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"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." ~ Matthew 5:38-42
Today, we return to our study of Matthew 5 where the Lord Jesus taught a large group of people who had followed Him up on a mountain overlooking the Sea of Galilee. As mentioned before, the Lord Jesus used six "You have heard it said" statements in order show that the culture of God was greater and better than even the best of the cultures on this earth that man had developed.
In v.38-39 of today's passage we read, "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."
Here, the Lord Jesus again turns to that which was heard and understood by all who were present that day. He referred here to a precept out of the Law of Moses itself, but He will provide additional insights into what God values. The precept is an "eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth." It is found first in Exodus 21:24. It is then repeated in Leviticus and Deuteronomy. This law is largely known as the Lex Talionis or the law of retaliation. The punishment is given to resemble the offense in both kind and degree of severity. It is a right standard for deterring violence and providing safety to a community. If someone knows that he will have his eye plucked out for plucking out someone else’s eye, the chances are that he will restrain from doing that. This also goes for pretty much every action that will be repaid in kind. When one understands that his actions against someone will lead to like punishment, he will normally use wisdom and restrain himself.
Exodus 21:24 specifically addresses the murder of an unborn child. The obvious point is that there is a child in the womb considered to be a human being. Abortion is a great sin against human morality, and it is something that can never be condoned when placed in the light of Scripture. God advises that we use great wisdom in how we evaluate such moral matters. What is legal does not necessarily equate to what is right. We must use Scripture as our standard for understanding what is morally acceptable or not.
In v.39 the Lord Jesus said, "And I, I say to you." The law of Moses found in the first five books of the Bible was given to keep society in check. It is proper, good, and holy. However, the words stated now by the Lord Jesus provide for how things should ideally be handled to avoid escalation of a matter. The context is that someone has committed evil against another. The answer of God to this situation was to be arrived upon out of Israel's relationship with the Lord. Israel had offended the Lord in ten thousand ways in the pages of the Bible. And yet, the Lord remained gracious to them, forgiving their sins and keeping His covenant with them. He expects man to do likewise.
The word translated as "slaps" is rare in the Bible, being found only here and in Matthew 26:27. In this verse, it means to strike someone with the palm of the hand. The Lord Jesus said that when being slapped on the right cheek, a person should then turn and offer the other cheek. The word signifies a dynamic change from one direction to another. In other words, the turn should be obvious in order to catch the attention of the one who slapped the right cheek. The obvious signification of such an act is to quell the temper of the person who slapped. It can even lead to shaming him for doing something that was obviously uncalled for.
In v.40-42 of today's passage we read, "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."
Again, the Lord Jesus provided for those who had gathered to hear Him that day better teaching than the teaching they had been given by the religious leaders of Israel. Here, the Lord Jesus addressed the disposition of the human heart. So often when we have people who are needy, our tendency is to withdraw, to get a little bit farther away, to see them on the other side of the room and go to the other side, not wanting to be caught in a situation. The Lord Jesus says, our hearts should always be shaped by His affection for others. Not unwisely, but to give to meet needs.
The tunic was a garment that provided covering to the skin. Sort of like a t-shirt today. The cloak was an outer garment worn over the tunic. It would be the more expensive of the two garments. The law suit was for the tunic alone, and yet, the Lord Jesus directed His hearers to go the extra mile and hand over our more expensive outer garment as well. This would demonstrate the gracious nature that God had displayed toward them. Like the previous examples, it is a means of extending oneself to someone who has mistreated us. In such a case, the Lord Jesus directs us to extend ourselves beyond what is expected, and be known by grace.
God has gone the extra mile for rebellious man. He not only sent the Lord Jesus to this earth, He offers us forgiveness of sin through His Son's willful death on the cross. The word "asks" really means demands, providing for us a pathetic picture of arrogant man who thumbs his nose up to God. And yet, God remains faithful to His offer of salvation to all who would come to Him. At every turn in the Sermon on the Mount, the Jesus has led us to despair over our sin. In doing so, He wants us to see how impossible it is in our own sinful selfish hearts to do what He has demanded in the Law of Moses. He has promised forgiveness and righteousness to those who turn to Him. Once we realize that we can't fix ourselves, the hope is that we will turn to Him as our Savior. And in so doing, we will reflect His likeness as is instructed to even those who deliberately hurt us. This is the way of grace!
