Matthew 6:19-21
The key word in this passage is treasure. Moth, rust and thieves are also repeated. Jesus contrasts storing treasures up on earth, where moth and rust destroy and thieves will break in and steal, with storing treasures up in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy and thieves do not break in a steal. The subject of this paragraph is: Why should I store up treasures in heaven? The answer: Because treasures in heaven are permanent and where your treasure is you heart will be as well.
This ties to the previous section where Jesus looks at righteous acts. The same basic comparison is made: you can have your reward from people now or from God later and you can have your treasure temporarily on earth now or from God permanently later. The choice seems pretty obvious. However, so often the immediate trumps anything I might have to wait for. I hate to wait!
The big question is, where is my heart? What do I treasure? How can I treasure Christ and heaven more?
Thursday, November 27, 2008
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Fasting
Matthew 6:16-18
After a longer section on prayer, Jesus return to his main point for this second part of his sermon: don't do your acts of righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. This time he takes up the discipline of fasting.
One of the key phrases is "When you fast". Again, Jesus assumes that his followers will be engaging these spiritual practices but he is reminding them that the spiritual practice itself is not the goal and receiving praise from others is also not the goal. The goal of the spiritual practice is to be rewarded by the Father.
I wonder if the reward is a closer relationship with the Father. There's nothing better that I could think of than that. I wonder if that's what Jesus is getting at here: if you do your spiritual acts to be seen by others, you will receive their praise but that is all. If you do your spiritual acts to draw near to God then he will reward you by drawing near to you. The text doesn't say that explicitly so I admit that I am reading into it a little bit. I'm just trying to figure out what the reward could be and since there is nothing I want more, at least when I really have my priorities straight, than to be close to God, I can't think of a better reward than that.
I wonder why fasting is such a forgotten discipline in the evangelical western world. I think it would be good for me to go without food on occasion to remind myself that God is my provider and that there are things that I need more than food. I think it would be good for me to choose a day a month to fast - not for the religious experience but for my spiritual health. At first it will probably be more of a discipline than a joy but, over time, I hope it would become one way that I can grow closer to Christ.
After a longer section on prayer, Jesus return to his main point for this second part of his sermon: don't do your acts of righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. This time he takes up the discipline of fasting.
One of the key phrases is "When you fast". Again, Jesus assumes that his followers will be engaging these spiritual practices but he is reminding them that the spiritual practice itself is not the goal and receiving praise from others is also not the goal. The goal of the spiritual practice is to be rewarded by the Father.
I wonder if the reward is a closer relationship with the Father. There's nothing better that I could think of than that. I wonder if that's what Jesus is getting at here: if you do your spiritual acts to be seen by others, you will receive their praise but that is all. If you do your spiritual acts to draw near to God then he will reward you by drawing near to you. The text doesn't say that explicitly so I admit that I am reading into it a little bit. I'm just trying to figure out what the reward could be and since there is nothing I want more, at least when I really have my priorities straight, than to be close to God, I can't think of a better reward than that.
I wonder why fasting is such a forgotten discipline in the evangelical western world. I think it would be good for me to go without food on occasion to remind myself that God is my provider and that there are things that I need more than food. I think it would be good for me to choose a day a month to fast - not for the religious experience but for my spiritual health. At first it will probably be more of a discipline than a joy but, over time, I hope it would become one way that I can grow closer to Christ.
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
I forgive you
Matthew 6:14-15
The key word in these two verses is "forgive". Jesus is drawing a direct connection between the way that we forgive others and the way our Father will forgive us. This ties directly to the second last imperative of the prayer that Jesus modelled for his audience: "Forgive us our debts as we also have forgiven our debtors." What I would expect Jesus to say is, "Forgive others when they sin against you because your heavenly Father has forgiven you." However, that is not what Jesus says. He says that if we forgive others, our heavenly Father will forgive us. Receiving forgiveness is dependent on how I give forgiveness.
Jesus explains this further in the parable of the unforgiving servant. He is forgiven by the Master but then goes out and demands payment of a debt that he is owed. The Master then "un-forgives" the servants debt and has him sent to prison. In that story, the servant is first forgiven but it is a conditional forgiveness based on how he treats others.
In both passages what is clear is that Jesus expects me to reflect God's mercy as demonstrated to me in his forgiving me by demonstrating forgiveness to others. In both passages, what is clear is that my ultimate forgiveness depends on how I treat my fellow human-beings. Some people might try to say that it is my experience of forgiveness that depends on my treatment of others but Jesus makes it clear that it more than my experience, it is the actual forgiveness itself.
The key word in these two verses is "forgive". Jesus is drawing a direct connection between the way that we forgive others and the way our Father will forgive us. This ties directly to the second last imperative of the prayer that Jesus modelled for his audience: "Forgive us our debts as we also have forgiven our debtors." What I would expect Jesus to say is, "Forgive others when they sin against you because your heavenly Father has forgiven you." However, that is not what Jesus says. He says that if we forgive others, our heavenly Father will forgive us. Receiving forgiveness is dependent on how I give forgiveness.
Jesus explains this further in the parable of the unforgiving servant. He is forgiven by the Master but then goes out and demands payment of a debt that he is owed. The Master then "un-forgives" the servants debt and has him sent to prison. In that story, the servant is first forgiven but it is a conditional forgiveness based on how he treats others.
In both passages what is clear is that Jesus expects me to reflect God's mercy as demonstrated to me in his forgiving me by demonstrating forgiveness to others. In both passages, what is clear is that my ultimate forgiveness depends on how I treat my fellow human-beings. Some people might try to say that it is my experience of forgiveness that depends on my treatment of others but Jesus makes it clear that it more than my experience, it is the actual forgiveness itself.
Thursday, November 20, 2008
a format for prayer
Matthew 6:9-13
The key phrase of this passage is: "This, then, is how you should pray:" Besides the "greeting", the rest of the passage is a list of imperatives to God and yet the tone of the prayer is one of humility. Usually when we give imperatives, it suggests commands to be followed and implies that we are in a position to be obeyed. The classic example is the stop sign. The imperative is "stop" and the implication is that the law has authourity over me and my car and that it can make that commandment, it expects to be obeyed and that there will be consequences if I do not. Yet this prayer doesn't suggest that same master-servant relationship. In fact it is quite the opposite. I think the tone of humility comes from the tone of dependance. The essence of the prayer is, "Father, I can't do anything and you can do everything. I depend on you for bread, for forgiveness and for protection. I would like to make your name hallowed and to spread the impact of your kingdom and will but I can't even do that. I need your help."
I live my life in independence from God far too often. In fact, prayer is probably one of the hardest aspects of my Christian faith. I love to study the Bible, I love to serve but, prayer, for me, is difficult. I know that God is all in all and that without him I am nothing and can do nothing and yet I live my life as if I am everything and can do everything. I want to learn to pray and to be a man of prayer.
The key phrase of this passage is: "This, then, is how you should pray:" Besides the "greeting", the rest of the passage is a list of imperatives to God and yet the tone of the prayer is one of humility. Usually when we give imperatives, it suggests commands to be followed and implies that we are in a position to be obeyed. The classic example is the stop sign. The imperative is "stop" and the implication is that the law has authourity over me and my car and that it can make that commandment, it expects to be obeyed and that there will be consequences if I do not. Yet this prayer doesn't suggest that same master-servant relationship. In fact it is quite the opposite. I think the tone of humility comes from the tone of dependance. The essence of the prayer is, "Father, I can't do anything and you can do everything. I depend on you for bread, for forgiveness and for protection. I would like to make your name hallowed and to spread the impact of your kingdom and will but I can't even do that. I need your help."
I live my life in independence from God far too often. In fact, prayer is probably one of the hardest aspects of my Christian faith. I love to study the Bible, I love to serve but, prayer, for me, is difficult. I know that God is all in all and that without him I am nothing and can do nothing and yet I live my life as if I am everything and can do everything. I want to learn to pray and to be a man of prayer.
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Prayer
Matthew 6:5-8
The key words in this passage are: pray, hypocrites, pagans, reward. The idea of the Father knowing what is done in secret is compared to the idea of the Father knowing the "secret" needs of our heart, even before we express them. Hypocrites who pray on street corners are parallel to and almost put in the same categorie as, pagans who babble. However, the contrast is that the hypocrites are praying in a way to earn human praise while the pagans are praying in a way to try to earn the right to be heard by God. Both of them are condemned by Jesus.
This section is tied to the rest of the sermon by the use of the phrases, "don't be like the hypocrites" and "your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you." The particular "righteous act" that Jesus addresses here is prayer. He teaches that prayer is to be a direct communication between the Father and the person and not a way for a person to score religious points. He also teaches that God already knows what we need before we ask him so the purpose of prayer cannot primarily be to tell God our list of needs and wants. There must be something more. Jesus does not indicate what that is at this point, although he hints at it in the next section when he gives us an example to follow in prayer.
So, here is what I am taking home: too often I am concerned about praying the right words and I am more concerned, when I pray in public, about the people who are hearing my prayer and what they will think of the words that I have chosen than I am about the Person to whom I am actually supposed to be praying to. I need God to remind me that he is my audience and I should just express things that are on my heart. However, I do think that when praying in public on behalf of others, that I need to keep in mind that they are joining me in prayer - I am coming to God with them but speaking on behalf of all of us. This means that I need to remember that God is my primary audience but I must keep in mind the others that are joining with me in prayer. However, I must never use prayer as an opportunity to preach a sermon or impress a crowd! Again, for me, it comes down to motives and since only God to change my motives and my heart, I humbly ask him to do it now.
The key words in this passage are: pray, hypocrites, pagans, reward. The idea of the Father knowing what is done in secret is compared to the idea of the Father knowing the "secret" needs of our heart, even before we express them. Hypocrites who pray on street corners are parallel to and almost put in the same categorie as, pagans who babble. However, the contrast is that the hypocrites are praying in a way to earn human praise while the pagans are praying in a way to try to earn the right to be heard by God. Both of them are condemned by Jesus.
This section is tied to the rest of the sermon by the use of the phrases, "don't be like the hypocrites" and "your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you." The particular "righteous act" that Jesus addresses here is prayer. He teaches that prayer is to be a direct communication between the Father and the person and not a way for a person to score religious points. He also teaches that God already knows what we need before we ask him so the purpose of prayer cannot primarily be to tell God our list of needs and wants. There must be something more. Jesus does not indicate what that is at this point, although he hints at it in the next section when he gives us an example to follow in prayer.
So, here is what I am taking home: too often I am concerned about praying the right words and I am more concerned, when I pray in public, about the people who are hearing my prayer and what they will think of the words that I have chosen than I am about the Person to whom I am actually supposed to be praying to. I need God to remind me that he is my audience and I should just express things that are on my heart. However, I do think that when praying in public on behalf of others, that I need to keep in mind that they are joining me in prayer - I am coming to God with them but speaking on behalf of all of us. This means that I need to remember that God is my primary audience but I must keep in mind the others that are joining with me in prayer. However, I must never use prayer as an opportunity to preach a sermon or impress a crowd! Again, for me, it comes down to motives and since only God to change my motives and my heart, I humbly ask him to do it now.
what is my reward?
Matthew 6:2-4
The key phrases in this passage are: "they have received their reward in full" and "Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you." These two phrases will be repeated through out this section. The key word in this passage is "hypocrite" which will also be repeated, always in terms of "don't be like the hypocrites."
Jesus is giving an example of how not to do acts of righteousness to be seen by others. Again, the point is not that we should never be seen to be giving to the needy but our motivation must not be to receive praise from people. Jesus lays it out as a choice: either you can give to the needy to be rewarded by humans or you can give to the needy to be rewarded by the Father. It is a rhetorical choice because the reward that the Father gives is going to be much greater than the praise of other humans. I believe that Jesus is using hyperbole here when he says to not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing. This is consistent with his hyperbole in the previous section when it comes to cutting of a hand or plucking out an eye. He seems to use it to emphasize his point. He is probably using hyperbole as well to describe the giving of the hypocrites. I would have to study the history and practice of that time to know for sure if they actually formed a brass band to precede them as they were on their way to give to the needy.
Here is what I can apply from this passage: First, giving is expected. Jesus does not say to stop giving to the needy but assumes that we will be giving to the needy (v. 2 "when you give..."). I think some people need to hear this message and I know that I need to be reminded constantly. Jesus expects that one of his disciples will make it part of his normal life to give to the needy. Second, this is more about motivation than about secrecy. If my goal is to bring pleasure to my Father then it is not ruined if someone sees me giving and points it out. I've heard of a pastor in the middle of building campaign announcing to his congregation what his pledge was, not to be seen as righteous but to challenge his congregation to be sacrificial in their giving as well. At our church, we made it a bit more anonymous and announced what the leaders had pledged as a total. Thirdly, it is not wrong to be motivated by reward. Jesus clearly teaches that we will be rewarded but we must choose whom we wish to be rewarded by. I can earn the praise of humans, have my name on wings of hospitals or universities (assuming I had enough money to buy the right to have my name there) or I can earn the pleasure of God and have my name written in his book. This teaching does cause me some problems because I believe that we can't earn God's favour but we are given his favour and pleasure by his grace through faith in Christ. So Jesus is not teaching that if you give in secret you are somehow more righteous or that you can earn salvation. But he is teaching that we will be rewarded. The main point is that we must choose whom we want to reward us.
The key phrases in this passage are: "they have received their reward in full" and "Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you." These two phrases will be repeated through out this section. The key word in this passage is "hypocrite" which will also be repeated, always in terms of "don't be like the hypocrites."
Jesus is giving an example of how not to do acts of righteousness to be seen by others. Again, the point is not that we should never be seen to be giving to the needy but our motivation must not be to receive praise from people. Jesus lays it out as a choice: either you can give to the needy to be rewarded by humans or you can give to the needy to be rewarded by the Father. It is a rhetorical choice because the reward that the Father gives is going to be much greater than the praise of other humans. I believe that Jesus is using hyperbole here when he says to not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing. This is consistent with his hyperbole in the previous section when it comes to cutting of a hand or plucking out an eye. He seems to use it to emphasize his point. He is probably using hyperbole as well to describe the giving of the hypocrites. I would have to study the history and practice of that time to know for sure if they actually formed a brass band to precede them as they were on their way to give to the needy.
Here is what I can apply from this passage: First, giving is expected. Jesus does not say to stop giving to the needy but assumes that we will be giving to the needy (v. 2 "when you give..."). I think some people need to hear this message and I know that I need to be reminded constantly. Jesus expects that one of his disciples will make it part of his normal life to give to the needy. Second, this is more about motivation than about secrecy. If my goal is to bring pleasure to my Father then it is not ruined if someone sees me giving and points it out. I've heard of a pastor in the middle of building campaign announcing to his congregation what his pledge was, not to be seen as righteous but to challenge his congregation to be sacrificial in their giving as well. At our church, we made it a bit more anonymous and announced what the leaders had pledged as a total. Thirdly, it is not wrong to be motivated by reward. Jesus clearly teaches that we will be rewarded but we must choose whom we wish to be rewarded by. I can earn the praise of humans, have my name on wings of hospitals or universities (assuming I had enough money to buy the right to have my name there) or I can earn the pleasure of God and have my name written in his book. This teaching does cause me some problems because I believe that we can't earn God's favour but we are given his favour and pleasure by his grace through faith in Christ. So Jesus is not teaching that if you give in secret you are somehow more righteous or that you can earn salvation. But he is teaching that we will be rewarded. The main point is that we must choose whom we want to reward us.
Saturday, November 15, 2008
acts of righteousness
Matthew 6:1
Jesus ties "acts of righteousness" to rewards in heaven. The key phrase is not "in front of others" but "to be seen by them." Jesus is not saying that we need to make sure that no one every sees us do an act of righteousness but that our motive is to please God and not to be seen or applauded by others. Too many people have interpretted this to mean that they should never pray in public, that no one should ever know how much they give to charity (although they are most happy to record it on their income tax form), that no one should ever see them perform an "act of righteousness." We need to understand this in the context of the audience to whom Jesus is talking. The would have understood that Jesus was pointing to over the top religious displays. This becomes clear when we get to the passagea about giving: don't announce it with trumpets, don't offer your whole tithe in pennies so that it makes a nice, long clanging sound as it enters the collection box. It is about motive, not about whether or not someone sees us. In fact, I think there is a time to do our "acts of righteousness in public" if it would disciple someone in the spiritual disciplines. If our youth and children never see us practice our faith, how will they every understand how important it is? However, our motive must never be about gaining praise for ourselves but bringing praise to God.
This ties into the previous chapter in that Jesus is again attacking the religiousity of the Jewish system. In the previous chapter, Jesus made it clear that keeping the Law was about the heart and spirit of the Law and not just a strict understanding of the letter of the Law. In this chapter, Jesus makes it clear that it is not enough just to practice religion in order to be seen as religious by others but to pursue God in such a way that we will be rewarded by God and not by other humans.
In essence, this is Jesus' thesis statement for the next section of his sermon. In my translation, acts of righteousness has quotations around it. I wonder if Jesus is being a bit sarcastic here. I wonder if he is saying, "You think your religious acts indicate your righteousness. They don't. True righteousness is... (he explains that in the previous chapter and the rest of this one)." I know that there are times when I go to church or serve the poor or pray or give as an "act of righteousness." I don't even think the motive of pleasing God is the right one. It means that I think that I can somehow earn God's favour by my religious acts. This is the mark of every religion. I think my motive for going to church should be to celebrate a relationship with God that means I don't have to go to church to please him. I think my motive for reading the Bible is to get to know the God who tells me I don't have to read the Bible to please him. I think my motive for doing anything should be love for my Father and my Saviour. The only act of righteousness that pleased God was Jesus. Only as I put myself in him and let him put himself in me will I be pleasing to God.
Jesus ties "acts of righteousness" to rewards in heaven. The key phrase is not "in front of others" but "to be seen by them." Jesus is not saying that we need to make sure that no one every sees us do an act of righteousness but that our motive is to please God and not to be seen or applauded by others. Too many people have interpretted this to mean that they should never pray in public, that no one should ever know how much they give to charity (although they are most happy to record it on their income tax form), that no one should ever see them perform an "act of righteousness." We need to understand this in the context of the audience to whom Jesus is talking. The would have understood that Jesus was pointing to over the top religious displays. This becomes clear when we get to the passagea about giving: don't announce it with trumpets, don't offer your whole tithe in pennies so that it makes a nice, long clanging sound as it enters the collection box. It is about motive, not about whether or not someone sees us. In fact, I think there is a time to do our "acts of righteousness in public" if it would disciple someone in the spiritual disciplines. If our youth and children never see us practice our faith, how will they every understand how important it is? However, our motive must never be about gaining praise for ourselves but bringing praise to God.
This ties into the previous chapter in that Jesus is again attacking the religiousity of the Jewish system. In the previous chapter, Jesus made it clear that keeping the Law was about the heart and spirit of the Law and not just a strict understanding of the letter of the Law. In this chapter, Jesus makes it clear that it is not enough just to practice religion in order to be seen as religious by others but to pursue God in such a way that we will be rewarded by God and not by other humans.
In essence, this is Jesus' thesis statement for the next section of his sermon. In my translation, acts of righteousness has quotations around it. I wonder if Jesus is being a bit sarcastic here. I wonder if he is saying, "You think your religious acts indicate your righteousness. They don't. True righteousness is... (he explains that in the previous chapter and the rest of this one)." I know that there are times when I go to church or serve the poor or pray or give as an "act of righteousness." I don't even think the motive of pleasing God is the right one. It means that I think that I can somehow earn God's favour by my religious acts. This is the mark of every religion. I think my motive for going to church should be to celebrate a relationship with God that means I don't have to go to church to please him. I think my motive for reading the Bible is to get to know the God who tells me I don't have to read the Bible to please him. I think my motive for doing anything should be love for my Father and my Saviour. The only act of righteousness that pleased God was Jesus. Only as I put myself in him and let him put himself in me will I be pleasing to God.
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
pray for persecutors
Matthew 5:43-48
This is the last of the statements Jesus makes about the oral tradition surrounding the Law and he continues with his formula: "You have heard that it was said... but I tell you..." This time he tackles the whole subject of dealing with enemies. I cannot ever recall reading any teaching in Scripture that would tell me it is ok to hate my enemies. What must have happened is that "experts" read the Law which stated "Love your neighbour" and assumed that if we were to love our neighbour it must be ok to hate our enemies or at least excused their hatred by saying that the Law didn't say that I couldn't hate my enemy.
Jesus, of course, takes the foundation right out from underneath this argument. He reminds them that the Law is all about treating people, even your enemies, with the honour, dignity and respect that they deserve as humans created in the image of God and reflecting the character of God in all you do. The character of God seems to be what is most at stake here. Jesus ties loving enemies and praying for persecutors directly to being a child of God, even using the phrase "that you may be." Children bear a resemblance to their parents and Jesus is telling us that in order to bear a resemblance to our Father, and to be his true children, we must love our enemies.
Jesus then proves his point: God doesn't just make the sun shine on the good or the rain fall on the righteous but rather showers his blessing on both.
At the end of this section, Jesus reminds us what being a citizen of heaven is all about which is to reflect the character of the King (v. 48). No wonder Paul talked about the depth of his sinfulness for who could ever live up to such a standard? Perfection is impossible for me in my own strength and by my own efforts because I have already marred it with sin. Even if I could live a perfect life from this point forward, I couldn't do anything to erase the imperfection of the past. I so desperately need Jesus to forgive my sin and cleanse me from all imperfections. Only as I accept the work of Christ and adopt the character of Christ can I have any hope.
The evidence that the Spirit is producing the character of Christ in me will be most clearly seen in my interactions with other people: am I treating them with hatred, using them for my own pleasure and benefit, abandoning them when they no longer please me, using trickery and deceit to take advantage of them, seeking revenge and giving the bare minimum to meet their needs and hating those who oppose me or am I treating them with the honour, dignity and respect they deserve as a human created in the image of God?
I can't do this by my strength, will power or discipline but only by your Spirit!
This is the last of the statements Jesus makes about the oral tradition surrounding the Law and he continues with his formula: "You have heard that it was said... but I tell you..." This time he tackles the whole subject of dealing with enemies. I cannot ever recall reading any teaching in Scripture that would tell me it is ok to hate my enemies. What must have happened is that "experts" read the Law which stated "Love your neighbour" and assumed that if we were to love our neighbour it must be ok to hate our enemies or at least excused their hatred by saying that the Law didn't say that I couldn't hate my enemy.
Jesus, of course, takes the foundation right out from underneath this argument. He reminds them that the Law is all about treating people, even your enemies, with the honour, dignity and respect that they deserve as humans created in the image of God and reflecting the character of God in all you do. The character of God seems to be what is most at stake here. Jesus ties loving enemies and praying for persecutors directly to being a child of God, even using the phrase "that you may be." Children bear a resemblance to their parents and Jesus is telling us that in order to bear a resemblance to our Father, and to be his true children, we must love our enemies.
Jesus then proves his point: God doesn't just make the sun shine on the good or the rain fall on the righteous but rather showers his blessing on both.
At the end of this section, Jesus reminds us what being a citizen of heaven is all about which is to reflect the character of the King (v. 48). No wonder Paul talked about the depth of his sinfulness for who could ever live up to such a standard? Perfection is impossible for me in my own strength and by my own efforts because I have already marred it with sin. Even if I could live a perfect life from this point forward, I couldn't do anything to erase the imperfection of the past. I so desperately need Jesus to forgive my sin and cleanse me from all imperfections. Only as I accept the work of Christ and adopt the character of Christ can I have any hope.
The evidence that the Spirit is producing the character of Christ in me will be most clearly seen in my interactions with other people: am I treating them with hatred, using them for my own pleasure and benefit, abandoning them when they no longer please me, using trickery and deceit to take advantage of them, seeking revenge and giving the bare minimum to meet their needs and hating those who oppose me or am I treating them with the honour, dignity and respect they deserve as a human created in the image of God?
I can't do this by my strength, will power or discipline but only by your Spirit!
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
vengeance is mine
Matthew 5:38-42
This continues the formula Jesus has used so effectively in his sermon so far: "You have heard that it was said... But I tell you..." In this case, he is challenging their interpretation of the Law when it comes to just punishment. The Law that Jesus references is summed up by "eye for eye, tooth for tooth" and was originally intended to prevent revenge and to put limits on the punishment that the judges could hand out. The premise was that the punishment must fit the crime: if the crime cost an eye, then no more than an eye could be demanded. In our broken humaness, we always demand more than what we lost. I think this is because we want the other person to hurt as much as we have but we cannot feel their pain so imagine that our hurt at losing an eye (for example) is more than their hurt at losing an eye so they must also lose a hand or tooth. The Law was there to prevent this cycle of revenge.
However, in Jesus day, it was being abused and was actually being interpretted, by some extremists, to mean the exact opposite of what was intended - people were using the Law to give permission to their acts of personal vengeance. Jesus opposes this and reminds his audience that they are to treat everyone - even their enemies, their abusers and their occupiers - with the dignity, honour and respect they deserve as humans created in the image of God. The specific examples Jesus points to are: if someone slaps you on the cheek, turn the other cheek to them; if someone sues you for your shirt, give them your coat as well (it was against the Law to sue someone for their coat 0r outer garment); if a soldier presses you into service forone mile, go two miles with him. Jesus is calling people to a deeper level of obedience than a strict intepretation of the Law promotes. Jesus is calling people to reflect God's character when it comes to mercy, grace and love. There is nothing compelling me to "go the extra mile" except that God loves that person and may want me to demonstrate His love to them. I am completely within my rights to demand justice when I am struck except that I have surrendered my rights to Christ and he loves that person and may be asking me to demonstrate his radical love to them.
In this world where everything is about defending my rights and taking revenge, Jesus' message cuts right against the culture. Can you imagine what this world would look like if revenge was removed from the system? Most of the superheroes, especialy the darker ones, would not exist because they are almost always motivated by revenge, not justice and love. Most of the movies would not be shot because many of them are based on revenge. Court houses would be relatively empty because people would not be suing each other for ridiculous amounts of money over some perceived slight (like my coffee being too hot) - there would still be cases about justice but the cases motivated by revenge would all be gone. Gang wars and cycles of violence would come to an end. There would be fewer wars (if any). I can barely imagine it and yet it seems to be the world, or kingdom - to use a biblical term, that Jesus wants to create.
Before he creates this kingdom of love in the world, he is at work creating it in my heart and I have to say that there is still a long way to go. I am so aware of my rights and when they have been trampled. I am so quick to defend myself against any perceived attack. I find it very hard to turn the other cheek, to give up my coat and to go the extra mile. I am not very good at reflecting God's character of love, mercy and grace and I am more concerned with myself than the image of God in others. Please, God, continue to form the character of Christ in me and may it be seen in the way that I deal with people who slap my cheek, sue for my shirt and force me into service.
This continues the formula Jesus has used so effectively in his sermon so far: "You have heard that it was said... But I tell you..." In this case, he is challenging their interpretation of the Law when it comes to just punishment. The Law that Jesus references is summed up by "eye for eye, tooth for tooth" and was originally intended to prevent revenge and to put limits on the punishment that the judges could hand out. The premise was that the punishment must fit the crime: if the crime cost an eye, then no more than an eye could be demanded. In our broken humaness, we always demand more than what we lost. I think this is because we want the other person to hurt as much as we have but we cannot feel their pain so imagine that our hurt at losing an eye (for example) is more than their hurt at losing an eye so they must also lose a hand or tooth. The Law was there to prevent this cycle of revenge.
However, in Jesus day, it was being abused and was actually being interpretted, by some extremists, to mean the exact opposite of what was intended - people were using the Law to give permission to their acts of personal vengeance. Jesus opposes this and reminds his audience that they are to treat everyone - even their enemies, their abusers and their occupiers - with the dignity, honour and respect they deserve as humans created in the image of God. The specific examples Jesus points to are: if someone slaps you on the cheek, turn the other cheek to them; if someone sues you for your shirt, give them your coat as well (it was against the Law to sue someone for their coat 0r outer garment); if a soldier presses you into service forone mile, go two miles with him. Jesus is calling people to a deeper level of obedience than a strict intepretation of the Law promotes. Jesus is calling people to reflect God's character when it comes to mercy, grace and love. There is nothing compelling me to "go the extra mile" except that God loves that person and may want me to demonstrate His love to them. I am completely within my rights to demand justice when I am struck except that I have surrendered my rights to Christ and he loves that person and may be asking me to demonstrate his radical love to them.
In this world where everything is about defending my rights and taking revenge, Jesus' message cuts right against the culture. Can you imagine what this world would look like if revenge was removed from the system? Most of the superheroes, especialy the darker ones, would not exist because they are almost always motivated by revenge, not justice and love. Most of the movies would not be shot because many of them are based on revenge. Court houses would be relatively empty because people would not be suing each other for ridiculous amounts of money over some perceived slight (like my coffee being too hot) - there would still be cases about justice but the cases motivated by revenge would all be gone. Gang wars and cycles of violence would come to an end. There would be fewer wars (if any). I can barely imagine it and yet it seems to be the world, or kingdom - to use a biblical term, that Jesus wants to create.
Before he creates this kingdom of love in the world, he is at work creating it in my heart and I have to say that there is still a long way to go. I am so aware of my rights and when they have been trampled. I am so quick to defend myself against any perceived attack. I find it very hard to turn the other cheek, to give up my coat and to go the extra mile. I am not very good at reflecting God's character of love, mercy and grace and I am more concerned with myself than the image of God in others. Please, God, continue to form the character of Christ in me and may it be seen in the way that I deal with people who slap my cheek, sue for my shirt and force me into service.
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