[Jesus said] “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 the one
who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other
also. And if anyone would sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak
as well. And if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. Give
to the one who begs from you, and do not refuse the one who would borrow from
you.” (Matthew 5:37-42 ESV).
Jesus is talking to people who
understood the inequity of society; they lived in a time of great injustice. They
were enslaved by the Roman Empire. Here, Jesus is talking more about personal
justice and our behavior toward others. For example, how do you act when your
friend makes an insensitive comment; or when another driver cuts you off? What
is your first instinct? Maybe you are the kind of person who wants to fight
back when someone hurts you or makes things difficult for you. You raise your
voice. You make personal attacks. Perhaps you subscribe to the “I don’t get even,
I get ahead” philosophy of life.
The desire to retaliate is actually
rooted in a God-given desire for justice. We understand intuitively that people
should be held accountable for things that they’ve done. But our ideas of
justice are easily tainted by our own anger and our feelings of self-righteousness.
In this passage Jesus leads us in a
better way, inviting us to let go of revenge and to trust God as our defender.
God sees and knows our suffering. He longs for justice to be done. And in his
mercy, God also desires that all people would turn from sin, come to faith, and
have new life in him. Further, He has promised to bring His justice to bear on
everything and everyone. Trust Him for the right response.
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