Matthew 5:38-42 38You have heard that it was said, “An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.” 39But I say to you, do not resist the one who is evil. But whoever slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. 40And to the one who wishes to sue you and take your tunic, let him also have your cloak. 41And if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two. 42Give to the one who asks you and do not turn away the one who wants to borrow from you.
Jesus’ instructions in these verses are contrary to human nature. He offers a higher level of living than what is found around us. This passage forces us to go against our inbred nature of self-exaltation and self-preservation. When someone does something to us, the natural response is to retaliate and fight back. We want to get even and give the person what he or she deserves.
The Old Testament system (Exodus 21:24; Leviticus 24:20; Deuteronomy 19:21) follows the principle call lex talionis: every wrong was repaid with the same type of action. If someone took out the eye of another person, he or she would have to lose an eye. This was actually a great advance in justice because it set everyone on the same level. It did not allow the rich or powerful to get away with crime by hiring a lawyer, like we see today. The punishment was worth the crime. No one could escape the punishment by power, position, or wealth. No longer was a person punished out of personal vengeance but out of justice. The problem was knowing if a person was truly guilty. To ensure this, the law required two witnesses to verify the crime. This principle guided the formation of the nation of Israel.
Jesus’ principle seems counter-intuitive like so many other principles in this Sermon. The word for resist (antistēnai) means to oppose or set oneself against. Jesus is not saying that we should compromise with evil or Satan but be careful how we respond to those who wrong us. We do not ignore evil people do but we respond differently to it. We do not retaliate back with doing evil to those who hurt us.
Jesus describes four ways to respond when evil or harm is done to us. Each of these is in response to people who seek to injure us. Our intended response is not a matter of injustice or neglecting the evil or lawlessness of a person; Jesus is not advocating anarchy in this passage. He is preparing the disciples to receive the great command of loving one’s enemies in the next passage.
First, turn the other cheek. A slap in the face was very demeaning and humiliating in that culture. A blow to the right check in eastern cultures was a great insult. This command does not mean we should let people walk all over us, because even Jesus defended himself before the high priest in John 18:19-23. This command is the picture of a strong person who has self-control. Self-control is a fruit of the Holy Spirit and an aspect of the love God grows within us. We seek to return good for evil, love for hatred, and kindness for meanness.
Second, give your cloak to someone. A tunic would be equivalent to a shirt. A cloak was the outer garment, like a coat, and was usually more expensive. Even the poor had the right to keep their cloak to protect them from the cold. The law protected this from being taken. To give it up willingly shows the extra effort Jesus asks of his disciples.
Third, go two miles. In that time, Roman soldiers could require a person to go one mile to carry a load. A Roman mile was a little shorter than our modern mile. Jesus is saying, go further than asked. For Jews of that day, resistance to Roman authorities was useless and could lead to punishment or even death. Jesus was saying something radical to the Jews of his time. To go the extra mile showed that the Romans had no control over them. Resistance meant the Romans were in control. Non-violence showed that the Christians were free.
Fourth, give to those who ask. There are people in need all around us. It takes discernment to know in what ways we should help them. Sometimes they take advantage of our generosity only to use what we give them for the wrong things. Jesus does not put any condition on giving. This instruction is difficult to live out in our modern consumer-driven culture. We have let our cultural norms become such a part of our lives that we begin to blur the difference between culture and true gospel. Selfishness and protectionism are problems we all face. We have earned and saved our money, so why should we give it to people who are lazy?
We must realize that Christians are free from possessions and bound only to Christ. We need to have a right attitude of a compassionate heart. As with all things in the Christian life, we must balance between wisdom that does not empower lazy people and compassion that cares for those who are truly in need. This can be especially difficult in families where the pressure to help is even stronger. Jesus calls us to have a willingness to give even out of our own resources to help others. The only limit to our generosity is whatever limit love has.
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