Message for THE LORD S DAY MORNING, March 17, 2013 MESSAGE 11 IN SERIES: Living The Salt Life (A Study of Jesus Sermon on The Mount) Christian Hope Church of Christ, Plymouth, North Carolina by Reggie A. Braziel, Minister Go The Second Mile Message 11 in Living The Salt Life Sermon Series (A Study of Jesus Sermon On The Mount) Matthew 5:38-42 (NKJV) Today we want to continue with our in-depth study of Jesus Sermon on The Mount. Our text this morning is taken from Matthew chapter five, verses 38-42. Matthew 5:38-42 (NKJV) 38 You have heard that it was said, An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. 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. 40 If anyone wants to sue you and take away your tunic, let him have your cloak also. 41 And whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two. 42 Give to him who asks you, and from him who wants to borrow from you do not turn away. P R A Y E R *************************************************************************************** I N T R O D U C T I O N Mark Twain once said about the Bible: "I have no problem with those parts of the Bible I don't understand. It's those parts of the Bible I do understand that gives me fits." The passage of scripture we are looking at today probably fits in this category. We live in a country that is obsessed with personal rights. Many Americans NOT only WANT rights, they DEMAND THEM! They demand the right to live their life any way they want and to do as they please regardless of who else s rights they might infringe upon.
In this country we have rights for children, rights for the elderly, rights for the disabled, rights for the mentally incompetent, rights for alcoholics and drug addicts, rights for homosexuals and lesbians, rights for hospital patients, rights for criminals, rights for illegal aliens, and rights for snail darters and spotted owls. But here is an extremely important truth to remember, so listen carefully. As Christian Americans we have a dual citizenship. We are citizens of the temporal earthly kingdom of America, but we are also citizens of the eternal kingdom of heaven. As citizens of the kingdom of heaven Jesus teaches us that our focus is NOT to be on our individual rights and personal demands but rather upon our duties and responsibilities. In fact, in today s scripture, Jesus is calling you and me to go above and beyond the call of duty. ******************************************************************************* As He does in the previous examples of inward righteousness Jesus introduces this section by pointing to. I. The TRADITIONAL Teaching (v.38) 38 You have heard that it was said, An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. 1. What Jesus is referring to here is what the Old Testament called The Law of Retaliation or Lex Talianus. There are three passages in the Old Testament that spell out The Law of Retaliation in specific detail. Just listen as I read these three scriptures. EXODUS 21:24,25 (NKJV) eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, stripe for stripe. LEVITICUS 24:20 (NKJV) fracture for fracture, eye for eye, tooth for tooth; as he has caused disfigurement of a man, so shall it be done to him. DEUTERONOMY 19:21 (NKJV) Your eye shall not pity: life shall be for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.
2. Simply put, The Law of Retaliation required that the PUNISHMENT match the CRIME. Today we might use the expression tit for tat. Or in a Court of Law, lawyers might use the expression Quid pro quo which is a Latin term meaning something for something. 3. The law of retaliation was intended for the Jewish courts to exercise justice, not for individuals to become vigilantes and exercise their own revenge. 4. The terms eye for an eye and tooth for a tooth were not taken literally, but rather figuratively. It insured that the Jewish courts fairly compensated a victim and weren t lenient upon the perpetrator of the crime. 5. But the Law of Retaliation served another purpose. And that was to insure that one did not give a false testimony or perjure himself in court. Let me explain what I mean. Let s say a Jewish man drags another man to court and falsely accuses that man of stealing a dozen of his sheep. As the Jewish Court investigates this matter they discover the accuser is lying. They discover the accused didn t steal a dozen of the man s sheep, but rather those dozen sheep had been killed by wolves. The Law of Retaliation required that the man who falsely accused the other man pay damages equal to the false charge he brought, twelve sheep for twelve sheep. So you see, The Law of Retaliation accomplished two purposes. One, it provided fair compensation for those who had truly been victimized. And two, it deterred anyone from bringing false accusations against someone for dishonest gain. 6. Well as you might have guessed, the scribes and Pharisees had sliced and diced the Law of Retaliation to suit their own personal desires. According to the scribes and Pharisees The Law of Retaliation permitted them to skirt around the legal system and exact personal revenge on anyone, regardless of whether the person had actually wronged them or not. After all, who was going to question the word of a pious, self-righteous Pharisee?
As He has done four times previously, JESUS now attacks the legalistic tradition of the scribes and Pharisees. In VERSES 39-42 Jesus focuses on FOUR COMMON SITUATIONS HIS DISCIPLES MIGHT FIND THEMSELVES ELVES IN WHERE CHRISTIAN DUTY SURPASSES ONE S INDIVIDUAL RIGHTS. II. The TEACHING of Jesus (vs. 39-42) First of all, Jesus teaches us to.. (A) Be Willing To GET Worse Than You DESERVE (v.39) 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. In Jesus day if one wanted to extremely insult another person he would do one of two things: He would either spit in his face or he would strike the person on the cheek with the back of his hand. The typical response of any Jew who was insulted in either of these ways was to strike back or to get even. Jesus instructs his disciples NOT TO STRIKE BACK OR GET EVEN, but to turn the other cheek. Perhaps you have always been confused about what Jesus meant in this verse. Well I assure you, you are not alone. Some interpret Jesus words to mean Christians are to be pacifists. They believe that Jesus is prohibiting Christians from exercising self-defense or protecting themselves against anyone who is out to do bodily harm to them. They interpret Jesus words to mean Christians are supposed to be doormats who let people walk all over them. Let s go one step further. If someone commits a crime against you like stabbing you or shooting you or stealing your personal property, is Jesus saying, Don t press charges? Jesus is NOT prohibiting SELF-DEFENSE in life-threatening situations. Nor is He prohibiting us from taking LEGAL action against someone who commits a crime against us.
Pay careful attention to what Jesus says and doesn t say. He says, But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also. Now let s think about that. If someone slaps you on the cheek it would hurt wouldn t it? And it would be insulting and humiliating, wouldn t it? But a slap on the cheek is NOT life-threatening is it? Notice Jesus doesn t say, If someone strikes you with a sword on the right cheek.or.. If someone pierces you with a spear on the right side.or If someone takes a club to the right side of your head. Jesus says, But whoever SLAPS YOU (REPEAT) on the right cheek, turn the other to him also. Jesus is talking about being on the receiving end of a terrible insult. Now how does this apply to us today? Although it is not out of the realm of possibility, chances are most of us will never have someone physically slap us on the cheek with the back of their hand. But have you ever had someone make a backhanded comment about you? Have you ever had someone INSULT YOU or. say something to humiliate you in the presence of other people? What s the first thing we want to do? We want to strike back.we want to retaliate with our own backhanded insult and make them feel exactly like they made us feel. JESUS says, Don t do it! Don t come down to their level. Don t get down and play in the dirt with that individual. Take the high road! Keep your mouth closed! Turn the other cheek! BE WILLING TO GET WORSE THAN YOU DESERVE!
Secondly, Jesus teaches us to (B) Be Willing To GIVE More Than Is ASKED (v.40) 40 If anyone wants to sue you and take away your tunic, let him have your cloak also. There seems to be a connection with this verse and what Jesus said earlier in VERSES 25, 26 about agreeing with an adversary quickly, while you are on your way to court. Notice that key word wants in VERSE 40. If anyone WANTS to sue you and take away your tunic.. Jesus is talking about reconciling a legal matter before it gets to court. He s talking about taking preemptive measures. In Jesus day it was very common to take one to court and seize his tunic as payment for a unpaid debt. The TUNIC was a long undergarment that extended from the shoulders to the ankles. It was usually made of wool or linen. A man s tunic could be quite valuable and to surrender it to settle a court case was quite a loss. Jesus says, If anyone wants to sue you and take away your TUNIC.your UNDERGARMENT, let him have your CLOAK also. THE CLOAK or coat was the outer robe. It was the most expensive and the most essential garment in a Jewish man s wardrobe. The cloak wasn t just for aesthetic appearance, it also functioned as a blanket to keep the Jewish man warm at night. So here in essence is what Jesus is teaching. If someone wants to take you to court and sue you for your tunic or your undergarment, go ahead and give him your cloak or your outer robe as well. In other words, Give the person who wants to sue you more than what is asked to resolve the matter before it gets into the court system.
Now what does this have to do with you and me by way of application? Whereas turning the other cheek teaches us what to do when someone attacks us physically, giving up our tunic and coat teaches us what to do when someone attacks our reputation. I believe at the heart of what Jesus is saying is the best way to disarm someone who attacks your credibility and character, is to go above and beyond what they expect. When you weigh the value of personal property versus the value of one s good name, which can you most afford to lose? BE WILLING TO GET WORSE THAN T YOU DESERVE. BE WILLING TO GIVE MORE THAN IS ASKED. Thirdly, Jesus teaches us to (C) Be Willing To GO Farther Than You re REQUIRED (v.41) 41 And whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two. In Jesus day Israel was under the occupation of the Roman government. Roman soldiers regularly traveled the roads of Judea, Samaria and Galilee. And the Romans had a law that infuriated the Jewish people. By law a Roman soldier could force a Jew to carry his weapons, or his knapsack, or any other burden he had for a distance of one mile. It didn t matter if the Jewish person was working in his field or on his way to the synagogue to worship, he had stop whatever he was doing and carry the soldier s burden for one mile. In those days every Jewish boy marked off one mile from his house and when he got to that one mile marker he would set the soldier s burden down on the ground and with an embittered look on his face he would say to the soldier, not one more foot! Imagine the response of those who heard Jesus command, Whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two.
Perhaps Jesus was attacking the spiritual mindset of the scribes and Pharisees. They practiced what would be called minimum morality. In other words they boiled life down to doing the very minimum required. Jesus is teaching us that when it comes to our dealings with people, whether at work, or lending a helping hand to someone in the community, don t just go as far as they ask, go farther. The action of rising above people s expectations of us is a powerful witness to others. And fourthly, Jesus teaches us to. (D) Be Willing To GRANT What Is REQUESTED (v.42) 42 Give to him who asks you, and from him who wants to borrow from you do not turn away. Many have misinterpreted what Jesus is saying here. He is NOT commanding us to give money to every pan handler who comes along or to give money to those who are lazy and unwilling to work for a living. When you give to people like that, you re not helping them, you re hurting them, because they will not try to improve their situation. Jesus is talking about our willingness to help those who have a legitimate need. He is talking about helping those whose circumstance can be and will be improved by our help. As Christians we are not to have a miserly or stingy spirit. God has not made us OWNERS, but rather STEWARDS of any material thing that is in our possession. And so when someone in need asks for help or they want to borrow something from us, we must open our hearts, our hands and our wallets to them and share what God has blessed us with. *****************************************************************************
C O N C L U S I O N One day a preacher was walking down the street when he noticed a little boy trying to reach the doorbell on a house across the street. The preacher watched the little fella stretch and strain, all to no avail. Although he was in a hurry for an appointment, the preacher knew he had to go the second mile and help out the little lad. The preacher crossed the street and walked up behind the little boy and gave the doorbell a firm ring. Crouching down to the little boy s level, the preacher said, Now what do we do? The little boy said, Now we run like crazy. Jesus didn t say we would always be appreciated when we got the second mile. He just said, do it! By His own example, Jesus taught you and me what it means to Go the second mile. He taught us how to rise above our instinctive desire to strike back to get even and to settle the score. He taught us how to swallow our pride and abandon our selfish interest. By His own example, Jesus taught us how to live by grace in the face of adversity and unfairness. May we follow in the footsteps of JESUS! May we be willing to GO THE SECOND MILE!