The Teachings of Jesus Christ. Pt. 13 The Sermon on the Mount
Good morning dear Readers. We were blessed to spend some more time at the ocean yesterday. The winds were brisk but the temperatures were warm and the waves boisterous and foamy. Another visually stunning panorama of the ocean stretching as far as the eye can see. The steady rhythmic sound from the waves breaking is simply very calming and soothing to listen to.
The next section of this soul stirring sermon from the lips of our Lord begins to detail our relationship with other people. The scripture cited by the rabbis in their teachings is referencing Exodus 21.
Based upon Exodus 21 the Jewish rabbis taught the people that it was permissible to retaliate against someone who has done wrong to another person. This is another example of where they taught the letter of the law and missed the spirit of the law entirely.
Exodus 21:23-25 And if any mischief follow, then thou shalt give life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, Burning for burning, wound for wound, stripe for stripe.
The context of Exodus 21 discussed the proper judgment for a man who smites another man and causes him to die. It discusses a man who uses deception to kill his neighbor or a man who strikes his parents.
It also tells what the punishment is for a man who steals another man in order to sell him as a slave. It discusses a man who curses his parents. Each one of the sins mentioned carry a death sentence from Holy God.
This part of the law also talks about a man fighting with another man who is injured but does not die. It discusses a man who fights against a pregnant woman and causes her to miscarry. Punishments in these cases were to be proportional to the act committed. Punishment was to be determined in a legal process with a judge who made the final ruling on the punishment.
In the time of Jesus Christ, the Jewish rabbis interpreted this passage from Exodus to mean that private revenge was permitted. The law of Moses did not teach this. Rather, it is clear that a judge and a legal setting are involved in the administration of justice for the wronged party.
Jesus already taught us about the extreme danger of harboring anger in our hearts. In this case the unchecked anger may erupt in hateful violence toward an offender.
Studying this context now brings us to the next paragraph of Jesus' teaching in the Sermon on the Mount. I ask that you please read the text below carefully.
Matthew 5:38-42 Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth: But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloke also. And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain. Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away.
Eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth
We need to determine what the spirit of the law is guiding us to do when we are dealing with someone who has wronged us. The Jewish people were taught that private revenge was permitted, however, the scripture makes it clear that God established for punitive actions to be administered by judges & courts.
In Paul's letter to the Romans he mentions the role of government in these matters. Rulers are ordained of God to be a minister of good because they uphold the laws and keep peace and safety for the citizens under their rule. However, that same ruler will be an avenger who executes justice upon those who do evil things.
Romans 13:3-4 3 For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same: 4 For he is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil.
The phrase "eye for an eye and tooth for a tooth" is not something the Christian is allowed to perform. Justice and punishment are to be administered by the judicial system that is in place where we live.
The spirit of the law in this case forbids a hate or anger driven spirit in us that seeks to retaliate in a violent manner against those who hurt us in some way. Christ is helping us see that the spirit of hatred and anger that can so quickly well up inside of us must be diffused. We cannot yield to the passions of hate and anger.
Jesus follows this by giving concrete examples that serve as illustrations for His teaching. First he says resist not evil and evil is defined in this case as someone striking us on the cheek. Resisting is standing against it or strongly reacting against evil.
Turning the other cheek indicates a heart that is willing to let Christ judge the person who struck us or hurt us.
Vengeance belongs to the Lord. The word is found about 45 times in the Bible and the vast majority of those state that God is in charge of vengeance upon wrongdoers. He is the Righteous Judge.
Hebrews 10:30 For we know him that hath said, Vengeance belongeth unto me, I will recompense, saith the Lord. And again, The Lord shall judge his people.
The other examples used by Jesus Christ to illustrate this truth are for example someone taking us to court to be awarded our coat. Rather than angrily countersuing, we are instructed to give that person our coat and cloak.
This may seem strange to us, but oftentimes people traveling had to sleep along the way and the coat and cloak were important to them to keep that them warm and protect them from the elements.
Giving up both coat and cloak indicates a heart that is willing to endure hardship rather than to prolong a contentious legal proceeding. Again, God takes note of what is going on in our hearts and if we maintain the right spirit when someone has wronged us He will judge that other person.
Jesus talks next about someone who would compel us to go a mile with him. This is the idea of a slave being forced to bear a burden farther than where he was supposed to be going. Our response is if forced to go one mile, voluntarily go two miles.
The idiomatic phrase "go the extra mile" is very common in English today and it refers to going above and beyond what is expected of us. It means exerting a special effort in order to accomplish something.
For example, you could be working and when the end of the day arrives, you voluntarily decide to stay longer and finish doing something because what you are working on is urgently needed. In this case your boss did not ask you to do this and perhaps you may never be recognized for your efforts, but God takes note of it.
Going the extra mile in our culture is a very high compliment to give to someone who made the extra effort without being asked. You can see that this indicates a heart that is willing to do this because it is so unusual to find anyone who engages in such behavior. It is a testimony of living life to please God.
Last, Jesus uses the example of lending to those who want to borrow something from us. All of these are examples that show us the spirit of the law. Our flesh will want revenge just like the world seeks.
If someone sues us, we want to get back at them but if we respond as Christ is teaching then we may open up doors to share the gospel of Christ with that person.
Going the extra mile is something that sets us apart as different or peculiar in today's culture. Lending to those in need indicates a heart overflowing with compassion for others like the compassion God had for us in crucifying His son to pay for our sins.
In this paragraph, Jesus Christ teaches us about the right attitude that we need when someone takes legal action against us, or when we have been wronged or when someone seeks to force us to do something more than was expected or when someone comes to borrow from us.
Jesus's illustrations show us the right spirit to have we responding to situations where we might be reacting in anger or with hatred. It shows the response of a heart being governed by God and I am sure that is something we all desire to have.
Points to Ponder...
The next section of this soul stirring sermon from the lips of our Lord begins to detail our relationship with other people. The scripture cited by the rabbis in their teachings is referencing Exodus 21.
Based upon Exodus 21 the Jewish rabbis taught the people that it was permissible to retaliate against someone who has done wrong to another person. This is another example of where they taught the letter of the law and missed the spirit of the law entirely.
Exodus 21:23-25 And if any mischief follow, then thou shalt give life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, Burning for burning, wound for wound, stripe for stripe.
The context of Exodus 21 discussed the proper judgment for a man who smites another man and causes him to die. It discusses a man who uses deception to kill his neighbor or a man who strikes his parents.
It also tells what the punishment is for a man who steals another man in order to sell him as a slave. It discusses a man who curses his parents. Each one of the sins mentioned carry a death sentence from Holy God.
This part of the law also talks about a man fighting with another man who is injured but does not die. It discusses a man who fights against a pregnant woman and causes her to miscarry. Punishments in these cases were to be proportional to the act committed. Punishment was to be determined in a legal process with a judge who made the final ruling on the punishment.
In the time of Jesus Christ, the Jewish rabbis interpreted this passage from Exodus to mean that private revenge was permitted. The law of Moses did not teach this. Rather, it is clear that a judge and a legal setting are involved in the administration of justice for the wronged party.
Jesus already taught us about the extreme danger of harboring anger in our hearts. In this case the unchecked anger may erupt in hateful violence toward an offender.
Studying this context now brings us to the next paragraph of Jesus' teaching in the Sermon on the Mount. I ask that you please read the text below carefully.
Matthew 5:38-42 Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth: But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloke also. And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain. Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away.
Eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth
We need to determine what the spirit of the law is guiding us to do when we are dealing with someone who has wronged us. The Jewish people were taught that private revenge was permitted, however, the scripture makes it clear that God established for punitive actions to be administered by judges & courts.
In Paul's letter to the Romans he mentions the role of government in these matters. Rulers are ordained of God to be a minister of good because they uphold the laws and keep peace and safety for the citizens under their rule. However, that same ruler will be an avenger who executes justice upon those who do evil things.
Romans 13:3-4 3 For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same: 4 For he is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil.
The phrase "eye for an eye and tooth for a tooth" is not something the Christian is allowed to perform. Justice and punishment are to be administered by the judicial system that is in place where we live.
The spirit of the law in this case forbids a hate or anger driven spirit in us that seeks to retaliate in a violent manner against those who hurt us in some way. Christ is helping us see that the spirit of hatred and anger that can so quickly well up inside of us must be diffused. We cannot yield to the passions of hate and anger.
Jesus follows this by giving concrete examples that serve as illustrations for His teaching. First he says resist not evil and evil is defined in this case as someone striking us on the cheek. Resisting is standing against it or strongly reacting against evil.
Turning the other cheek indicates a heart that is willing to let Christ judge the person who struck us or hurt us.
Vengeance belongs to the Lord. The word is found about 45 times in the Bible and the vast majority of those state that God is in charge of vengeance upon wrongdoers. He is the Righteous Judge.
Hebrews 10:30 For we know him that hath said, Vengeance belongeth unto me, I will recompense, saith the Lord. And again, The Lord shall judge his people.
The other examples used by Jesus Christ to illustrate this truth are for example someone taking us to court to be awarded our coat. Rather than angrily countersuing, we are instructed to give that person our coat and cloak.
This may seem strange to us, but oftentimes people traveling had to sleep along the way and the coat and cloak were important to them to keep that them warm and protect them from the elements.
Giving up both coat and cloak indicates a heart that is willing to endure hardship rather than to prolong a contentious legal proceeding. Again, God takes note of what is going on in our hearts and if we maintain the right spirit when someone has wronged us He will judge that other person.
Jesus talks next about someone who would compel us to go a mile with him. This is the idea of a slave being forced to bear a burden farther than where he was supposed to be going. Our response is if forced to go one mile, voluntarily go two miles.
The idiomatic phrase "go the extra mile" is very common in English today and it refers to going above and beyond what is expected of us. It means exerting a special effort in order to accomplish something.
For example, you could be working and when the end of the day arrives, you voluntarily decide to stay longer and finish doing something because what you are working on is urgently needed. In this case your boss did not ask you to do this and perhaps you may never be recognized for your efforts, but God takes note of it.
Going the extra mile in our culture is a very high compliment to give to someone who made the extra effort without being asked. You can see that this indicates a heart that is willing to do this because it is so unusual to find anyone who engages in such behavior. It is a testimony of living life to please God.
Last, Jesus uses the example of lending to those who want to borrow something from us. All of these are examples that show us the spirit of the law. Our flesh will want revenge just like the world seeks.
If someone sues us, we want to get back at them but if we respond as Christ is teaching then we may open up doors to share the gospel of Christ with that person.
Going the extra mile is something that sets us apart as different or peculiar in today's culture. Lending to those in need indicates a heart overflowing with compassion for others like the compassion God had for us in crucifying His son to pay for our sins.
In this paragraph, Jesus Christ teaches us about the right attitude that we need when someone takes legal action against us, or when we have been wronged or when someone seeks to force us to do something more than was expected or when someone comes to borrow from us.
Jesus's illustrations show us the right spirit to have we responding to situations where we might be reacting in anger or with hatred. It shows the response of a heart being governed by God and I am sure that is something we all desire to have.
Points to Ponder...
- Life in a sin cursed world brings troubles. Sometimes we will be wronged and must seek to respond as God would have us to respond as we leave the vengeance in His holy hands.
- Retaliation with an angry or hate filled heart is to be avoided.
- People will seek to take advantage of us but rather than being angry Christ wants us to go the extra mile so that the testimony of God is put in front of that person.
These are important teachings from Christ that we need to meditate upon. The culture demands swift justice and retaliation to any person who dares to offend us in some way. Christ says turn the other cheek and leave revenge in His hands. People selfishly try to take advantage of us and the culture demands that people naturallly assert their own rights first. Christ teaches us that we must go the extra mile.
Bob
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