Sermon on Matthew 5:38-42

 

Matthew 5:38-42 “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I tell you not to resist an evil person. But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also. If anyone wants to sue you and take away your tunic, let him have your cloak also.  And whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two.  Give to him who asks you, and from him who wants to borrow from you do not turn away.

 

The goal of God’s Law “An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth” was to rid the people of evil. In Deuteronomy God warns Israel against false witnesses.  If the judges find a false witness, then Israel was to do to him what he thought to do to his brother. “So shall you put away the evil from among you.”

 

This is the curb of the Law.  God goes on to say, “And those who remain shall hear and fear, and hereafter they shall not again commit such evil among you. Your eye shall not pity: life shall be for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.”

 

We see what happens when crime isn’t punished.  In California, stealing anything less than almost a thousand dollars has been changed to a mere misdemeanor, and a bunch of stores have closed in San Francisco because they have been looted with impunity.  Without the threat of the Law, without some sense of justice, the heathen will not think of other people.  The thief doesn’t think about the livelihoods he’s destroying when he steals.  He doesn’t think about his neighbor.  Jesus Himself before He was incarnate of the blessed Virgin gave this Law because he was teaching them the Golden Rule, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. 

 

Why then does Jesus tell us to forget this?  “But I tell you not to resist an evil person.”  Is Jesus dispensing with justice? 

 

No, Jesus is establishing justice for us. The government still needs to punish someone who assaults someone or steals.  That’s their job, to punish sin. They rid the land of evil.  They get rid of rebels, murderers, rapists, thieves and slanderers so that they stop doing evil, and so that others fear and avoid the punishment the government dispenses.  The government does not bear the sword in vain.  That is its job. 

 

 But the Christian’s job as a Christian is not to punish sin, because that was not Jesus’ job when He walked here on earth. His job was to bear sin and be punished for it.  Let us follow in His footsteps.

 

His footsteps lead us to mercy.  And not the selfish virtue-signaling mercy of those who do their charitable deeds to be seen by men.  No, His footsteps require actual suffering for the other person out of love not for Himself, but for that person.  That is the lonely way that leads to the cross.  It is the way of having those whom you have loved and not harmed harm you and hate you.  It is the way of feeling pain after pain, with no desire for retribution and pay back, but with a fervent desire to help the one who is evil.  It is the way of being robbed of what belongs to you, and then being robbed again.  It is the way of losing what you want and then losing more.  It is the way of someone taking your time, your work, even your life.  It is Jesus not resisting an evil person until it kills Him.

 

And that is where we find justice. There His eye was given for every eye, and His tooth for every tooth.  His innocence bore our sin.  The government can punish the murderer, but can’t give the murdered his life back.  Jesus has the government upon His shoulders on the cross, and He gives life to Abel and life also to Cain. 

 

When we suffer from someone who doing you wrong, let us be willing to suffer some more.  It will teach us to see the evil in our own life, and if we are innocent, it will teach us how evil is actually done away with. 

 

Gandhi once said, “And eye for an eye leaves the whole world blind.”  Yes, I suppose that’s true. What he didn’t understand is that the whole world is blind by nature.  We don’t understand justice truly for all that it is.  Only God does.  He sees all.  He knows everything.  He works all things together for the good of those who love Him.  And it is those who see that they can’t see, who know that they are blind, to whom Jesus shows His justice, His righteousness, which is pure mercy for poor sinners who can’t see why the evil has happened, why the pain is there, why the life was lost, why the devil is allowed to prowl around so viciously.

 

But Christ rules over that lying lion.  He crushes the serpent’s head with the truth.  There is no sin or evil that you see in you or outside of you; there is no guilt or pain that you feel or have to experience; there is no injustice that has been perpetrated against you, that Jesus Christ, the Son of God did not suffer for in all its fullness in the flesh and blood He claimed as His own for you and for me and for this whole race of blind sinners. 

 

Bring your sorrow to Him, your injustices that you have done and the injustices done to you.  Bring Him the evil, and He will give you all of His good, peace with God, forgiveness, hope in the resurrection and the life of the world to come, love for fellow sinners, joy even in the midst of sadness.  Bring Him the pain, and He will help you bear it.  He will teach you that the cross if or your good.  He will keep all your tears in His bottle, and distill them into joy and gladness when the time for the harvest comes.  “He who continually goes forth weeping, Bearing seed for sowing, Shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, Bringing his sheaves with him.”  Then we will find a righteousness that restores our eyes to see with crystal clarity the love that God has for us.  Then we will taste with our mouths and see with our eyes and sing with your hearts and throats the truth that sets us free here on earth.  It is that Jesus Christ is our righteousness.  He lives, and we live in Him.  I shall not die, but live and shall declare the works of the Lord.  Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits. 

 

The Lord executes righteousness

And justice for all who are oppressed.

7 He made known His ways to Moses,

His acts to the children of Israel.

8 The Lord is merciful and gracious,

Slow to anger, and abounding in mercy.

9 He will not always strive with us,

Nor will He keep His anger forever.

10 He has not dealt with us according to our sins,

Nor punished us according to our iniquities.

 

11 For as the heavens are high above the earth,

So great is His mercy toward those who fear Him;

12 As far as the east is from the west,

So far has He removed our transgressions from us.

13 As a father pities his children,

So the Lord pities those who fear Him.

14 For He knows our frame;

He remembers that we are dust.

 

And He will raise the dust and knit together limbs that long ago rotted, and form again the face that is decayed, and join again the believing soul to each spotless body that He has cleansed from death and decay, and we will see His face in righteousness.  We will be satisfied with justice when we awake in Christ’s likeness.  God grant it to all of us and our loved ones, for Jesus’ sake.  Amen and Amen.