OPENING: A woman read ahead as we were going through this text and was troubled by the phrase: "do not turn away from the one desiring to borrow from you." It wasn’t that she didn’t give to those in need... her problem was that she was giving so much away, that she barely had enough left for herself and her family. Clearly, she wanted to show love, but she was afraid that she was misunderstanding something. So first we need to deal with what Jesus DIDN’T MEAN.
WHAT DID JESUS "NOT MEAN"?
1. Did Jesus mean for us to "give to everybody?"
Well, there are certain priorities in "giving." For example:
· If anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially his immediate family, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever. (I Tim. 5:8). That’s one of our 1st priorities as a believer.
· Don’t give what is sacred to the dogs or cast your pearls before swine. There are certain people that you know are going to abuse or misuse your "gift" and so you need to be careful about giving to them.
ILLUS: Several years ago at this congregation, there was a regular attender at worship who was down on his luck. Repeatedly, the congregation would help him out with financial gifts because he was part of their church family. Then it became known that he was visiting one of the local porno shops in the area. It was apparent that their financial gifts were going toward supporting his "habit" and they changed how they helped.
2. Did Jesus mean that we shouldn’t "resist Evil" at all?
There are other scriptures that show us that this may be an oversimplification. For example:
· Jesus clearing the temple courts. There were probably no more imposing sights than when Jesus turned over the tables of the marketers in the Temple - twice. What was He doing? He was resisting the evil of men within a sacred setting.
· Proverbs 25:26 declares that "like a muddied spring or a polluted well is a righteous man who gives way to the wicked." The lesson there: there are times when we need to confront and resist evil.
· Romans 13:1ff even tells us one of the ways we can resist evil - through government.
No, Jesus wasn’t talking about walking away from evil. He was not talking about the idea that we shouldn’t oppose all evil. Rather He WAS addressing the way we should deal with personal confrontations. Note the emphasis: "strikes YOU... sues YOU... forces YOU.…
These were incidents where personal space is invaded by others who make us mad. In those settings, our temptation is to strike back and return blow for blow.
JESUS WAS ADDRESSING THE "FAIRNESS DOCTRINE"
ILLUS: Tell me: when you enter a restaurant, what do you do when the waitress doesn’t bring you an item you had paid for?
You might complain, talk to the manager, or at the very least not leave a tip.
1. We expect to get what we pay for & pay for what we get
2. We tip in accordance with what the waitress deserves
3. An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.
Fair is fair.
ILLUS: You tell me what’s fair: If someone strikes you, what should you do? Or, more honestly, what do you WANT to do? You want to "hit ’em back!" don’t you? It’s only right isn’t it?
When I was in High School, we played a game of dodge ball in the school gym. It had its own set of rules that everyone seemed to be ignoring. Such as: when a ball rolled up along the bleachers (where all the "out" people were sitting) the ball REALLY SHOULDN’T be kicked back to your own team. But everybody did it anyway. Including me. One time when I did that, another boy named John got mad and threw the ball he had in his hands right at me as hard as he could. I managed to raise my right hand just in time to deflect the shot but ended up jamming two of my fingers in the process. John had turned away, satisfied he had proven his point, but I hadn’t proved mine yet. I jumped up from the bench, ran over to him and bumped in with my right shoulder. He turned around and I decked him with a left.
Everything stood still. John sat, disbelieving, on the floor. I stood seething over him. And everyone else was silently choosing up sides in their minds (I don’t think I’d have done well in the tally - John was fairly well liked, and I was a nerd). It could have turned into a free for all.
Then John did something I never expected - and something that changed my attitude about fighting for ever. He got up, dusted himself off - and walked away. Nobody did that. That wasn’t reasonable. That wasn’t logical. But John proved himself the better man, because he put into practice something of the principle Jesus taught so long ago.
Jesus was not saying that we shouldn’t oppose evil in our world, Jesus was talking about personal slights and injuries.
He used two incidents that would resonate well in the minds of His listeners:
Incident #1: "…if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well" (Matthew 5:40). He saying, when we’re sued for damages or child support, we should resist the temptation to think "I’ll pay only what I have to, and I’ll do that grudgingly." No. We should pay what’s expected… and then a little more.
Incident #2: "If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles" (Matthew 5:41). I’ve read that in that day, Roman soldiers could require people in subjected lands to carry their packs for them. In fact, it was legislated that if a Roman soldier asked you, you were required to carry the pack at least one mile. After that your obligation was met and you could walk away. Since Jews hated the Romans anyway, this was a galling command and victims would complain and grumble the whole way. Jesus was telling His followers: you may HAVE to carry the pack one mile, but if you are my disciples, you should GLADLY carry the pack for another.
Why? Why would I give my tunic to someone who obviously doesn’t like me, and why would I carry an unjust load an extra mile? Because, as followers of Christ, we’re not called to fairness - we’re called to righteousness.
We’re called to service. We’re called to ministry.
ILLUSTRATION: I once read the true story about a man who had embezzled $27,000 from a partnership he had with a Christian couple. The Christians became embittered, couldn’t sleep well at night and were so troubled that they approached their minister asking what they should do. Their preacher advised that they find a way to "invest" in their former partner. After prayer and discussion, they decided that they would find a financial need that he had and meet it. Learning that he had to move and needed $3000 to do so, they gave that sum to him. Almost immediately, the wife began to sleep better and the bitterness left them. This couple later explained that they now believe God has begun compensating them financially because of their faithfulness in this.
If you love only those who love you - what reward will you get? Jesus asked.
AH, BUT THERE’S MORE THAN A REWARD INVOLVED HERE
Jesus said we are to love and pray our enemies "that you may be sons of your Father which is in heaven." How many of you are God’s children? Why are we God’s children? Because we decided long ago that we loved Him and wanted to be like Him. But how do I become like Him? By copying the mercy He has given me.
Ephesians 2:3-4 tells me "like the rest we were by nature objects of wrath. But because of His great love for us, God in His great mercy, made us alive with Christ, even when we were dead in our transgressions."
CLOSING ILLUSTRATION: A woman wrote to Pulpit Helps to explain a miraculous lesson her family experienced. During one of their family Bible readings as New Christians, they ran across the verse, "If your enemy is hungry, feed him" (Romans 12:20 RSV).
Ours sons, 7 and 10 at the time, were especially puzzled. "Why should you feed your enemy?" they wondered. My husband and I wondered too, but the only answer John could think of to give the boys was, "We’re supposed to because God says so." It never occurred to us that we would soon learn why.
Day after day John Jr. came home from school complaining about a classmate who sat behind him in 5th grade. "Bob keeps jabbing me when Miss Smith isn’t looking. One of these days, when we’re out on the play ground, I’m going to jab him back.
I was ready to go down to the school and jab Bob myself. Obviously the boy was a brat. Besides, why wasn’t Miss Smith doing a better job with her kids? I’d better give her an oral jab, too, at the same time!"
I was till fuming over this injustice to John Jr. when his 7 year old brother spoke up: "Maybe he should feed his enemy." The 3 of us were startled.
None of us was sure about this "enemy" business. It didn’t seem that an enemy would be in the 5th grade. An enemy was someone who was way off... well, somewhere.
We all looked at John. Since he was the head of the family , he should come up with the solution. But the only answer he could offer was the same one he had give before: "I guess we should because God said so."
"Well," I asked John Jr., "do you know what Bob likes to eat? If you’re going to feed him, you may as well get something he likes." "Jelly beans," he almost shouted, "Bob just loves jelly beans."
So we bought a bag of jelly beans for him to take to school the next day, and decided that the next time Bob jabbed John Jr., John was simply to turn around and deposit the bag on his "enemy’s" desk. We would see whether or not this enemy feeding worked.
The next afternoon, the boys rushed home from the school bus and John Jr. called ahead, "It worked, Mom! It worked." I wanted the details: "What did Bob do? What did he say?"
"He was so surprised he didn’t say anything - he just took the jelly beans. But he didn’t jab me the rest of the day!" In time, John Jr. and Bob became the best of friends - all because of a little bag of Jelly Beans.
Both of our sons subsequently because missionaries on foreign fields. Their way of showing friendship with any "enemies" of the faith was to invite the inhabitants of those countries into their own homes to share food with them around their own tables.
It seems "enemies" are always hungry. Maybe that’s why God said to feed them.
Enemies are always hungry for something. Our goal is to find out what it is.
SERMONS IN THIS SERIES
Fair is Fair - Matthew 5:38-5:48
OWOOooo... I Mean BAAA - Matthew 7:15-7:25
Living With The Enemy - Luke 6:27-6:36
