Matthew 5:38-42 You have heard that it was said, ‘AN EYE FOR AN EYE, AND A TOOTH FOR A TOOTH.’   But I say to you, do not 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 your shirt, let him have your coat also.   Whoever forces you to go one mile, go with him two.   Give to him who asks of you, and do not turn away from him who wants to borrow from you.

When someone treats you wrongly, how do you respond?  Jesus, in His sermon on the mount gives us a simple comparison between how people think the Law of Moses taught how to deal with revenge, and how He intends us to deal with revenge today.  While on the surface the two appear to be different, but in actuality they are not.  Most people like to use the passages from the Old Testament about revenge as justification for their “eye for an eye, and tooth for a tooth” mentality.  But if one will simply look into these passages like Exodus 21:23-25, or Deuteronomy 19:15-21 they will find that the idea of an “eye for an eye” was never a part of God’s plan.  The Scriptures are clear in these matters.  We are to “turn the other cheek,” “let him have your cloak as well,” “go with him two miles,” and “give to the one who asks of you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.”  That’s not revenge.  That’s love.

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 The Sermon on the Mount – Responding to Evil, September 13, 2009: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

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