WORD ON… Retaliation
Matthew 5:38-42
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy
Faith Fellowship - February 12-13, 2022
The Sermon on the Mount is about Kingdom Culture - “When Earth Looks like Heaven.”
• We are taught to pray - “Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” (Matthew 6:10)
• What will that look like?
• What are the changes that God does in us as Citizens of the Kingdom and Ambassadors of His truth?
• How do we bring the Kingdom into the world– and resist the world getting into us?
• Kingdom Culture is manifested when the King is alive in us and transforming the world around us.
Jesus dealt with twelve topics. (Matthew 5:21-7:11)
Anger - Lust - Divorce - Oaths - Retaliation - Enemies
The Needy - Prayer - Fasting - Treasures - Judging - Asking
Matthew 5:38-42 (ESV)
[38] “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ [39] 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. [40] And if anyone would sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. [41] And if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. [42] Give to the one who begs from you, and do not refuse the one who would borrow from you.
The
• Not committing murder; it is about being reconciled to our brothers and sisters.
• Refraining from adultery; it is about redirecting our hearts and desires toward God.
• Writing a proper divorce document; it is about steadfast faithfulness to our marriage vows.
• Managing conflicting oaths; it is about speaking the truth in love.
This Kingdom is not about Law; it is about life empowered by
[38] “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’”
• These words come from several Old Testament passages (Ex. 21:24; Lev. 24:20; Deut. 19:21)
• They deal with retaliation.
• Dictionary - Retaliation is an act of harm in response to an actual or perceived harm. An act of revenge or vengeance.
• The word retaliation does not appear in this text.
• Everyone knew the reference Jesus made concerned retaliation.
• The phrase was known as The Law of Retaliation.
Lex Talionis, The Law Of
• “An eye for an eye” is a fundamental principle of reciprocal justice.
• An injury is repaid to a similar degree.
• It sounds vindictive and vengeful.
• In Mosaic Law, it was intended to protect the innocent and make sure retaliation did not go beyond a reasonable response.
• Retaliation was often vengeful far beyond the offense.
• It was not uncommon to wipe out the entire family or even a village in retaliation.
• Lex Talionis called for a measured reciprocal response–
• Only an eye for an eye. Only a tooth for a tooth.
• Later, rabbinical law set monetary compensation for various losses and offenses.
• These principles became foundational in modern law.
Even in the time of Jesus, this principle could be used to justify a vindictive response.
• “I am coming after you… An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth!”
• Simply put, this is not the way of the Kingdom.
Vengeful retaliation is at the core of our
• The first murder in human history was an act of angry retaliation.
• Cain was angry because his offering to God was unfavorable.
• He had not offered his best, and he had not offered in faith. (Hebrews 11:4)
• He should have been angry at himself and determined to change.
• Instead, Cain retaliated against his brother.
• Retaliation opens the door of escalation that leads from a small offense to war.
Vengeance is never an acceptable choice for us.
• Why? It belongs to God.
• “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” (Romans 12:19, Deuteronomy 32:35, Hebrews 10:30).
• Taking revenge is stealing from God.
• Taking revenge is exercising “godship.”
Romans 12:19-20
• Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” [20] To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.”
• Paul was quoting Proverbs 25:21-22.
Revenge is the LIE of the devil, saying you will feel better if you retaliate.
There is something in our
• This is why we bear grudges and seek revenge.
• Our sense of justice will often be out of balance and does not seek an eternal goal.
Jesus calls us to a
• The Kingdom View is an Eternal Perspective.
• What is going to last? What is going to count 10,000 years from now?
• The only things that are eternal are people and relationships.
• For Jesus, people are always more important.
We live in a culture that is obsessed with “our rights.”
• We spend a tremendous amount of energy claiming and protecting our rights.
• We live in a nation built upon inalienable rights– life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
• These rights are extremely important, but they are not eternal.
• Jesus helps us to focus on the eternal things.
[39a] But I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil.
• Greek: anth-is-tay-mee - to resist, withstand, or stand against.
• This cannot be taken to mean “do not resist the devil” because scripture commands we do so.
• James 4:7 - Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
• This is not referring to evil in the abstract because Jesus and the apostles continually opposed evil with every means and resource.
• Jesus resisted the profaning of God’s Temple by driving out the animal sellers and moneychangers (Matt. 21:12; John 2:15).
This refers to someone who does not have your best in mind.
The worldly response would be to retaliate or get even.
As a Kingdom believer, you have more options.
Jesus gave several examples.
• Insults, lawsuits, forced conscription, requests for money.
• Each example is complicated for many reasons.
• The point was not to make a new set of ethical rules.
• The point was to raise our view to see eternal things in such situations.
1 - When you are
• [39b] But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.
• This could refer to an actual literal blow to the face but was probably figurative.
• A backhand slap to the cheek was a gross insult in that day.
• Similar to someone spitting in your face.
• Or if someone communicates with hand language in traffic.
If someone so insults you, you have a
• You can choose to not retaliate.
• Luke 6:28 - Bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you.
• “Well, bless your heart…” has become a mocking way to sarcastically curse a person.
• This is not what Jesus was calling us to do.
Jesus, Himself, is our very best example.
• As He journeyed to the cross, He blessed those who cursed Him and prayed for those who abused Him.
• 1 Peter 2:23 (NIV) When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly.
• One result was leading one thief to an eternity in paradise, and a Centurion to recognize God.
• This… is an eternal perspective.
There are situations where we should literally not strike back.
• There are other forms of assault that should be strongly resisted.
• How do you know?
• This is not a rule for behavior. We must walk with the Spirit and discern the correct response.
What about
• When Jesus sent out the disciples, he gave them this instruction: “But now let the one who has a moneybag take it, and likewise a knapsack. And let the one who has no sword sell his cloak and buy one.” (Luke 22:36)
• The Old Testament law protected the right to defend one’s life, family, and property.
Lines of Defense.
• My first line of defense is the angels that are all around me.
• My next line of defense is the Gospel.
• There are times to witness, times to be quiet, times to fight.
• Our ultimate line of defense is to obey what the Holy Spirit tells us to do.
But there is a difference between self-defense and retaliation.
• You always have a right to prevent injury to yourself and those around you.
• We are responsible for protecting the innocent around us and in our homes.
• But we are never called to retaliate.
2 - When you are
• [40] And if anyone would sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well.
• The tunic was the basic garment, and the cloak was the outer protection from cold, heat, sand, and dust.
• Under the Mosaic Law, the outer cloak was an inalienable possession that could not be taken by lawsuit.
• You can take everything else, but not their overcoat.
• Jesus was not instructing us to walk out of court naked.
Jesus was saying– give your adversary more than he is trying to get.
• There are more important matters than the stuff we get sued for.
• Jesus had already instructed Kingdom believers to settle a dispute on the way to court. (Matthew 5:25)
• We are often told– “You must deal from strength. Don’t show weakness. Take every advantage.”
• Why? In eternity, will it matter?
• Giving more than what is being sought may change everything.
• It may disarm the adversarial conflict.
• What if this is the one opportunity to win the soul of this person?
• What if offering even more than the demanded claim helps that person catch a glimpse of the Kingdom?
Is this a new rule?
• No.
• Then how do we know what to do?
• Consider the eternal perspective, and listen to the Holy Spirit.
3 - When you are
• [41a] And if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles.
• Conscription was a well-known practice in the time of Jesus.
• Under Roman occupation, a soldier could conscript or commandeer a person to carry luggage or a burden the distance of one Roman “mile.”
• This was a horrible reality in the time of Jesus.
• Soldiers could take over your home, food, and livestock.
• Only walking for one mile was the easier part of such an obligation.
No one would be happy about being conscripted to walk a mile.
• What would happen if the Kingdom believer continued on another mile?
• There are many situations when we might be compelled to go a distance.
• What would happen if we were to strive to do more than we are required to do?
• The world would be a better place.
• More than that, the heart of the commander or boss might be softened.
Roman law obligated Simon of Cyrene to carry the cross of Jesus to Golgotha. (Matthew 27:32, Mark 15:21, Luke 23:26)
• What came of that?
• His name is recorded in the Bible.
• His children Alexander and Rufus are mentioned in Mark 15:21.
• Rufus is called “chosen in the Lord” by the Apostle Paul– whose mother “has been a mother to me, too” (Romans 16:13).
• We never know the eternal impact of the moment.
4 - When someone
• [42a] Give to the one who begs from you…
• There have always been those who beg at the corners and the entryways.
• We have our ways of responding and not responding.
• Do we avert our eyes or change our path?
• These situations create a conundrum for those who are compassionate.
• The smallest things are sometimes the most difficult.
• We all know that there are abuses, but there are also genuine needs.
• How do we keep a heart of compassion?
• We also know that giving to every beggar at every corner is impossible.
• How do we know?
• Only Holy Spirit can correctly guide us.
• It is doubtful that Jesus was trying to create a new rule– Always give or never give.
• Jesus was actually going deeper than creating a new “absolute.”
• Our rule should be to listen to the Holy Spirit asking what he wants us to do.
• What is the eternal perspective here?
5 - When someone would
• [42b] do not refuse the one who would borrow from you.
• Israelites were not permitted to charge interest when they loaned money to an impoverished brother. (Exodus 22:25)
• They could charge interest on loans made to foreigners.
• Jesus brought an eternal Kingdom perspective.
• Luke 6:35 - But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil.
• Borrowing makes one a slave to the lender (Proverbs 22:7).
• Sage advice: Do not loan any money you cannot afford to give.
• You will constantly be reminded of it, and it becomes a barrier.
Should we be people of
• Jesus flipped this debate on its head.
• Not only should we not retaliate, but we should also seek to give a grace response whenever possible.
• This is what the Kingdom looks like.
How do we do this?
1. Choose not to have rules about how you always respond.
2. Choose to seek the eternal perspective.
4. Choose to seek the voice and guidance of the Holy Spirit and then obey Him.
3. Choose not to act in retaliation.
DISCUSSION
1. Was there anything new in this study you had never realized or thought about before?
2. What was the most challenging part of this text or study?
3. We tend to like having rules, so we know what to do. How is this different?
4. Can you think of a time when you were insulted, sued, forced to work late, or pushed to loan money– How did you respond?
Did you find help in the Lord?
5. Can you think of a time when the Holy Spirit guided you to respond in a way that the world would never understand?
What was that like?
What were the eternal issues?
6. Was there something that really helped you with a situation you are dealing with?
7. How can your group pray for you?