Monday, June 13, 2016

Matthew 5:38-42

Jesus said to his disciples:
“You have heard that it was said,
An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.
But I say to you, offer no resistance to one who is evil.
When someone strikes you on your right cheek,
turn the other one to him as well.
If anyone wants to go to law with you over your tunic,
hand him your cloak as well.
Should anyone press you into service for one mile,
go with him for two miles.
Give to the one who asks of you,
and do not turn your back on one who wants to borrow.”

The teaching continues on what it means to fulfill the Law. When man fell from the garden he became very animalistic in nature. The Law was given as a way to steer man back to living in a right relationship with God. An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth sounds as if the Law justified vengeance and that Jesus is doing away with vengeance when he says to turn the other cheek.

Before we were given the Law man did not live with a “get even” mentality. Man had a “get ahead” mentality. If you hurt me I killed you. If you damaged one of my possessions I killed your family. It was the same type of behavior that we think of when we think of mob violence or the gangs today. The Law limited how you could respond to an offense.

Jesus fulfills the Law, that is, goes beyond the Law by teaching you can no longer get even. We are now commanded to forgive an offense and even offer up more to our offender that what he originally desired. In fulfilling the Law Jesus teaches us to love and to live for the other instead of self.

Why the gradual steps? How do you eat an elephant? God knows that man could not go from our barbaric nature to love of other in one big step. You eat an elephant one small bite over a period of time. God gave us the Law to steer us back onto the course of right relationship. Jesus fulfilled that course correction. We have been shown the way. We have been given the example. It is now up to us to embrace and live the life we have been called to.

As Morpheus said in the Matrix, “I can only show you the door. You’re the one who has to walk through it.”