to run errands for a neighbor or offering to assist a colleague with a project. You can go out of your way to make others feel welcome or valued, such as by greeting people with a smile or offering words of encouragement – this is one in particular which we make an intentional effort to practice at our church. If you’re a student you could go above and beyond in your work or studies, such as by putting in extra effort to complete a task or by seeking out additional learning opportunities. You should always be willing to listen and offer support to others when they are facing challenges or difficulties.
If you live in a struggling community, look for ways to contribute or make a positive impact. If you think your positive impact won’t make a difference, you should remember that struggling communities are merely the sum total of a history of negative impacts. Another simple way to go above and beyond is by being open to trying new things or stepping outside of your comfort zone. This includes being open to feedback and criticism and entering each daily conversation with humility as well as with a desire to discover the truth.
Verse 42 says “Give to him who asks of you, and do not turn away from him who wants to borrow from you.” This teaching is a call to generosity and to be willing to help others in need. It’s not in our human makeup to be generous, as many of us have the tendency to be self-protective and to hold onto our resources. But in this passage Jesus calls on us to share what we have with others.
This teaching is also about compassion and understanding the needs of others. You have to pay attention so you can be aware of what’s going on around you and where the real issues are. When someone begs for help or asks to borrow something, it often indicates that they are in a difficult situation or are experiencing hardship. By being willing to give to those in need, we demonstrate that we care about the well-being of others and that we are willing to do what we can to help. In addition to its message of generosity, this verse also teaches us about the importance of being open and receptive to the needs of others. By being willing to listen and to consider the requests of those around us, we can better understand their needs and can work together to find ways to help.
When you think about how you might give to the poor as a Christian, consider setting aside a portion of your income to donate to charities or to individuals in need. You can always participate in charitable events or fundraising efforts to raise money for the impoverished. If you’ve been alive for a while then chances are you have some kind of skill that others don’t have. You can use this skill on a volunteer-basis in order to provide support for your community. Many transformational things can also be accomplished through simple prayer – asking God for guidance and encouragement for those who need it.
If you really want to make a splash you’ll pay close enough attention that you can render assistance to those in need before they even ask for it. Many times people are too ashamed to ask for help – especially financial help – so the most Christlike thing you can do is offer the support voluntarily. Scripture says before we call God hears us, and many times it never becomes necessary for us to call on Him because He satisfies our needs with His own proactive blessings of providence. As a human being you are a loss-averse creature, which means the negative emotion you feel over losing $100 is more potent than the positive emotion you feel over gaining $100. So this kind of proactive generosity can be challenging because you’ll feel a lot of anxiety about it at first. But you’ll come to notice all of the massively positive transformations your generosity sows into the world in addition to the pain of the loss of resources. And I think you’ll discover the good outweighs the bad. Let’s read verses 43-48:
Mat 5:43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR and hate your enemy.’
Mat 5:44 “But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,
Mat 5:45 so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.
Mat 5:46 “For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same?
Mat 5:47 “If you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same?
Mat 5:48 “Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
In verse 43, Jesus says “You have heard that it was said, ‘YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR and hate your enemy.'” This quote is a reference to the Old Testament, which teaches that God’s people should love their neighbors as themselves (Leviticus 19:18). The Jewish teachers had corrupted this law by supposing your neighbor was only someone who shared your country, nation, and religion – and they also had to be your friend. This was a misinterpreted starting point which resulted in the natural inference that it was okay to hate those who qualified as your enemies. It didn’t matter that there were already clear Old Testament laws which forbade hating your enemies.
The scholars may have reviewed Israel’s invasions of Canaan and determined based on those stories that they had permission to hate their enemies. But the reason God instructed Israel to destroy the Canaanites was not because they were Israel’s enemies, rather it was because the sin of Canaan had reached sufficient maturity to warrant judgment and Israel would be God’s chosen instrument to render such judgment. It was also the case that Israel would have slipped into idolatry had they chosen to be in league with the pre-existing Canaanite nations. At no point is there divine instruction to hate your enemies, the religious elite merely inferred that while being driven by their own broken nature. From the beginning the cardinal teaching was to love your neighbor as yourself.
Jesus goes on to encourage taking additional steps beyond this teaching. He says that his followers should also “love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” Praying for your enemies can be a powerful way to show love and compassion towards them. But what’s interesting about prayer is that it can also help to change your own heart and attitude towards this person or people. Just try it for a week and you’ll see the difference. When we think about loving our enemies we’re not saying that we should love all people exactly the same way. We shouldn’t share lives with people who are openly wicked and profane, nor trust those who we know to be deceitful. But we can still show them the basic respect which befits a created being who is made in the image of God. Chances are you can find some amount of good in everyone – so your job as a Christian is to focus on this good and embrace it whenever you can.
If we’re ever reviled by someone, we should not return bad words for bad words. We should speak kindly in the presence of our enemies and more importantly we should speak kindly behind their backs. In addition to your good words you should stand ready to act in ways which demonstrate authentic kindness towards them. Unrequited acts of kindness toward your enemies are the best ways to reveal your character and possibly make a connection with them which leads to reconciliation.
Another great way to love your enemy is to seek to understand their perspective. You can understand a person’s thoughts and ideas without affirming them or agreeing with them. In fact, if you fail to seek understanding you’ll often fail to engender change as well. The best way to understand your enemy is to listen to him and then restate his ideas back to him at least as accurately as he would state them. You should also ask questions and seek to discover where your enemy is coming from. What are his or her presuppositions which are motivating them to make such claims? As a rule, the more effort you put into accurately understanding your enemy, the better you’ll be able to connect with them and the better your connection the more likely you’ll be able to lead them into better ideas.
Basic kindness and respect goes a long way here as well. Even in the wake of injury or if you’ve been wronged by someone – you should still greet them warmly and be polite in your interactions with them. While it shouldn’t be your motivation, this kind of treatment will often drive them crazy. If it’s possible, so much as it depends on you, you should strive for genuine reconciliation. This will likely involve forgiving them for their trespasses or asking forgiveness for your own. It’s a painful process, but the toxic bitterness which is a consequence of holding animosity is always worse in the end. And like we discussed earlier, resisting the temptation to seek revenge is one of the most Christlike ways you can respond to an injustice.
The idea of loving your enemies runs counter to human nature. If you think this instruction is more difficult for you than it is for others – it’s actually difficult for everyone. We all have the impulse to hold grudges and to seek recompense when we are wronged. But the call of Christ is to rise above this. By loving their enemies and praying for those who persecute them, Jesus’s followers demonstrate that they are willing to see the intrinsic value in all people, regardless of their actions or attitudes towards them.
In verses 44-45, Jesus says “But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven.” Loving your enemies causes you to become more like God, whose common grace is allotted for all people both righteous and unrighteous. The sun rises on the evil just as it does on the good, and the rain falls on the children of God just as it does on the enemies of God. This is a powerful reminder that love is central to the Christian faith and that love should be at the heart of all that we do. We should strive to see people the way God sees them, even if that means eliminating our pride or getting out of our own way.
In verse 46, Jesus says “For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same?” This verse highlights the fact that loving those who love us is not a particularly impressive or noteworthy thing to do. Even those who are generally seen as being morally suspect – in this case, tax collectors – are capable of loving those who love them. Instead, Jesus calls on his followers to go above and beyond by loving those who do not love them in return. This is one of the reasons why widows, orphans, and the infirm are viewed favorably in the eyes of Jesus. These kinds of people are like walking opportunities for you to demonstrate selfless love because most of the time they can’t give you anything in return. This is also why stubborn people will frequently undergo a personality transformation upon having a child – because for the first long stretch of a child’s life he or she can’t give you anything in exchange for your love and support.
In verse 47, Jesus says “If you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same?” This verse suggests that even non-Jews, or Gentiles, are capable of showing kindness and respect to those who are part of their own group or community. Again, Jesus calls on his followers to make the divine sacrifice of showing kindness and respect to all people, even those who may be outsiders of their own group.
Finally, in verse 48, Jesus says “Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” This verse is often seen as a challenge to strive for perfection or to be completely without fault. However, it is important to recognize that perfection is an impossible standard for human beings to achieve. Instead, this verse may be better understood as a call to strive to be like God in our attitudes and actions, and to seek to embody the self-sacrificial love that God shows to all people. John Wesley thought of Christian perfection in this way. He didn’t think it was about sinless perfection so much as it was being able to perfectly align your own idea of love with God’s character as love incarnate. The more your love matches God’s love, the closer you are to Christian perfection. Being able to love your enemies is one of the hallmarks of such alignment. By loving your enemies and showing kindness and respect to all people, you can demonstrate that you are a child of your heavenly Father and can strive to be like God in your attitudes and actions.
It’s important that we aim at perfection even if we never achieve it in this life. Our aim matters, and it might be one of the aspects about us which matters most. When Paul was imprisoned in Rome he penned his letter to the Philippians in which he said, “Not that I have already obtained it or have already become perfect, but I press on so that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus. Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” And that’s really the sum of it in our exercise concerning retaliation and loving our enemies. We just have to keep trying. We just have to maintain the noble aim and keep marching uphill toward the city of God. That’s how we mitigate suffering, that’s how we promote peace and well-being, and that’s how we make Jesus known to those around us – wherever we go in this life.
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