Hard Sayings of Jesus: Turn the Other Cheek

If you look at movie reviews, you will often see a listing of what movies have been the greatest movies of all time. And one movie typically is at least in the top five. Some of you will remember this from high school, the book, To Kill a Mockingbird. Do you remember the story? It's about a lawyer, a guy named Atticus Finch, who lived in a small southern town and is called upon to defend a wrongly accused black defendant who is accused of committing a crime against a young white woman.

And there's one electric scene in the movie when lawyer Atticus Finch, played as only Gregory Peck can play him, goes to see the father of this young white girl against whom this black defendant supposedly committed the crime. and as Atticus Finch goes to talk to this father the father is just enraged that Atticus would dare to defend this defendant even though at the end of the story we know this defendant was wrongly accused this father is just outraged and Atticus is there talking with him and all of a sudden the father spits right in his face right in Atticus Finch's face and you just The moment is electric because you say, what is Atticus going to do in response to this? And Atticus' young daughter, Scout, is right by him watching.

And at the end, I'll tell you what he did. And it's a great response. We are looking at lessons for life from Jesus Christ. Particularly now, we're looking at the hard sayings of Jesus Christ. Last week, it was, judge not.

This week, and this one may be even more difficult, turn the other cheek. Let's go read the text and then we'll take a look at what this passage has to teach us. Matthew 5, verses 38 to 42.

Matthew 5, 38 to 42.

which says, You have heard that it was said, an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth, but I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also. And if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, literally its tunic, hand over your coat as well if anyone forces you to go one mile go with them two miles give to the one who asks you and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you let's pray lord this day i pray that you will help us to understand the meaning of this text but I pray more importantly you will help us to conform our behavior to the teaching you give us here help us to be people who don't just learn things from the text of scripture but help us to be people who apply them in how we live each day these things we ask in Christ's name and for his sake amen I need to say one quick word about a big word called hermeneutics which is the big for basically certain rules that have developed about how we interpret scripture. It's easy sometimes to read the words, but sometimes it's hard to know exactly what do the words mean and how do we apply the words. And particularly when you look at a particular passage, one very important hermeneutical principle is you always interpret any particular passage in light of the teaching of scripture as a whole.

we never want to give an interpretation to a particular passage that is inconsistent with the teaching of Scripture as a whole. Another important principle is that when we're looking at a particular passage, we want to be sure we understand the context of the passage, that we think very clearly about what is being said and not jump to conclusions. And we particularly need to do that when we look at this passage. So with that background, let's take a look at this passage and see what we learn. We are in the Sermon on the Mount.

This is in Matthew chapter 5, Jesus' teaching. And in this particular teaching, we are at a point where Jesus is reviewing six different teachings that have this formula with them. Where Jesus says, you have heard it said, but I tell you. and in each of these situations we're dealing with an old testament law where jesus is is is taking an old testament law and then he's trying to deal with a problem about the interpretation of that law in his day what has happened is that the pharisees in their teachings have taken some Old Testament laws and have given these laws a twist, an inappropriate twist in what they mean. The Pharisees have really missed the point of the Old Testament law or they have twisted the Old Testament law to say something that was never really intended by the Old Testament law.

And Jesus comes and says, you have heard it said, and it's implied you've heard it said by the Pharisees. These guys have gotten it wrong. But I tell you, and Jesus stands up and corrects the inappropriate teaching of the Pharisees and points people to the truth that arises out of this Old Testament law. Remember, there's nothing wrong with the Old Testament law, rightly understood. The problem is with the twist that the Pharisees have put on it.

And that's happened with this Old Testament law that we look at today. The Old Testament law that Jesus had to deal with was the Old Testament law that says an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. Three times in the Old Testament you will see that. An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. truth in the old testament context this law was a law that was to be applied within the context of the jewish judicial system by the magistrates or by the judges and it there was a purpose behind this law of an eye for an eye or a tooth for a tooth the first was to restrain evildoers Just as our criminal laws today are designed to stop wrongdoers from doing wrong, the Old Testament law of an eye for an eye or a tooth for a tooth sent a clear message to someone who might potentially do a crime.

If you do the crime, there's going to be a punishment for it. The second purpose behind this law, though, was to prevent excessive punishment. In other words, the Old Testament law wanted the punishment to fit the crime. idea of an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth is that the punishment should roughly correspond to the severity of the crime. And if someone commits a small offense, they shouldn't be, have all their limbs chopped off. There's supposed to be some sort of parity between the crime and the punishment, sort of an equal sort of punishment, an eye for an eye and a tooth But remember, this is to be applied by the judge who is imposing the sentence.

It is not a teaching designed for us to take things into our own hands. It's a teaching to be used within the judicial system. The third purpose of this law is to bring order and justice to society. We need criminal laws, don't we, to help maintain order. And God has ordained government in order to restrain evildoers and to bring order to society by saying, look, government needs to be able to and should punish wrongdoers so that we can live in relative peace within our societies.

And lastly, the purpose of the law was to protect the weak. This law of an eye for an eye or tooth for a tooth was particularly designed to make sure that those who had the power and the strength couldn't overpower the weak. And the weak, if they were wronged by an evildoer, strong would before the law. There would be equal punishment for the crime no matter who the victim of the crime was. Okay, is everybody with me? The Old Testament law, eye for eye, tooth of tooth, was to be used by the judges within the judicial system for the purposes I've just outlined. Now what was the twist though? The twisted teaching. Twisted sisters, twisted Pharisees, here they are. Twisted teaching of the Pharisees.

this Old Testament law that was to be used within the judicial system by the judges and said, hey, this law permits and even mandates personal retaliation or personal revenge when I am wronged. In other words, the Pharisees had said that you can take basically the law into your own hands and exact personal revenge or personal retaliation when you're wronged as opposed to letting the and the judges deal with the wrongdoer. So Jesus says, you've heard it said, an eye for an eye for a tooth for a tooth, and he knows that the people have been taught that the Pharisees were saying they could take the law into their own hands, basically, in exact personal revenge. But Jesus then goes on, and he tells us, how should we personally respond when we are the recipients of hurtful insults or selfish demands by wrongdoers? And that's the question that this passage answers.

Is everybody with me? And this is a great question for us today, isn't it? Within the body of Christ, as we relate to one another, at work, as we relate to our fellow workers, wherever we teach, wherever we play, how should we personally respond when we are the recipients of hurtful insults or selfish demands? When I'm not treated right by the waitress or the waiter. How should I respond when I am personally insulted or made the subject of a selfish demand?

Jesus gives us an answer. And here's the answer and then we're going to flesh this out. We are not to retaliate or respond with hostility against the wrongdoer. instead we are to respond with mercy with kindness and with helpful generosity do not resist an evil person and that word resist in the text has the sense of opposed with hostility has the idea of retaliation do not retaliate against an evil person and Jesus gives us four examples to help us flesh this out. The first example is the slap. If someone slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other cheek also. If somebody slaps you, most people are right-handed. My wife Louise is left-handed, but she knows it's a right-handed world. If I slaps you on your right cheek and we're facing one another and I'm right-handed, how did I have to slap you?

a backhand

typically viewed as a very contemptuous sort of slap so this isn't just a slap with the open hand it's the backhand slap

very insulting but Jesus says in that example turn the other cheek the tunic and the cloak someone sues you and says they want your tunic the tunic was like your shirt he says Give them your shirt and then give them your cloak or your overcoat as well. Don't fight them. They want to sue you and fight you for your shirt and your cloak, just give it to them. The extra mile. In that Jesus day, the Romans had the right to impress citizens into service or Jewish people into service, Gentiles into service, anybody under Roman rule.

If the Roman soldiers were carrying a load, they could drag people off the street and say,

load remember simon of cyrene who carried jesus cross the roman soldiers impressed him into service to carry the cross and they could do that to any ordinary person just by law they had the right to pull them aside and say you help us carry our load jesus says if they ask you to carry one mile just go ahead and carry it an extra mile go the extra mile and then the last example is the gift if Somebody comes and says they want to borrow from you. Jesus says don't loan something to them. He says just give it to them. Just give it to them.

Everybody got the four examples? Pretty simple examples. Now we're going to have to look at those a little closer. Let me say, this is where we've got to look very carefully. Let me say these points about these examples.

And see if you agree. I think I'm right on each of these points I'm about to make related to these examples. each of these examples involves a personal response to a personal wrong

we're not talking about someone who's serving at a judicial position or in some official capacity we're talking about the level of personal relationships one-on-one it's a personal response to a personal wrong the second thing i would make second point i'd make about these examples is in none of these examples is there a danger of serious physical harm or death or of substantial personal loss the slap on the cheek may hurt but it's not you're not in danger of serious physical harm or death somebody may want your shirt or coat but it's not something where they're taking everything you have having to walk an extra mile may be inconvenient but there's not again the risk of death or serious personal harm giving to somebody who borrows the same point so remember let's let's be sure the context of the examples we're talking about thirdly in none of these examples is another person endangered it's just you and the wrongdoer am i right fourthly in none of the situations is the wronged person the person who has been insulted, or wronged, in none of the situations is that person asked to violate the law of God or the law of government by the way they respond. Turning the other cheek, that doesn't violate any law of God or man. Giving to someone who wants to borrow, going the extra mile, giving your shirt and cloak. The wrongdoer is not asking someone to violate the law of God there, and the person wronged is not being asked to do that. In other words, what I'm trying to say here is we're dealing with situations where we are asked, pointed out how we are to respond when we are suffering personal injuries, personal demands that are hurtful, insulting, inconvenient, but do not pose a great danger to ourselves or others. Are you with me? Do you agree with me so far? Anybody I have a question at this point.

Okay. What does this passage not prohibit? I'm going to talk about what it does not prohibit, and then I'm going to talk about what it teaches. And I think this is a good way to deal with some of these hard teachings of Jesus. This passage does not prohibit the judicial punishment of evildoers.

This is not the context of the courtroom that we're talking about. And in fact, the New Testament and the Old Testament will be very clear that government has the authority, right, and should punish evildoers. That's how we maintain society, in order. Church discipline is not prohibited. Again, we're not talking at the level of church discipline.

We're talking about personal response to a personal wrong. Military service is not prohibited. In the context, we're not talking, in none of the examples, is the wronged person serving in the military and told not to fight in the military. Now let me make a brief point here. In the early centuries of church history, Christians largely refused to serve in the Roman military.

That was not because Christians thought it was wrong in and of itself for Christians to serve in the military and to be prepared to fight against evil. they refused to do it because they were asked to swear ultimate allegiance to Caesar. And the Christians in the early centuries would not do that by and large and therefore refused military service. But that is not the context in which we're dealing here. I would make a point.

We should never, ever serve in any capacity where we are asked to put our allegiance to God Below any other allegiance. In fact, the only reason I think we can say the Pledge of Allegiance is because it's got the phrase under God. If that phrase weren't in there, I wouldn't say it, folks. I only pledge allegiance in the context of this nation being under God. That phrase goes out, I will never say the Pledge of Allegiance.

Again. That's a whole other subject. Let's not get sidetracked. lesson on that if the Supreme Court rules incorrectly. Seeking the repeal of unjust laws.

There's nothing here that says, that is saying we should not seek to repeal laws that are unjust in society. And in fact, Christians have often been at the forefront of repealing unjust laws. William Wilberforce was the gentleman in England Christian who is almost single-handedly credited with eliminating both slavery and the slave trade from the British Empire. Nothing wrong with that. Nothing wrong with a Martin Luther King Jr.

leading non-violent marches to protest unjust laws in society. Nothing wrong with that. not prohibit that. Again, it's talking about personal response to personal wrong.

One other picture I love. You remember Tiananmen Square when they were having some of the rights there? Do you remember that picture of that one guy standing in front of the tank? To stop the tank from going to harm some of the demonstrators?

We don't know if that person was a Christian or not, but it would be perfectly appropriate for a Christian to stand in front of the tank to try to stop the tank from harming others, I would submit. Fifthly, there's nothing wrong with Christians, and this passage does not prohibit our aiding authorities to bring people to justice. Nothing in this passage to prohibit that. Sixthly, I'm going to submit there's nothing in this passage that prohibits self-defense or defense of others when threatened with serious bodily harm or death. Remember the examples, and none of them was anyone threatened with serious bodily harm or death.

And in fact, I think you can fashion a pretty strong argument from Scripture that life is a precious gift of God. Individuals are made in His image, and life is worth protecting. So I would submit that this passage doesn't prohibit you moms or dads robber breaks into your home at night and is threatening your children with grievous bodily harm or death, you do what needs to be done to protect your children. This passage is not prohibiting that sort of situation.

Seventhly, it is not prohibiting every type of personal resistance to wrongdoing. For example, Jesus, when he was slapped when he was on trial before the Sanhedrin, he challenged of the slap. He did not retaliate or strike back, but he resisted by challenging the justice of him being struck. Paul, the Apostle Paul, after he was wrongly imprisoned, refused to just have the authorities let him go from prison. He made the authorities come down and escort him out of the prison to show that they acknowledged they had wrongly imprisoned him and Silas. But again, there wasn't a personal attack on the other people. So I'm saying this passage doesn't prohibit every type of personal resistance to wrongdoing. Now let me flip it, and let me tell you what I think this passage is teaching. I think this passage is teaching that insofar as possible, we are to live at peace with other people. Romans 12, 18 is an explicit passage. We Christians ought to go read it. Romans 12, 18. In so far as possible, if it depends on you, be at peace with all people. In so far as possible, we can't violate God's law. We can't violate the law of the land. But in so far as possible, let's live at peace with other people, this passage teach. Secondly, this passage I submit teaches that we should gladly suffer personal indignity or inconvenience rather than retaliate. We should be willing to take the slap, turn the other cheek to let people know we're not going to fight back, we're not going to retaliate.

If somebody impresses us into service or makes even an unreasonable demand on us, again, that doesn't require us to cause ourselves serious bodily harm or threaten death, we ought to be prepared to suffer the indignity rather than retaliate. I think this passage teaches, thirdly, that even when we are insulted and inconvenienced, we are to extend forgiveness and mercy and kindness and helpful generosity to the wrongdoer. I see you're all thinking, man, this is too heavy. Keep with me. Fourthly, I think it's teaching that we are to return evil with good.

How are we going to defeat evil? We're going to defeat it with good. going to sink to their level. We are going to respond as Christ would want us to respond. And even when we are treated wrongly we will return good. Fifthly, we are not to take the law into our own hands. That's what we want to do, isn't it? We want to be the ones to exact justice and vengeance and revenge. Nope.

We're not to do that. This passage teaches. Sixthly, we are to leave the correcting of insults and personal wrongs to the Lord. Things will be set right one day, folks. Trust me.

And this passage is teaching us we don't have to exact revenge or retaliation. Let's leave that to the Lord. And lastly, we are to follow in Christ's steps. Christ is our example. 1 Peter 2, 21 to 23 says this.

Christ suffered for you leaving an example that you should follow in his steps he committed no sin and no deceit was found in his mouth 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. Isn't that a powerful scene in the passion of Jesus Christ? When Christ prays as he's being beaten and crucified, Father, forgive them.

He's our example. He's our example.

So hear my lessons for life from this hard saying. Lesson for life number one. lengthen our fuses.

So quickly, folks, when we are insulted, when someone treats us wrongly, we explode. And in fact, you know, it's sort of our American way. Nobody's supposed to take advantage of us. Don't they know who I am? Don't they know my rights?

I'm saying that Christ is saying to us we need to lengthen our fuses. And not let these personal insults cause us to explode. It's not an easy thing to do and it's something we have to work at in practice. Secondly, just let it go. Just let it.

What I mean is we don't need to respond to every insult that is tossed our way. It is part of self-denying to be willing to let self be belittled, treated wrongly, and not retaliate. We don't always have to give tit for tat.

Just let it go. And the reality is, and thirdly, most conflicts with others are not worth a fight. We fight over stuff that a year or two later we look back and we say, what in the world were we thinking? What difference did it make in the scheme of things? Yet we take these little small situations and we magnify them in these huge affairs because we're not willing to take a blow or take an insult.

most situations that we face where we feel our pride has been injured or our status has been offended most of them are not worth the energy the headache the fight let it go you know children you've seen them in line standing in line somebody pushes one out of the first in line and jumps in front and then they get in this tussle or somebody runs and jumps and gets the shotgun seat in the car and the other child is fighting over who's going to get the shotgun seat and we as parents say what difference does it make if you're second in line or sitting the front or the back you're going to get there you're going to get fed it doesn't matter let me tell you folks let me just tell you some real life examples i've dealt with adults who were arguing over the bushes that were on the boundary line between the two lots and one person bushy limbs are over my line and I want them down. And the other person said, well, I'm not going to cut them down because I like my bushes. And then they each call a lawyer. You know, what are my rights here? You know, his limbs are over my line. You know what I say?

Cut the bushes down. They're not worth it.

They're not worth it. Or how about a husband and wife fighting over who's going to get the lawnmower.

Many hours of attorney's time have been spent fighting over lawnmowers, folks.

Or the silverware. I say, dear God, let me just go buy you a new set.

We laugh. Children aren't the only ones that fight over petty things. it's not worth the fight

as a general rule and I put as a general rule because we could probably think of examples where this rule would have exceptions but as a general rule put personal relationships before personal rights it's more important to have a good relationship with that other person than it is to prove to them that you're the boss or the top dog or that you're always going to get your way.

And so often it's just our own sinful pettiness that won't allow us to be willing to put that other person first. But usually think about the relationship before the right. Fifthly, be friendly and generous even when others are not. it's amazing and they've actually done some studies on this to see how people respond to us and typically they respond to us in the same way that we have responded to them and typically even when they start out being a little hostile if we are friendly and generous that sort of breaks through that hostile exterior and they become more friendly the problem we have is when somebody's hostile to us, we immediately respond back in an unfriendly way, and we don't have a chance to have the relationship go anywhere. We need to learn the art of deflecting the unfriendly person with friendliness, the ungenerous person with generosity. A gentle answer turns away wrath. I don't know how many situations I have been in where I've seen people either escalate the situation because the volume and the tone just got higher and higher, and on the other hand, I've seen someone come in who was just as hostile as they could be, and the other person respond in a very calm, measured, gentle way. It's like putting oil on troubled waters.

we need to learn to respond with that gentle answer and it's amazing how the other person's volume will just decrease sometimes we really I really mean we need to think about our volume of our sound if we speak softly it tends to lessen the harshness of the other person try it it works in many instances Seventhly, I will press us as Christians to stand firmly against societal injustice and to speak up for the voiceless or those who are less able to protect themselves. There's nothing in what I've taught today that says we as Christians shouldn't be on the forefront of causes of justice within our society.

but at a personal level let's be sure we're not people who are vengeful and retaliatory

the spit was dripping down Atticus Finch's face after the father spit into his face Atticus Finch is this very

composed lawyer had his daughter Scout beside him. We're waiting to see how Atticus will respond to this very, very despicable sort of insult, the spit in the face. Atticus reaches in his back pocket, pulls out his handkerchief, wipes his glasses, wipes his face, turns to his daughter and says, Come on, Scout. Let's go. And walks away.

And at that moment in the movie, he knew how small the man who spit in his face was. And he knew how larger than life Atticus was. Jesus is calling us to be larger than life. He's calling us to be different. He's calling us to march to the beat of a different drummer.

May we honor him who died for us by doing just that. Let's pray.

Lord, we come before you as a people confessing first that we often have betrayed you by how we have responded to others. that we have often sinfully responded. We often let our pride get in the way. We often have a real sense of retaliatory revenge in dealing with others. But I pray today, Lord, for each of us that by your spirit and with your help, you will help us to walk in the steps of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

May we be people of grace and of mercy people who display kindness and generosity toward others. I pray, Lord, that the treasure that we have in you will be evident by how we live in this world and that people will see that good will overcome evil because you are behind the good. We look forward to the day when everything will be set right, Lord. But until that day, may we walk as you would have us walk.