“What About My Rights?”
Matthew 5:38-42
Today more than ever, we hear people insisting that their “rights” be given to them – even rights that they don’t really have. As followers of Jesus Christ, we cannot help but wonder if we have the same or different rights as others, what our rights really are, and what we are supposed to do when our rights are denied us. Do we have a right to safety, success, and wealth? Do we have a right to expect respect and common decency from others? Do we have a right to worship God in any way that we are convinced is appropriate? How about a right to a good home, a loving family, and a good name?
The people of Jesus’ day were no different than we, and He was well aware of it. Now, remember that throughout this series, we have seen Jesus teach an entirely new view on centuries of traditions and suppositions. Jesus Christ, God-in-the-flesh, has been stretching out the accurate and precise view of God on how true children of God are to think, feel, and act. Generation has followed generation, and mankind has become ever more deeply entrenched in a flesh-view and a worldview of rights that collide with the view of heaven.
Very clearly, Jesus teaches us here in Matthew 5:38-42 that we – as Christians, as Christ-followers – have NO rights…we have no right to retaliation, no right to things, no right to our own time, and no right to money. Now, you probably find that as objectionable as I do in my flesh. You may even find it offensive and that your insides are hollering, “Yeah, but!”
As uncomfortable as it may be for us, we have to be willing to listen to the voice of the Master, allow His Spirit to teach our hearts, and seek His strength and courage to live out His truth.
Let’s look at our Lord’s words here and the perspective and historical context that He speaks from.
First, Jesus quotes from the Mosaic Law as it is recorded in several passages in the Old Testament: Exodus 21:23-25; “But if there is any further injury, then you shall appoint as a penalty life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, bruise for bruise.” Leviticus 24: 19-20; “And if a man injures his neighbor, just as he has done, so it shall be done to him: fracture for fracture, eye for eye, tooth for tooth; just as he has injured a man, so it shall be inflicted on him.” Deuteronomy 19:21; “Thus you shall not show pity: life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.”
The “eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth” law is part of the oldest recorded law in the world, known as the Rex Talionis – tit-for-tat. It is part of the code of laws known as The Code of Hammurabi. Hammurabi reigned in Babylon from 2285 to 2242 B.C., and in his own words he states that he is establishing these laws “to bring about the rule of righteousness in the land, to destroy the wicked and the evil-doers; so that the strong should not harm the weak.” This became part of the Law of Moses, handed down from God. There are those that say that the Jews adapted their laws from other civilizations and nations and that these laws were not handed down from God. However, we know that all law is from God, as is all wisdom, knowledge and understanding. Is it any wonder, then, that when God called out a people to be His own that He would impart to them His laws designed to “bring about the rule of righteousness in the land, to destroy the wicked and the evil-doers; so that the strong should not harm the weak”? The fact that many of them are consistent with, though even more are far different from, the laws that civilized man has lived under throughout history, whether they know they are from God or not? Let us not forget that the law of God has been “written in their hearts, their conscience bearing witness, and their thoughts alternately accusing or else defending them” Romans 2:15.
Many have made the accusation that the Rex Talionis is a law of savagery and bloodthirstiness. On the contrary, however – it is a law of mercy. Until the Rex Talionis, it was the practice in the tribal societies that existed to exact a blood vendetta for any wrong. If a man of one tribe injured a man from another tribe, then all of the men of the tribe of the injured man set out to violently exact vengeance on all of the men of the offending man’s tribe. The vengeance that they extracted was death.
The Rex Talionis deliberately and specifically limits vengeance. Only the man committing the injury may be punished, and the extent of that punishment is limited. In its historical context, the “eye-for-an-eye” law is one of mercy, not cruelty.
Second, this and the other laws were never laws to be enforced by an individual, but by a judge or court. Deuteronomy 19:18 states, “and the judges shall investigate thoroughly…” The law never allowed for an individual to extract vengeance, it was always intended for a judge to use it to determine the level and degree of penalty that an offender was to receive.
Third, and this is something that is too often overlooked, this type of punishment was rarely enforced literally. Remember, the purpose of all law is to ensure justice. The Jewish judges argued that a literal application of these penalties might actually be the reverse of justice. For example, they argued that, if a man had one good eye, say the left, and was blind in the other, and if this man had caused another man to lose his left eye, then gouging out the left eye (the good one) of the offender would leave that man blind. That would not be at all just. There would be no balance or equality in the law then. So, they courts very quickly developed a monetary value for system for determining penalties to be paid to someone injured by another.
In the Baba Kamma, the collection of Jewish laws and traditions compiled in Babylon about 500 A.D., there is a very exacting formula for assessing damage. If a man has injured another man, he is liable on five counts – for injury, for pain, for healing, for time loss, and for indignity suffered. These were laid out this way:
Injury: The injured man would be given a value as if he were a slave in the slave market. His value before and after the injury was evaluated, and the man responsible for the injury had to pay the difference.
Pain: The judge or judges would estimate how much money a man would accept to willingly submit himself to the pain that was incurred with the injury, and the offender had to pay that amount as well.
Healing: The offender had to pay all medical costs associated with treating the injury and attending to the medical needs of the injured party until healing was complete.
Time Loss: Aside from being required to pay for all wages lost by the injured man while he was unable to work, the offending party also would be required to pay additional monies if the one injured was unable to work in the discipline or trade that he had worked at before the injury and he had to take a less lucrative position after the injury.
Indignity Suffered: The offender had to pay damages for humiliation and indignity suffered by the man he had injured. The types of compensation specified in the Rex Talionis are surprisingly modern.
The fourth concept we want to look at is the balance of mercy woven throughout God’s law. In Proverbs 24:29, we read, “Do not say, "Thus I shall do to him as he has done to me; I will render to the man according to his work." And, in Proverbs 25:21, this directive for mercy is recorded, “If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat; And if he is thirsty, give him water to drink.” Even in the Law itself, the instruction is clear in Leviticus 19:18 “You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the sons of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself; I am the LORD.” Even the seemingly “new” standard that Jesus is promoting here is actually part and parcel of what the Jews should already have known, “Let him give his cheek to the smiter; Let him be filled with reproach” Lamentations 3:30.
So, we have Jesus revisiting the law of retribution from its very foundations and its subsequent incorporation into the laws and customs of the people listening to Him that day, and then He completely demolishes it. The Lord Jesus clearly teaches that, no matter how controlled and restricted it may be, retribution has no place in the heart, life or will of a true Christ-follower. Instead, resentment and revenge are done away with, and mercy and forgiveness and a life enveloped in non-retaliation is the new norm.
Jesus used three very clear examples from the everyday lives of His listeners. They must be understood within the context and understanding of who is speaking to whom if we are to get the message and see the point of Jesus’ teaching. We will look at them one at a time.
Verse 39: “But I say to you, do not resist him who is evil; but whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn to him the other also.” We all believe in fair play, we all have a deep desire within us to know and protect the liberties and privileges that we call our rights and that we believe we are entitled to simply by the very fact that we are a living, breathing creation of God. Our own Declaration of Independence literally declares, “all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights”. This statement comes from deep within the heart of every person, for we all have inherent within us the intense, driving desire to ensure our place in the world. Take a candid look for a moment at your interpersonal relationships and see if this isn’t so.
All right, when we look at the text, Jesus’ first declaration is “do not resist him who is evil.” In the words of an early missionary to China, we are to not only “eat bitterness (suffer hardship)”, but also to “eat loss (tolerate infringement, violation of one’s rights)”. Ponder those for a moment. Now, let’s listen to how Jesus illustrates this.
One: “Whoever slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.” This is more than accepting a slap to the face. A right-handed man is standing facing another man. In order to slap him on the right cheek, the first man must use the back of his hand. In the culture of the day, slapping a man with the back of the hand was twice as insulting as slapping him with the flat of the hand. Jesus’ instruction is, “Even if someone is cold and calculating in their public insult of you, you are not to retaliate or even to resent it.”
How are we doing?
I am no more comfortable with this than anyone else is when I hear this. It goes entirely against the grain of my psyche. But, as a child of the Most High God, I am committed to living my life in open and willing obedience to His standards – even the ones that cause me personal pain in my ego.
We are to not only seek no retaliation for slights and insults, but we are to have no resentment toward the person who has done the evil. If we are insulted for what we believe or what we stand for, then we are to cheerfully accept it as an honor. In Acts 5:17-42, we find the account of the re-arrest of the apostles by the Sanhedrin and the consequently flogged a second time. Their crime? Preaching the gospel, healing the sick and lame, and driving out demons. Their response? Verse 41; “So they went on their way from the presence of the Council, rejoicing that they had been considered worthy to suffer shame for His name.” Jesus was called a friend of drunkards, harlots and tax-collectors – the dregs of that society. The inference was that He was just like them and was not to be trusted. He was also accused before the High Court of the most heinous of all crimes: blasphemy. His response? “While being reviled [verbally abused and grossly insulted], He did not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously;” 1 Peter 2:23.
What if people just out-and-out lie about us? Our response is to be the same as if they are complimenting us – no thought of resentment, and there is nothing to retaliate for. That is the standard of heaven as lived out by Jesus Christ and by the apostles, and the same that is expected of all who are truly Christ-followers.
Why on earth would this be required? Look at 1 Corinthians9:4-19. Paul is quite clear that there is greater good, a higher mission for our lives than anything we could grasp and hold onto for ourselves…the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
There is one other point here, and it is even more uncomfortable for many than the preceding point. To desire retaliation is to place oneself in the place and authority that God has reserved for Himself alone. Romans 12:19-21 states it as clearly as it can get: “Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, "Vengeance is Mine, I will repay," says the Lord." “But if your enemy is hungry, feed him, and if he is thirsty, give him a drink; for in so doing you will heap burning coals upon his head." Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”
The natural response to this usually is, “Well, that sounds like a nice little theory, but I just can’t see any normal person being able to do that.” And, they are right – a normal person cannot do it! But, the individual who is truly indwelled by Jesus Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit, the person who has truly yielded themselves to being led by the Spirit and not by their own wants and desires, the person who has a greater love for God and the things of His Kingdom than they do for anything on this earth, that person can and many do live by this very standard. There are many, many accounts of everyday people, saved by grace through faith, who have and do respond in the same way as Jesus and the apostles to insult, injury, gossip, rumor, slander and all kinds of vile treatment. If we are not doing it, then we are not living the life that God has set before us and we live instead in rebellion and sin. And that, dear ones, is the truth.
Two: “And if anyone wants to sue you, and take your shirt, let him have your coat also” (5:40). The law was very specific about what a man could be deprived of if he lost a suit in court. The “shirt” or tunic that Jesus refers to here was a long, inner garment made of cotton or linen, and a man would have several, even a poor man would probably have two. This would correspond today to a shirt and trousers or a dress. The “coat” or cloak that Jesus refers to here was a large, blanket-like outer garment that would be worn as a robe during the day and used as a blanket at night. Many men had only one of these. In Exodus 22:26-27, the Mosaic Law states, “If you ever take your neighbor’s cloak as a pledge, you are to return it to him before the sun sets, for that is his only covering; it is his cloak for his body. What else shall he sleep in? And it shall come about that when he cries out to Me, I will hear him, for I am gracious.”
Jesus and His listeners were well aware of this law, and it was strictly enforced. Now, Jesus is clearly teaching a principle here that rubs against the grain of what was considered an “inalienable right.” The principle, once again, is about the underlying attitude of the Christian in the world and subject to the world’s systems. There is not one single piece of property that belongs to us – we are merely holding for God. Sure, we are to be good stewards of what He has placed in our care, but our grasp of these things is to be loose and free, not tight and demanding. Look again at the above verse from Exodus 22: “And it shall come about that when he cries out to Me, I will hear him, for I am gracious.” Who is it that we are to make our appeal to? The God of all heaven and earth, and everyone and everything in it. We are not to demand our rights before men; we are to appeal to our Lord and Savior. It is His to seek any vengeance due; His to exact any retribution due; it is His to give to or to take from any material thing from whomever He chooses. Why is this so important? Because we are not our own; because we have been bought with a price that was paid by God and we are therefore to glorify God alone with our lives (See 1 Corinthians 6:19-20, and Romans 14:7-8). And, we must never forget the warning that Jesus gives us in Matthew 16:26: “For what will a man be profited, if he gains the whole world, and forfeits his soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?” How does it look to the world for a Christian to obstinately demand his or her rights? What do belligerence and combative aggressiveness say to those around us when we say we live like Jesus? Our priorities and our agenda must conform to that of Jesus Christ if we are to be able to consider ourselves true followers of the One who died in our place. We are to represent Him, not ourselves in the world.
Three: “And whoever shall force you to go one mile, go with him two” (5:41). The word “force” here, is very strong word – it means to “compel to serve”, and was very specifically used to describe the relationship between a conquered people and their conquerors. In Israel at that time, a Roman soldier could require immediate aid from anyone he chose, and they had no choice but to cooperate, even if they had very pressing matters to attend to. The common practice to which Jesus specifically refers was someone being pressed into service to carry the personal equipment of a Roman soldier for the distance of one mile. They could also be compelled to supply food, carry baggage or supplies, or even to provide housing. At times, this practice was enforced in cruel and injudicious ways. Simon of Cyrene was pressed into service to help Jesus carry His cross the day He died.
What Jesus is teaching here, again, is underlying attitude and outward behavior. Instead of being bitter and resentful toward what they were being required to do against their will, Jesus was teaching all of His followers – us included – is to do what is required of us cheerfully and graciously, no matter how distasteful or inconvenient it may be.
We are not to be focused on our rights and freedoms, but on our responsibilities and duties. We are to delight in being able to serve others in every capacity available, not resist and resent that which is laid before us. We would do well to keep before us the admonition of Paul in Colossians 3:17 “And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.” Every service we do, every duty that we perform, every task that is set before us is to be seen as a gift and opportunity from God, and honor to be achieved for Him.
There are two approaches we can take: we can be grumblingly resentful and do the bare minimum to get by, which would be anything but an acceptable witness for Jesus Christ; or, we can do a far better job and do far more than anyone would have a right to expect, and thus astonish those who would be cruel or discourteous or oppressive with the grace with which we perform what is at hand.
Four: “Give to him who asks of you, and do not turn away from him who wants to borrow from you” (5:42). This we will leave for next time, as it is a large area of study in and of itself.
For now, let me summarize what we have covered in this lesson. We have heard the words of the Lord Jesus Christ as He clearly teaches us what the true standard of attitude and behavior are for the Christian as regards rights, possession and responsibilities.
1) The Christian will never seek retaliation for or be resentful of any insult, no matter who it comes from, and no matter how calculated or treacherous.
2) The Christian will never demand any rights, legal or otherwise, from any authority. We may graciously ask, but – if denied – our response is quiet and calm and our appeal is then to Almighty God, the final Authority and Judge of all.
3) The Christian will never deliberate over their right to live and do as they like, but will live in cheerful anticipation of serving others in unexpected and Christ-like ways, looking forward to fulfilling their duty to help others.
Now we must ask ourselves these questions: What is my attitude toward what Christ is declaring? Am I struggling inside with the drive to insist on my rights? Am I yielding my sense of identity to that of Jesus, or am I still holding fast to who I think I have a right to be?
One old preacher said, "Ever since Adam and Eve ate of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, mankind has been determining for himself what is right and wrong, what is good and evil. We have established our own standards for what is just or unjust, who is right and who is wrong. We have given so much of our energies and emotions to living by these standards and trying to compel others to live by them, too, that we have sacrificed the God-ordained standards for our own sense of righteousness…read that self-righteousness."
As believers and followers of Jesus Christ, we are different just by the fact that “it is no longer I who lives, but Christ in me” (Galatians 2:20). We are now compelled to live by a new standard, a new righteousness, a new sense of what is truly right and truly wrong.
Ours is to be a life of self-sacrifice and service to others, not a life characterized by being selfish and self-serving. We are to not to be preoccupied with the right and wrong of others, but on the principles of conduct that declare our citizenship in heaven.
Is it right for someone to slap your face? Absolutely not! But, is it more important for us to be right, or to do what is right in the eyes of God?
Just as Jesus went to the cross in self-sacrificing grace, so are we to live our lives in self-sacrificial service to Him through our service to others.
That is the standard of heaven, and that is the standard for all of us who call ourselves by the name of Him who died for all.
