Title: A New Righteousness Part III
Text: Matthew 5:38-42
Thesis: Jesus redefines the new righteousness by redefining sin itself: beyond the concrete act, sin begins with the intention of the heart. (Michael Card, Matthew – The Gospel of Identity, P. 57)
Jesus said, “Unless your righteousness is better than the righteousness of the teachers of religious law and the Pharisees, you will never enter the Kingdom of Heaven!” Matthew 5:20
Introduction
I have always wondered why some people seem to be so predisposed to be so bitter, vengeful and out to get revenge. I have assumed they were miserable people as they wallowed in their perceived slights and wrongs and plotted their revenge. But now I’m told revenge is sweet. It feels good to get revenge. It feels good to get even and even better to get a little more than even. That explains a lot doesn’t it?
While seeking to better understand the nature of aggression, David Chester of Virginia Commonwealth University, along with Nathan DeWall of the University of Kentucky, started studying revenge. They discovered that a person who is insulted or socially rejected feels an emotional pain. The area in the brain associated with pain was most active in participants who went on to react with an aggressive response after feeling rejected. Chester said, “It’s tapping into an ancient … tendency to respond to threats and harm with aggressive retaliation.”
In a follow-up study he was surprised to find that emotional pain was intricately yoked with pleasure. That is, while rejection initially feels painful, it can quickly be masked by pleasure when presented with the opportunity to get revenge. It even activates the brain's known reward circuit, the nucleus accumbens. People who are provoked behave aggressively precisely because it can be a rewarding experience. Revenge really can be sweet. I suppose you might compare the buzz a person gets from getting sweet revenge to a runner’s high or the release of endorphins.
I suppose there are in all honesty there are many sins that when acted upon may feel good, if that is the criteria judged to be most important by the hedonist… however, being good is the criteria judged to be most important by Jesus and the Christ-like person.
So we are not surprised this morning to see that Jesus took exception to the practice of “eye for eye and tooth for tooth” and the whole concept of revenge and getting back at someone and getting even with someone.
I. Followers of Christ are not to be people known for harboring vengeance and practicing retaliation.
Jesus said, “You have heard the law that says the punishment must match the injury: ‘An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say, do not resist an evil person! If someone slaps you one the right cheek, offer the other cheek also.” Matthew 5:38-39
If you have not said it you’ve heard it, “I don’t get mad, I just get even.” But Jesus says, “Don’t get mad and don’t plan to get even.”
So we see the pattern unfolding in this teaching as in the preceding vignettes.
The Pattern of Jesus’ Teaching
1. Jesus made a Statement: “You have heard what the law says…”
2. Jesus made a Contradiction: “But I tell you that anyone…”
3. Jesus gave an Explanation: “Turn the other cheek.”
One Sunday the pastor was speaking on the subject of “turning the other cheek.” It so happened that a family with four rambunctious boys was attending and all seemed to be paying attention to the sermon as the minister pressed home the thought that “we should never try to get even” when someone hurts us. That afternoon the youngest of the boys came into the house sobbing to his mother. He had kicked one of his older brothers and his older brother had kicked him back. His mother tried to reason with him. She said, “I’m sorry you’re hurt but you shouldn’t go around kicking people.” To which the little boy replied, “But the preacher said that he isn’t supposed to kick me back.” (Jane Vajnar, “Lite Fare,” Christian Reader, 12/01/97)
When Jesus spoke of turning the other cheek he was telling his followers that we live by an even higher standard than the old law that assured those who had been wronged of at least limited damages. Jesus wanted his followers to be better! Jesus said that his followers should forego their rights rather than engage in conflicted relationships And in using the example of turning the other cheek, he is saying that even if someone back-hand, slaps you, which is a grievous personal insult, we are not to retaliate. We are not to put on the gloves. We are not to invite them to step outside. We are not to challenge them to a duel to defend our honor. We are to turn the other cheek. In the mind of Jesus, it is better to be doubly insulted than to retaliate. His followers do not harbor resentment or seek retaliation. In the mind of Jesus, a non-violent response is the best way to make an impression on people.
Having gone so far as to say, “Do not resist an evil person,” Jesus then moved to give an explanation using three examples of what he had in mind.
The first example is the example of being taken to court.
A. Give more than is required by law
“If you are sued in court and your shirt is taken from you, give your coat too.” Matthew 5:40
We live in a litigious culture. Law suits are the rule of the day. It seems to be getting worse. Hardly a day goes by when we do not hear about someone is suing someone over something. And in many cases the suits are absolutely frivolous.
An Illinois man sued Starbucks for misrepresenting the amount of liquid contained in its cold drinks. The man alleged that Starbucks cheated customers by adding ice to cold beverages, thereby reducing the amount of liquid contained in the cups. His suit sought damages for numerous offenses, including fraud, breach of express warranty, unjust enrichment, and violations of various state consumer protection laws.
A federal judge dismissed the case. The judge agreed with Starbucks' argument that a reasonable consumer who orders an iced drink expects the drink to contain both liquid and ice.
Of course, not all legal matters are frivolous. however, there is clear scriptural teaching about Christians engaging in lawsuits with other Christians in I Corinthians 6:1-11 in which the Apostle Paul urges Christians to use an arbiter in the case of a legal conflict. However, he went on to ask two rhetorical questions: Rather than go to court, “Why not rather be wronged? Why no rather be cheated?” And in Colossians 3:13 we are urged to simply forgive our grievances.
But what we can do is attempt to get at the heart of what Jesus said. Maybe it isn’t as difficult as it seems. Perhaps Jesus is simply saying that his followers do not need to be insistent on their rights. Maybe our example before the world and our relationships with others is more important than us getting our rightful due. Maybe Christians need to demonstrate that their security is in God and not in holding onto their stuff.
I think this is how Jesus wants us to think. Leonard Sweet tells of flying into Phoenix to deliver a keynote address at Grand Canyon University. He was picked up by the university chaplain who happened to be driving a new Ford F 150 pickup. Sweet was also a pickup lover and they chatted on their way to the university about how “nothing is more beautiful than a man and his truck.”
The next day the chaplain was to drive him back to the airport. When the chaplain arrived, Sweet noticed that there were two big scrapes by the passenger door. So he asked, “What happened here?”
The chaplain replied, “My neighbor’s basketball post fell and left those dents and the white scars…”
Sweet immediately offered his condolences and commiserated with him, “This truck is brand new… I can still smell the new.” He chaplain replied, “It is but what is even worse is my neighbor doesn’t feel responsible for the damage.” Sweet inquired about insurance and then asked how he planned to get his neighbor to pay for the damage.
The chaplain replied, “Last night my wife and I talked about it and we decided that I can either be right, or I can still be in a relationship with my neighbor. Since my neighbor will probably be with me a lot longer than this truck, I would rather be in a relationship with my neighbor than be right.”
That’s what Jesus was talking about. Be Better!
Then Jesus cited a second example of what it means to turn the other cheek.
B. Go the second mile
“If a soldier (someone) demands that you carry his gear for a mile, carry it two miles.” Matthew 5:41
There is quite an historical background to this example. The people to whom he was speaking were living in a country that was occupied by the Roman army. And the Roman law, which was not a part of the Jewish religious law, demanded that if a Roman soldier asked a citizen of the occupied territory to carry his pack, that person was required to carry it for one mile.
Jesus said, “If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles.” By law anyone could be forced to go one mile but no one could be forced to go two miles. Jesus said, “Even if you do not have to go the second mile… go anyway.”
Going the second or third or fourth miles is not just about submitting to the authority of a soldier in an occupied country. It about lovingly being willing to go way beyond what some might think is a reasonable expectation.
This example is not intended to cause anyone to feel guilty. Every situation is different.
This is a story that could be told about many of the people I’ve known. But Jean Vanier tells it about a man he knew in Paris whose wife had Alzheimer’s. He was an important business man. His life was filled with busyness and his work was fulfilling. But he said, “When she got sick I just could not put her into an institution. So I kept her home. I cared for her. I bathed her, I dressed her and fed her.” He went on to tell of how one night his wife woke him. She came out of the fog for just a moment, and she said, “Darling, I just want to say thank you for all you’ve done for me.” And then she fell back into the fog.
We go the second mile when we love others even when they are in the fog.
Another way we turn the other cheek is in the way we react when someone asks what seems to be too much or when we feel put upon or taken advantage of. Jesus said…
C. Give to those who ask
“Give to those who ask, and don’t turn away from the one who want to borrow.” Matthew 5:42
I am well aware of the raised eye-brows in the room at this moment. I am well aware that it is a very controversial issue and one that I have not fully come to grips with yet. The teaching on giving to others is extensive in the scripture and each scripture teaching must be weighed as a whole. In II Thessalonians 3:10, Paul teaches explicitly that if a person does not work – he should not eat. Christians are not to be known for their idleness but for their work ethic. He taught that there were different categories of widows… he said there are real widows and there and widows. He taught that while we must support a real widow, we need not support a widow who has her own resources or family who can care for her. (I Timothy 5) He also said that anyone who does not provide for his relatives and especially for his immediate family has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever in I Timothy 5:8.
When Jesus said, “Give to the one who asks and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you,” I do not think he was saying his followers are to empty their bank accounts, sell their property, cash in their investments and dump out their wallets to anyone and everyone who asks.
I am familiar with a situation where a man’s nephew wanted to buy a house so he took all of his savings out of the bank and gave it to the nephew to pay down on a house… it was in the neighborhood of $25,000. The man was a devoted follower of Christ and he took Christ at his word and he forked over his savings to help his nephew… who within a short time let the house go into foreclosure and all was lost. Not only that, but his widow is now hard pressed to make ends meet.
Jesus was not talking about buying houses and cars for people who ask us to buy houses and cars for them. He is saying that if there is a need and you can help, do so. But if you can’t, you can’t. However our helping or not helping needs to be a matter of discernment and with a desire to do the right thing and not a desire to get out of having to share some of our money.
Conclusion
National Public Radio carried this story. The article was titled, “A Victim Treats His Mugger Right.” Julio Diaz had a routine. Every evening he ended his hour-long commute to the Bronx one stop early, so he could eat at his favorite diner.
One night he stepped off the No. 6 train and onto the platform where he was confronted by a teenager with a knife who demanded his wallet. He handed the young man his wallet and then offered, “If you are going to be robbing people the rest of the night you might as well take my coat to keep you warm.”
The would be robber asked him why he was putting him on and Julio went on to say, “I guess if you are willing to risk you freedom for a few bucks you probably really need to money.” He went on to say that he had stopped to get some dinner and invited the young mugger to join him.
Amazingly the teenager joined him. Julio was friends with the manager and the waitress and the dishwasher, all of whom stopped by the table to chat. The teenager asked him if he “owned the place or something?” And Julio answered, “No, I just eat here a lot. “ But the teenager persisted, “But you are even nice to the dishwasher.”
Julio asked, “Haven’t you been taught to be nice to people?
When the bill arrived Julio said, “Look, I guess you are going to have to pay ‘cause my money is in the wallet… but if you give my wallet back, I’ll gladly buy your dinner.” Without batting an eye the young man returned the wallet. Julio said he paid the tab and gave the young man $20, figuring he probably needed it.
When he got home Julio told his mother about what happened and she is said, “You’re the kind of person that if someone asked you for the time, you’d give them your watch.” (http://www.npr.org/2008/03/28/89164759/a-victim-treats-his-mugger-right)
I don’t know if Jesus wants us to be the kind of people who fork over our watches to anyone who asks the time. But, I think:Jesus would like for us to be the kind of people who:
• Turn the other cheek!
• Do more than is required!
• Go the second mile!
• Help those who are in need!
