An Eye for an Eye

Matthew chapter 5 verses 38 to 42 is our text for this evening. The words that we're gonna read this evening are gonna be the most convicting yet. And every time I read the Sermon on the Mount and people say to me, you know, I read my Bible, I just don't get anything out of it, I think to myself, what part do you read? What are you reading? You're not getting anything out of it. The Word of God is so practical. We're talking about murder, we're talking about adultery, we're talking about lust, we're talking about pornography, we're talking about loving your enemies, we're talking about your rights.

It's so practical. There is not one soap opera on TV that can match the practicality of what the Word of God says.

Not one. They do it from an ungodly position, but God does it from a pure and righteous position. He presents it perfectly for us. And so tonight, just these few verses in 38 to 42 of chapter 5 are so practical. You either are going to say, man, I'm convicted, or you're gonna leave here angry about what the Word of God says.

But let's look at it together this evening. Let's just read through it and then we'll cover our same outline by looking at the rabbinical tradition, the biblical teaching, and your personal transformation. You have heard that it was said, an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth, 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. And if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, let him have your coat also. And whoever shall force you to go one mile, go with him too.

Give to him who asks of you, and do not turn away from him who wants to borrow from you. The rabbinical tradition is point number one.

I want you to notice two things. The legislation and the perversion. First of all, the legislation. These words in verse number 38, an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth, are taken directly from the Old Testament. Exodus 21, Leviticus 24, Deuteronomy 19. In fact, let me read to you Leviticus 24.

Verse number 17 will begin, and if a man takes a life for any human being, he shall utterly be put to death. And the one who takes the life of an animal shall make it good life for life. 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. Sounds pretty good, doesn't it? I like those verses. I don't know about you, I kind of like that. That's what the Bible says.

And so, we got to look first of all at the legislation that was given by God to Moses. It's the oldest law in the world. In fact, it's very simple. The point is, that punishment that you give to someone should fit the crime. Eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth, fracture for fracture, life for life. And its purpose did one of several things. One, it curtailed crime. It curtailed crime. If you read over Deuteronomy 19.20, when a person is punished for his wrongdoing, the rest will hear and be afraid and will never again do such an evil thing among you.

That's pretty good. You take a life, your life will be taken. You did often enough, and guess what? People are gonna stop taking other people's lives, because they want to live. That's pretty basic. And so, this legislation curtailed crime. It curtailed people doing that which was wrong. But the second purpose was to prevent an excessive amount of punishment based on personal vengeance or angry retaliation.

The punishment was to match, not exceed, the harm done by the offense itself. That's a good thing. Why? Because if something happens to you, if someone knocks your tooth out, you might want to knock off their head. And the law said no, you can't do that. You just knock out their tooth. So it makes everything equivalent, see? You can't get a head, you can get even. A tooth for a tooth, an eye for an eye, a leg for leg, a fracture for fracture. But you can't go beyond that. But most importantly, of the three accounts in the Pentateuch that prescribe this principle, it deals with the civil justice system.

That's a very important point. Punishment was sometimes carried out by the victims, but the trial and the sentencing were always the responsibility of a duly appointed judge or a large representative body of citizens. So the legislation that God gave to Moses was a good legislation. It was just, it was merciful, and it benefited everybody around. But notice with me the perversion.

Christ says, you have heard that it was said, an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. You say, well, yeah. That's what is said there. That's an exact quote. The Pharisees actually got one of them right. They really got one right. They quoted the Bible exactly, and that's what the Old Testament said. Well, they didn't get it right, or Jesus wouldn't be addressing it right here. It was wrong. It was wrong because while the Old Testament allowed for the civil justice system to operate this way, it never allowed an individual to take the law into his own hands and apply it personally.

And that's what the Pharisees did. They became judge, jury, and executioner. God's law was turned into my individual license to invoke personal revenge. The Pharisees would say, you know what the Bible says, an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.

And they personally would set out to vengefully act upon an individual who had harmed them. But the Old Testament in the Pentateuch always made it a civil justice system. It was never intended for a man to seek personal vengeance. It was never intended for a man to go off half-cocked and do what he wanted to do because he had been wronged by somebody. So the rabbis used this law to mandate vengeance. What God gave to the courts as a restriction, the Jewish tradition turned into a personal license for revenge.

So once again, the selfishness of the Pharisees perverted the law of God to meet and justify their own ends. And this time, it was retaliation, getting back. So what does Jesus say? Let's look at the biblical teaching.

You've heard that it was said, an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. But I say to you, do not resist him who is evil. We'll stop right there. Now, is Jesus saying that we should never take a stand against evil? No, because Jesus took plenty of stands against evil. In John chapter 2 and in Matthew chapter 21, he would take a whip and turn some tables over because the Pharisees and the rabbis had so dirtied the temple of God and he was so offended by what had happened. Righteous indignation just oozed from the Lord God as he would scatter the money changers from the temple.

The Bible says in James 4.7, that we're to resist the devil. It says in 1 Thessalonians 5.22, abstain from every form of evil. In Romans 12.9, it says, abhor that which is evil. Over in 1 Corinthians 5, verse number 13, when there is an unrepentant individual among you who is immoral, the Bible says, remove the wicked one from among you.

1 Timothy 5.20 says, that those who continue in sin rebuke in the presence of all, so that the rest also may be fearful of sinning. So God isn't saying, no, don't, do not resist evil. Don't oppose evil. No, I want you to oppose evil. That's not what Jesus is talking about here. He wants you to stand for righteousness. He wants you to stand for holiness. He doesn't want sin to escalate because you won't confront it or you won't deal with it. That's not what Jesus is saying when he says, but I say to you, do not oppose that which is evil.

And the principle of non-resistance does not apply to the government authorities either. Why? Because God has ordained the government, that is. Over in Romans chapter 13, verse number 4, it says this, for it is a minister of God to you for good, but if you do what is evil, be afraid, for it does not bear the sword for nothing, for it is a minister of God, an avenger who brings wrath upon the one who practices evil. Paul is talking about civil government and God has designed them. The government is actually a minister of God.

You might not like that. You might not agree with that, but that's what the Bible says. The police, the Congress, the Senate, the President are all ministers of God designed to inflict punishment upon those who do evil. And we as law-abiding citizens are to report crime. We as law-abiding citizens are to abide by the law that God has established through ordaining people to lead in our society. So God's not speaking about that. Christ is dealing with personal resentment. He's dealing with personal vengeance.

If there's one who is evil, who comes against you, he says, that's the one you don't oppose. That's the point. That's what Jesus wants you to understand. That's what it means to live like a child of the King. And so what Jesus does is give the four basics of human rights as he talks about man's dignity, man's security, man's liberty, and man's property. When someone who is evil comes to you and opposes you in these four areas and comes against you, the Bible says, do not oppose them.

Do not resist them. Let's look at the first area. It's dignity. Verse number 38 or 39. But whoever slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. Now if you're a student here this evening and you go to junior high or high school and someone slaps you on the cheek, Bible says, turn the other cheek. Turn the other cheek. Now notice, Christ is not talking about someone who's going to come up and punch you because they want to knock your lights out.

The phrase he uses is the slap that happens when someone slaps you with the back of their hand. In Christ's time, that was a sign of great disrespect. It was a sign when they would slap you with the back of their hand. We're going to talk about this on Sunday with Paul, when it happens with the Apostle Paul as he stands before the Sanhedrin. But as they slap you with the back of their hand, it's a sign of disrespect to you. They go against your dignity. They want to defy you. Because man was created in the image of God, God demands that we treat one another with respect.

But God knows that won't always happen, especially if we live the God-like life. It's how we react to mistreatment that Christ is concerned about. Listen to what one author says. He says, among Jews, a slap or other striking in the face was among the most demeaning and contemptuous of acts. To strike someone elsewhere in the body might cause more physical harm, but a slap in the face was an attack on one's honor and was considered to be terrible in dignity. It was to be treated with disdain as being less than a human.

Even a slave would rather have been struck across the back with a whip than be slapped in the face by his master's hand. To strike someone on the right cheek would then be a vicious, angry reaction indicating an act of insult. Yet when we are insulted, maligned, and treated with contempt, literally or figuratively, struck on the cheek by someone, we are to turn to him the other also. But Jesus's point pertains more to what we are not to do than what we are to do. Turning the other cheek symbolizes the non-avenging, non-retaliatory, humble, and gentle spirit that is characterized of kingdom citizens.

Folks, this is the Christian life. This is the impossible life. That's why it's called the supernatural life. Whatever happens in the natural realm, listen, if the natural urges to respond, it's wrong. This is all a supernatural thing we're living in here. The Spirit of God, the supernatural Spirit of God lives within us. The power of God resides within us. That's why he says that unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you'll never enter my kingdom. And the scribes and Pharisees said, man, let me tell you something, if somebody does something to you, bam, you do it right back to them because the Bible says an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth and under the law of Moses you are absolutely correct to do that.

And so they would maintain their vengeful spirit and get back at anybody who got at them. And Christ says, wait a minute, that's not what it's about.

You've perverted the law to seek out your own fulfillment, to protect your rights, and that's not what I'm about. So when you lose your dignity, understand this, that man's dignity is not wrapped up in the relationship he has with someone else, but it's wrapped up in his relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. Point number two, security.

And if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, let him have your coat also. Now that's always been interesting to me. What is Christ actually saying here? Someone wants to sue me? He wants to sue me for ten million dollars? I give him my house and my clothes too? What is Christ actually saying? The shirt here is the undergarment, a type of tunic. The coat was the outer garment, which would serve as a blanket at night. This is very important, because listen to what Exodus 22, 26, and 27 says about these outer garments.

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. The point being is that how much overboard will you give to show that you have, ready for this, no animosity and no vengeance toward the one who sues you? That's the point. See that? Go above and beyond what he wants. Give him more than he needs to let him see that your spirit is one of gentleness and kindness and love and forgiveness and mercy, not one of bitterness and anger.

Boy, if I could ever get back at him, I'll get him one day. Christ addresses the attitude so that your adversary doesn't see you have hard feelings against him. This is the point, that you are not bitter and have a vengeful spirit toward the one who is evil, the one who sued you. Point number three, our liberty, our freedom, and whoever shall force you to go one mile, go with him too.

That's your freedom, your liberty. Now this is very important. Why? Because as one author states, Roman law gave a soldier the right to force a civilian to carry his pack for what is called a Roman mile, which was slightly shorter than our modern mile. The law, designed to relieve the soldier, not only caused great inconvenience to civilians, but was made even more despicable by the fact that the oppressed were made to carry the equipment and weapons of their oppressors. Outside of combat, the Roman soldier was probably never more hated than when he forced someone to carry his pack.

Remember when Christ was on his way to the cross? He was carrying his cross on the way to Golgotha. And what did the Roman soldiers do when Christ couldn't carry the cross anymore? They compelled Simon the Cyrene to come out of the crowd and carry the cross. Simon hadn't do that. Under Roman law, he was compelled to carry the pack. He was compelled to carry the cross because the Roman soldier said, you're gonna carry it. So any Roman soldier walking along in a Jewish community could take off his pack and say, throw it on your feet and say, you carry it.

You have to carry it or you'd be punished. That was the law. That's what Christ is addressing. People always call at the wrong time. They always do. You never call or receive a call at the right time. It's always the wrong time. People always show up at your door at the wrong time. People always die at the wrong time. You ever notice that?

Nobody ever dies on time. Nobody ever dies what's convenient for you. They die what's convenient for them, right? But whoever takes you into consideration when they want to die? Nobody. And we say, well, how considerate of them to die when I had other plans this week. Now I gotta go to a funeral. See, we like our freedom. We like to come and go as we wish and do what we want to do. And Christ says, look, you got freedom?

So did I. And guess who went the extra mile for you? I mean, more than that, I came millions of miles for you. The least you could do would be to go one extra mile, one extra day, one extra appointment, one extra whatever to show that you're one of my children. When people infringe on our freedom, how do you respond? That's the point. And lastly, our property. Our property. Listen as I read verse number 42. Give to him who asks of you and do not turn away from him who wants to borrow from you. Now let me ask you a question.

Don't raise your hand. I don't want anybody to be embarrassed this evening. How many of you really thought the very first thing when you read this, he's talking about money?

Give to him who asks you. Just give it to him. Isn't it interesting that most of our minds think money? Reason being is because most of our blood runs gold, doesn't it? It really goes to show you where your real treasure is, doesn't it? If you thought money when you read those verses, it goes to show you where your real heart is. Nobody wants to give up their money, do they? Nobody wants to give somebody money. You ask them, hey give me 20, spot me 50, spot me 100, I'll give it back, spot me 100.

Right, right. But Christ says give to him who asks you. Now notice Christ didn't say anything about money.

He didn't mention money here, did he? He didn't say that, but our mind automatically, boom, cha-ching, dollar bills. That's what we think. We hate to give up anything that belongs to us, don't we? Don't answer that. But we just hate to give it up. Because we really think we own it. And it just goes to show you how much we don't know about what the Bible says.

We don't own anything. We think we own it, but we don't. We're just stewards of it. Most people who ask you for anything don't deserve anything anyway. And if we got what we deserve, what will we get? Hell. Right? That's what we deserve. A biographer of William Gladstone, that great British Prime Minister, wrote of him with these words. Of how few who have lived for more than 60 years in the full light of their countrymen, and have as party leaders been exposed to angry and sometimes spiteful criticism.

Can it be said that there stands against them no malignant word and no vindictive act? This was due not perhaps entirely to Gladstone's natural sweetness of disposition, but rather to self-control and a certain largeness of soul which would not condescend to anything mean or petty. I read that and I think, how many of us condescend to vengeance? Condescend to selfishness? Instead of living like a child of the king? So what do we do? What's our personal transformation? Four things. When your dignity has been slapped, when your security has somehow been seized, when your liberty has been stolen, and your profit has been swallowed up, what do you do?

Four things. Number one is self-control. 2 Peter 1 verses 5 and 6, applying all diligence, add to their faith, self-control. Faith is that which gives us self-control. And we have got to learn to control our actions. And that only happens because of the Spirit of God. Number two is self-denial.

Self-denial. We live in a world that emphasizes self-esteem. And the Bible doesn't emphasize self-esteem. It emphasizes self-denial. If any man come after me, let him take up his cross, deny himself and follow me. That has nothing to do with class 101A self-esteem and your college credits. It ain't going to be there. But Christ says that's what's got to happen.

You've got to learn to deny self. You've got to literally learn to disown yourself. If you're going to be anything for God, you have to be nothing for yourself. Number three, self-sacrifice.

Romans 12, 1 and 2, to present your body as a living sacrifice. And lastly, self-sharing. When it comes to your property, the Good Samaritan in Luke 10, he would stop. When the priestly people, the religious people wouldn't, the Samaritan man did. Gave up his money. Gave up his time. Gave up his freedom, his liberty. That he might help another soul who's desperate. My friend, that's what it means to live like a child of the King.