Sermon for MHBC (14 August 2022). You can watch on our website or on Facebook or YouTube.
I remember my disappointment with the Clint Eastwood film Gran Torino. I kept waiting for the action. I kept waiting for the moment of justice. But it never came. Instead, Clint Eastwood gave himself up. It was shocking, but it was tapping into something that is deeply true about the Christian faith. Power doesn’t come from coercion or strength or control. It comes from the inability of evil to overcome it.
As Jesus does throughout these instructions in Matthew 5, he begins by making reference to the OT. Jesus loves the OT. He has not come to put it away or make it irrelevant. Remember what he says in Matt 5:17: He came to fulfill the OT, not to get rid of it. Jesus shows us the real meaning of the OT. Look at v. 38: You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’
The OT teaching occurs in three places. An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth. In other words, equal justice. An eye for an eye was a common principle in the ancient world. It helped to deal out the appropriate level of justice. It even put a check on excessive retaliation. People tend to retaliate more than is appropriate. Our natural reaction when we are harmed is to respond more severely. It was no different in the ancient world. Someone loses an eye so they kill the person who did it. The OT puts a check on that by saying “An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.”
When approaching this text, we want to avoid two extremes. The first is to read Jesus’s teaching as a command for all men in all circumstances with no exceptions. Cases of self-defense or war would be violations in this view.
The second is to explain Jesus’s words away. If you’ve heard this passage referenced before, you’ve likely heard someone say something like: “Well, Jesus didn’t actually mean this. He didn’t mean if someone hits you, you shouldn’t retaliate.” This view says, “Jesus was just speaking extremely. He just means you should put up with a lot.”
Both of those options fail to take Jesus seriously and they fail to take Jesus’s teaching seriously. The first view says that non-retaliation is binding with no exceptions. That fails to consider the rest of Scripture. For example, a young man in the military should also consider Rom 13:4, which speaks of God appointing rulers who sometimes bear the sword out of necessity.
I would argue that violence is never a good thing, but it is sometimes necessary. For example, killing in self-defense is incredibly serious. It should not be taken lightly. It should not be celebrated. But sometimes it may be the only option because we live in a broken world. War is the same. Some Christians throughout history have looked at Jesus’s teaching here and refused to join the military. They are right that war is not something to be celebrated. It is never a good thing, even though it is sometimes necessary.
The second view doesn’t take Jesus seriously because what he says is too difficult and gets in the way. We don’t want Jesus telling us we can’t retaliate. We don’t want Jesus telling us we can’t hit back. We like Jesus when he’s about us, but we don’t like him when he tells us to put ourselves last.
Jesus’s teaching here is radical and doesn’t make sense apart from the cross.
Let’s look at Jesus’ command in v. 39: But I tell you not to resist an evil person. But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also. “Do not resist an evil person” is the command. The rest is commentary. Why would he say, “Don’t resist an evil person”?
Why would he say, “Don’t resist”? He’s saying don’t try to fight back, don’t resist, just let evil run its course—it will run out of steam and that’s how you starve it. Responding with evil only increases the evil. Have you ever thought about that? We tend to think we are powerless when someone hurts us. Because we hate feeling powerless, we retaliate. The moment of retaliation is when all the power is lost. The true power is in the ability to overcome the evil. Evil can only be overcome by good.
Do you remember the man who went into the Amish school in Pennsylvania in 2006? He shot 8 of 10 girls, killing 5 of them before killing himself. Now someone will say, “It would have been better if someone would have shot him before he could do all that.” That’s one way to stop evil.
But do you remember the story? After the ordeal had ended, a grandfather of one of the murdered girls was heard warning others not to hate the killer, saying, “We must not think evil of this man.” Another Amish man said, “He had a mother and a wife and a soul and now he’s standing before a just God.” Jack Meyer, a member of the Brethren community nearby, said, “I don’t think there’s anybody here that wants to do anything but forgive and not only reach out to those who have suffered a loss in that way but to reach out to the family of the man who committed these acts.” A spokesman for the shooter’s family said, an Amish man had already been to comfort them just hours after the shooting. One Amish man held the shooter’s father in his arms as he wept. This embrace reportedly lasted almost an hour. They also set up funds for the family of the shooter. About 30 members of the Amish community attended the shooter’s funeral.
There’s a strong contrast here. The entire motivation of the shooting is somewhat unclear, but one thing seems certain: the shooter was angry at God because he had lost a newborn daughter nine years before.
Contrast that with the response of the Amish whose daughters had been murdered.
Rod Dreher wrote for the Dallas Morning News:
If Mr. Roberts’ rage at God over the death of his baby girl was in some sense understandable, how much more comprehensible would be the rage of those Amish mothers and fathers whose children perished by his hand? Had my child suffered and died that way, I cannot imagine what would have become of me, for all my pretenses of piety. And yet, the Amish do not rage. They do not return evil for evil. In fact, they embody peace and love beyond all human understanding.
He also wrote: “I don’t know about you, but that kind of faith is beyond comprehension. I’m the kind of guy who will curse under my breath at the jerk who cuts me off in traffic on the way home from church.”
Bonhoeffer got it right: “Suffering willingly endured is stronger than evil, it spells death to evil.” Evil is defeated not through more evil but through suffering.
This is exactly what Jesus does. Jesus enters into death itself as we confess in the Apostles’ Creed. And it’s precisely his entry into death that spells the end of death.
At this point, you’re probably thinking all of this sounds absurd. It is radical no doubt. You might wander what’s the point of such teaching. I want to stress that Jesus doesn’t give us answers. He doesn’t say, “Do this because it will fix the problem.” It might not fix the problem. He doesn’t say, “Do this because it will convert the person.” No, it may not. “So what? Disciples obey Jesus for one reason only: because he is Lord.”
He gives us four examples of what he is thinking. In each of these examples, we are called to respond in a shockingly nonviolent, non-resistant way.
Four Applications
First, in the case of insults. Look at the end of v. 39.* Being slapped on the cheek was a humiliation. Jewish and Roman law allowed legal recourse for being slapped. Jesus says, “Don’t slap back. Don’t take legal action. Let them slap the other cheek.” You’ll see in each example that Jesus always asks us to give more of ourselves.
What is your response when you are insulted? Or when you think you are insulted? Maybe the word offend is better. How do you react when you are offended? Do you retaliate? There’s two ways to retaliate. You can retaliate actively by saying something mean to the person or causing physical harm. Or you can retaliate passively by giving them the cold-shoulder or severing the relationship. Jesus says neither of those are options. He tells us there’s a third way: let them have more of you; let them continue offending you or insulting you.
Second, in the case of injustice. Look at v. 40: If anyone wants to sue you and take away your tunic, let him have your cloak also. Injustices happen all the time in our world. Jesus gives the example of someone trying to take something very important from us. You’re familiar with the phrase, “The shirt on my back.” The reality for Jesus’ disciples was likely that they only had the shirt on their back and a cloak to cover it. A credit collector wasn’t even allowed to take a person’s cloak under Jewish law. Jesus once again says, “Give them more.”
What injustices are happening in your life? Divorce might fit this category. Actual lawsuits would fit this category. Some family or friend disputes would also fall into the category of injustice. Something unfair was done to you. Jesus doesn’t say “Take your things and go home.” He says, “Give them more.”
Third, in the case of exploitation. Look at v. 41: And whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two. Roman soldiers had the legal right to force civilians to do work. They had the right to use their animals for tasks. Jesus says in effect, “If a Roman soldier makes you walk a mile, give him another one.”
People with authority over us exploit us from time to time. Your boss may force you to do more work. Jesus says, “Don’t complain or badmouth them. Do twice as much work.” The government may exploit us. Jesus says, “Give more.”
Fourth, in the case of simply being used. Look at v. 42: Give to him who asks you, and from him who wants to borrow from you do not turn away. Those people who always want to borrow something, Jesus says, “Don’t turn them away. Don’t turn your back on them. Give to them.”
Here’s the summary: Don’t resist, give more of yourself. The way to overcome evil in a dark and broken world is to starve it with Jesus’ path of nonresistance.
The actions of the Amish people spoke louder than any evil could ever speak. Jesus’ death is one of the crucial events in history, not because of the evil of it, but because in death he triumphed. Colossians 2:15 pictures Jesus’ death and resurrection making a mockery of all the powers of Hell.
We don’t see this nonresistance today. Watch the news. Christians are incredibly resistant. You might even get the impression that this is how Christians are supposed to be. Many of the political commentators seem to think so. But they haven’t stopped to consider the radical teaching of the man we claim to follow. Jesus doesn’t say, “Following me is easy or convenient.” But he does promise that he has overcome the world and the world will not overcome us. How did he overcome? By dying.
See how we respond not only says something about the Lord we confess, but it is the path to conformity. Becoming more Christlike doesn’t happen through everyone singing our praises. It comes from being misunderstood, maligned, and mistreated.
Watch how Jesus reverses the normal pattern of everything in vv. 43–44:
“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you,
Martin Luther King Jr. preached a sermon in November of 1957 from this passage. The title was “Loving Your Enemies.” In the sermon, he made the point that Jesus made in the previous verses: responding in hate only increases the lifespan of evil. In his sermon, he suggested three practices. First, he said, remember that you may have done something to spark your enemy’s hatred. Second, look for something good in your enemy. Listen closely to his third point. He said an opportunity to destroy your enemy will arise. And when it does, you must not take it. This is the teaching of Jesus. Love has the power to disarm evil once and for all. The person who kills his enemy does not disarm evil. He has only increased the presence of evil. But the one who forgives his enemy has overcome the evil with good.
Jesus also says, “Pray for those who hurt you.” You no doubt pray for your family and your friends. You may pray for those people you hear about around the world who are suffering. You may pray for me and the church. Do you pray for those who hurt you? Notice carefully the preposition. Jesus does not say “Pray about those who hurt you.” He does not say, “Pray against those who hurt you.” He says, “Pray for them.” In other words, pray on their behalf. Petition God Almighty for their good.
Again, this is the path to being shaped into the image of God. Look at vv. 45–48:
that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the tax collectors do so? Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.
God does not love us because we are loveable. God does not love us because we loved him. God loves us because love is derived from God. When we see that we are deeply loved by God, then the insults and mistreatments of another really mean nothing. But those insults and mistreatments give us opportunities to draw nearer to the God who loves us in such a powerful way that God becomes incarnate to be mistreated in this world and ultimately be killed. In Christ you are secure, and in Christ you have everything you need to bless those who curse you, to give and not resist.