There is nothing easy about the world in which we live. This is a world full of people, and if we are going to succeed in life, or be effective at sharing the gospel, we must learn how to deal with people, especially those who are difficult; and we must learn to love them no matter how they treat us. For example, “When the first missionaries came to Alberta, Canada, they were savagely opposed” by the Cree Indians.(1) However, the missionaries overlooked their opposition to continue sharing the love of Christ; and as a result, a young chief named Maskepetoon responded to the gospel and accepted Jesus as Savior and Lord.
Shortly afterward, a member of the Blackfoot tribe killed his father. Maskepetoon rode into the village where the murderer lived and demanded that he be brought before him. Confronting the guilty man, he said, “You have killed my father, so now you must be my father. You shall ride my best horse and wear my best clothes.” In utter amazement and remorse his enemy exclaimed, “My son!” He then said, “Now you have killed me!” He meant, of course, that the hate in his own heart had been completely erased by the forgiveness and kindness of the Indian chief.(2)
Maskepetoon demonstrated forgiveness and mercy, because of his faith in Christ; because the Lord Jesus had forgiven him of his own crimes. I wonder how many of us could forgive someone who had murdered one of our own family members? That would be the ultimate test of forgiving difficult people; and I pray that none of us will ever face such a test.
In our message today, we are going to see how Jesus taught the importance of patience and forgiveness when dealing with difficult people. He stressed how we should not run from our problems or fight back against opposition. Fight or flight was not part of His vocabulary. Jesus taught how we should persist with people, not resist them, realizing that in due time our witness could win the lost to Christ.
Jesus Spoke Against Self-Vindication (vv. 38-42)
38 You have heard that it was said, “An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.” 39 But I tell you not to resist an evil person. But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also. 40 If anyone wants to sue you and take away your tunic, let him have your cloak also. 41 And whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two. 42 Give to him who asks you, and from him who wants to borrow from you do not turn away.
In life we will often encounter people who will want to beat us into submission in order to elevate themselves; and sometimes this can happen in a physical sense, especially among men. Someone will “slap you on your right check” (v. 39), trying to pick a fight, with the intention of proving their superiority by “whooping up on you” and putting you in your place.
So, how should we respond when someone slaps us or punches us? Jesus said that some people would react with “an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth” (v. 38), meaning they would retaliate and take revenge by inflicting the same harm in return. “If you blacken my eye, then I am going to blacken yours! If you knock out my tooth, then I am going to knock out yours!” In Jesus’ time people attempted to justify their vengeful behavior based on the Old Testament law of lex talionis, which is the law of retribution (cf. Exodus 21:22-25; Leviticus 24:19-20).
Charles Spurgeon commented, “The law of an eye for an eye, as administered in the proper courts of law, was founded in justice . . . But when the lex talionis came to be the rule of daily life, it fostered revenge, and our Savior would not tolerate it as a principle carried out by individuals. Good law in court may be very bad custom in common society.”(3) Spurgeon pointed out that lex talionis was supposed to be carried out inside court, and not among individuals outside of court.
By Jesus’ time, this law was being practiced out of context and apart from true justice. Commentator William Burkitt said that when Jesus stated, “I tell you not to resist an evil person” (v. 39), He meant, “Seek not private revenge, but leave the avenging of injuries to God and the magistrates.”(4) Jesus was trying to help people understand that it is not our responsibility to administer justice, because we have a limited sense of justice. We must leave it to a court of law, and ultimately to the Lord.
In this time “a backhanded blow to the right cheek did not imply shattered teeth; it was an insult, the severest public affront to a person’s dignity . . . This was more an affront to honor; a challenge [more] than a physical injury.”(5) To this kind of affront, Jesus taught how a person should respond by turning the other cheek. When people take a swing at us today, it will probably be with the intention of inflicting physical harm; and it will therefore be much harder to refrain from hitting back. However, I believe the principle that Jesus taught still applies.
But let me pause and interject something. The apostle Paul, in his teaching, would try to distinguish his own opinion from the words of the Lord. In 1 Corinthians 7:10, he said, “Now to the married I command; yet not I, but the Lord . . .” In other words, “This is not coming from me, but from God.” Then in verse 12, he stated, “But to the rest I, not the Lord, say . . .” In other words, “This is my own opinion or understanding.” So, in the pattern of Paul, I am going to tell you my own opinion. I believe in self-defense. But, considering what Jesus said, I believe we should only engage in self-defense when the harm being inflicted is severe or life-threatening. If it is just a slap on the cheek, it probably will not require fighting back.
When considering the words of Jesus in context, He was referring to a slap on the check to rob us of our dignity. The Inter Varsity Press New Testament Commentary states, “In the case of an offense to our personal dignity, Jesus not only warns us not to avenge our honor by retaliating, but suggests that we indulge the offender further. By freely offering our other cheek, we show that those who are secure in their status before God do not value human honor.” In other words, when we turn the other cheek, we become an example of how our value and worth is founded in Christ, not in our own pride or self-esteem, or the esteem of others.
Before we move into looking at verse 40, I want to leave you with the words of Paul. In Romans 12:19-21, he said, “Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, ‘Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,’ says the Lord. Therefore ‘If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him a drink; for in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head.’ Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”
Next, Jesus said, “If anyone wants to sue you” (v. 40). There are always going to be people who see what we have and want it, and who will take us to court in order to get it. For example, if we have a nice-looking piece of land, someone might trespass on it and intentionally get hurt so they can sue us and take it from us. Another good example is insurance fraud. By law, everyone is supposed to have car insurance. So, we need to be careful about driving too close to someone’s bumper. Some individual might assume we have good coverage and then slam on their brakes so that we will hit them. They will then take us to court for some easy money.
Jesus elaborated, “If anyone wants to sue you and take away your tunic, let him have your cloak also” (v. 40). Commentator A. T. Robertson says that the “tunic” is “a sort of shirt or undergarment,” and the “cloak” is the outer garment, or coat. “If one loses the undergarment at law, the outer one goes also – the more valuable one.”(6) Based on this information, we can see how Jesus was basically saying, “If someone wants to take your most valuable possession, or even everything you own, then let him have it.” The only way we can follow this difficult teaching is to allow the Holy Spirit to instill a deep-seated realization that the same God who provided what we already have, can restore everything tenfold.
Jesus continued to tell His audience, “And whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two” (v. 41). In this life, we will not only encounter people who will want to beat us down and take away everything we own, but there will also be people who will want to use and abuse us. You have heard the old expression, “If you give them an inch; they will take a mile.” Jesus basically said, “If they ask for a mile, do not complain about it. Give them two miles!” In order to understand what Jesus meant, we have to look at the history and context of when He spoke these words.
Jesus referred to a Persian custom adopted by the Roman soldiers when traveling.(7) “In that time the law allowed a Roman soldier to make a person carry his back pack for a Roman mile, or a thousand paces. That distance is about [one mile], or 1620 yards. No one liked being forced to carry anything any distance for a Roman soldier. Jesus said if they were required to carry it a mile, then carry it two miles. That is how we get the phrase, “go the extra mile.” It means we should go beyond what is expected of us in helping others.(8)
Jesus then said, “Give to him who asks you, and from him who wants to borrow from you do not turn away” (v. 42). Every so often someone will approach us asking, “Can I borrow some money.” We need to keep in mind that most people will only ask for money if they are in a state of desperation – and we can leave the con-men out of this discussion. When someone asks us for financial help, here is what they are likely saying, “I am in a tight spot and I need some help. If you can give me some money, try to understand that I will pay you back if I am able. But, because of my present situation, that might not be possible.”
“If a person asks for a loan of money or goods, we should approach the request assuming that he makes it in good faith, if there are no extenuating reasons to doubt his sincerity . . . Jesus’ suggestion is that, if we do lend to others, we might as well consider that money to be gone forever. The struggle to regain it will probably not be worth the effort, not to mention the damage it could do to relationships, one’s character,”(9) and our public witness. Our generosity could lead that person to faith in Christ, and our lack of it could drive them away from the Lord.
In Luke 6:34-35, Jesus said, “If you lend to those from whom you hope to receive back, what credit is that to you? For even sinners lend to sinners to receive as much back. But love your enemies, do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High. For He is kind to the unthankful and evil.”
Jesus Said You Should Love Enemies (vv. 43-48)
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, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, 45 that you may be sons of your Father 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 have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? 47 And if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the tax collectors do so? 48 Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.
Jesus emphasized how in life there are people who will curse your and hate you, and “use you and persecute you” (v. 44); and He said that these people are our enemies (v. 43). But in order to be sons (or daughters) of our Father in heaven (v. 45), we must demonstrate love towards our enemies, by blessing those who curse us, doing good to those who hate us, and praying for those who use us (v. 44). Why? “For He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust” (v. 45).
The first point Jesus was making is that God does not love just His followers. He loves each and every person in the world. He sends the blessing of the rising sun, and the blessing of the rain, on both believers and unbelievers alike. God “loved the world” so much “that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). Jesus died for the entire “world,” meaning, He died for all. Paul said of Jesus, “The death that He died, He died to sin once for all” (Romans 6:10). Jesus died once, and He did it for “all.” Since God loves each and every person in the world, then so should we; whether they are good or bad, kind or rude.
The second point Jesus was making is that we all live on this earth together. We and our enemy both go about our daily business under the same sun, and both of us experience the blessing of rain to water the earth. We cannot avoid bumping into our enemy (or enemies) every now and again, so we might as well do our best to diffuse any situations that should arise and work toward peace.
Jesus then said, “For if you love those who love you, what reward have you?” (v. 46). In Matthew 5:12, Jesus stated that if people persecute you, then “great is your reward in heaven.” Something we often fail to teach about is how we are rewarded in heaven. This is a concept that is difficult to understand; but according to Revelation 22:12, the Lord does keep track of our behavior, and He rewards us according to our deeds. Our works do not get us into heaven, but they do earn us rewards. Keep this in mind whenever you feel like retaliating against an enemy, or playing games of favoritism (cf. Bruce Wilkinson, A Life God Rewards).
Jesus concludes by saying, “Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect” (v. 48). The word “perfect” is translated from the Greek word telos, meaning “end, goal, or limit.”(10) According to A. T. Robertson, “Here [in verse 38], it is the goal set before us, the absolute standard of our Heavenly Father. The word is used also for relative perfection as of adults compared with children.”(11) In other words, “Be like your Father and start acting like an adult.”
Jesus was saying, “If you are really a mature believer, then demonstrate it by obeying the commands that your Father taught you while you were still a child.” Do not hit back when someone hits you. Do not take someone’s coat just because they took yours. Do not complain when someone asks you for help; and if a bully takes your lunch money, then do not even try to get it back, for it will cause more trouble than it is worth. These are simple things that you learned as a child. Jesus was basically saying, “Stop acting like a child, grow up, and behave like a ‘perfect’ believer or a mature Christian!”
Time of Reflection
How do we normally treat those who are difficult; the ones that Jesus called our enemies? If we treat them with anything other than love, patience and kindness, then we are acting like a mere child, revealing a lack of Christian growth and character, and making us not much different than them in behavior. Paul once addressed the believers in Corinth, saying, “I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual people but as to carnal, as to babes in Christ . . . For where there are envy, strife, and divisions among you, are you not carnal and behaving like mere men?” (1 Corinthians 3:1, 3). Let us not behave like ordinary men and women, but as those whose lives have been transformed by Jesus Christ!
If we are acting in envy and strife, then perhaps it is because we have not yet confessed faith in Jesus Christ. Peter said, “As newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby, if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious” (1 Peter 2:2-3). We should desire the pure milk of the Word, which is the Bible. Paul asked a question about the Word. He said, “But what does it say . . . that is, the word of faith which we preach?” (Romans 10:8). He immediately answered, “That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation” (Romans 10:9-10).
Have you tasted the Word; the Word that leads to faith and trust in Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord, which leads to eternal life? Have you tasted of the Lord’s mercy, forgiveness, and grace? The Bible declares, “Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who trusts in Him!” (Psalm 34:8).
NOTES
(1) “Forgiveness,” Sermon Illustrations: www.sermonillustrations.com/a-z/f/forgiveness.htm (Accessed July 8, 2011).
(2) Ibid.
(3) Charles Spurgeon, Spurgeon’s Commentary on Matthew, on Power Bible CD.
(4) William Burkitt, William Burkitt New Testament Commentary, on Power Bible CD.
(5) “Matthew,” Inter Varsity Press New Testament Commentary, Bible Gateway: www.biblegateway.com/resources/commentaries/IVP-NT/Matt/Avoid-Retribution-Resistance (Accessed July 8, 2011).
(6) A. T. Robertson, Robertson N. T. Word Pictures, on Power Bible CD.
(7) “The Extra Mile,” Gospel Chapel (Conrad, Montana): www.gospelchapel.com/Sermons/Archives/Mount/30_89.htm (Accessed July 8, 2011).
(8) Jim Kerlin, “Go the Extra Mile,” Children’s Sermons.com: www.childrensermons.com/sermons/mile.htm (Accessed July 8, 2011).
(9) Forerunner Commentary, Bible Tools: www.bibletools.org/index.cfm/fuseaction/Bible.show/sVerseID/23277/eVerseID/23277 (Accessed July 8, 2011).
(10) A. T. Robertson, Robertson N. T. Word Pictures, on Power Bible CD.
(11) Ibid.
