TO ANOTHER LEVEL (PART 7)

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In Christ, Mark

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

“You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also. And if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, hand over your coat as well. If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles. Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.”

Matthew 5:38-42

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

As Jesus emerged onto the scene in Israel and began providing what was a new teaching for the people, He was up against some long established standards and doctrines that had been followed for many, many years. One such standard and doctrine had to do with punishment doled out to someone who had done another wrong. Here are three excerpts that give you a general idea of the prescribed response in accordance with the law:  

“You must purge the evil from among you. Show no pity: life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.” Deuteronomy 19:19,21

“If people are fighting and hit a pregnant woman and she gives birth prematurely but there is no serious injury, the offender must be fined whatever the woman’s husband demands and the court allows. But if there is serious injury, you are to take life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, bruise for bruise.” Exodus 21:22-24

“Anyone who injures their neighbor is to be injured in the same manner: fracture for fracture, eye for eye, tooth for tooth. The one who has inflicted the injury must suffer the same injury.” Leviticus 24:19-20

The required actions here are crystal clear and relatively simple. When someone committed evil against another, then a reciprocal response was mandated identical to the inflicted damage by the perpetrator.

If someone took another’s life, then that person was to be killed. Life for life.

If someone gouged out another’s eye, then one of the attacker’s eyes were to also be gouged out. Eye for an eye.

If a person had been stabbed and wounded in the back, then the one who had wielded the knife would receive a knife stabbed into his back. Wound for wound.

The one who caused injury would suffer the same injury caused and it was completely sanctioned through the scriptures.

Could there be a better way? Could this principle be improved, taken to another level?

Jesus seemed to think so. For as we have seen in the other devotions within this series, a series drawn from the teachings of our Savior during His Sermon on the Mount, there was another option that was radically different from what had been prescribed through the Law. Look at what Jesus had to say on the matter:

“You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also. And if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, hand over your coat as well. If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles. Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.”  Matthew 5:38-42

Note here that Jesus does a one eighty and completely rejects the idea of legalized retaliation. Instead, He addresses a person’s personal responsibility toward others. He had already commanded His followers to love those who wish them harm, suggesting that anyone, including sinners, loves those who love them back in return. Here, Jesus reinforces His earlier teaching by telling His listeners to turn the other cheek if a person strikes them, to not countersue someone when wish to take something but rather to give the person something else, and to give freely to anyone who asks and not turn away anyone who asks to borrow.

Think about how radical these words had to have been for the people who had gathered to listen to what Jesus was saying. Maybe they are radical words for us today as well as we read them more than 2,000 years later. Indeed, Jesus is trying to break through worldly barriers and cultural norms as much today as He was in New Testament times and we had better be paying attention.

For then and now, Jesus called for a refraining from personal revenge and retaliation, and without question teaching at another level, that’s for sure.

Tomorrow, we will conclude this series. See you then and thanks for reading The Christian Walk blog.

Amen

In Christ,

Mark

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