Matthew 5:38 Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye
for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth:
It says we should exact an eye for an eye in Exodus 21:24;
Leviticus 24:20 and Deuteronomy 19:21. Jesus enters into the picture, the Lamb
that takes away the sins of the world, and tells us that this particular law is
now not only null and void but has been turned upside down by our new covenant,
a covenant of love. In the days of
Moses, requiring an eye for an eye was an extremely enlightened view in a time
where someone might kill you for an insult.
We often look at the laws incorporated in the Bible as backward and
barbaric but in reality the Jews were the socially and spiritually enlightened
people of that era and for centuries to come.
Even as recently as the middle of the fourteenth century in
Europe, Jews were persecuted for starting the Bubonic plague because their sanitary
practices were so far beyond those of the Anglo-Saxons around them that a Jew
almost never caught the plague. The
people of Europe found it suspicious that this isolationist group of bankers
and business people were largely unaffected by the disease.
It is a truly sorry state of affairs that Christians are
accused of being anti-life and barbaric in our beliefs when our scriptural
commandment of love is so much more fulfilling and rewarding than what anyone
else tries to live. Not only are those
who live scripturally happier in general than any other group, but we have the
added benefit of prompting God to move on our behalf by our obedience. It is easy to understand the hatred we endure
when you consider the spiritual battle raging all around us.
39 But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but
whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.
How about it? Someone
walks up to you and says, “I hate you Christians!” and slaps you in the
face. God’s question for you is, “Will
you respond in love or will you start swinging?” I think perhaps most of us are afraid to take
that test. I suppose most people believe
this will make them unarmed, but if you have faith, you are never unarmed. At the same time your physical face is being
slapped, your shield of faith is being struck against by an impotent, powerless
soul. It stings though. The test will surely tell you what level your
flesh is at in relation to your spirit.
I’ve brought this up many times. All the disciples were rough and tumble men
who didn’t take anything off of anyone.
Peter’s question about how many times ought he forgive someone showed
this was something new he was coming to grips with. When he asked if he should forgive seven
times he really thought he was hitting the mark (Matthew 18:21-22). When Jesus said seventy times seven he knew
just how far from God he was and how far he yet had to grow. He was still struggling with it when he cut
off Malchus’ ear (John 18:10). Paul was a great soul winner and Peter was as
well. They had a heart for the people in
a difficult place and time. These days
we’re trying to overcome TV, Nintendo, drugs and alcohol to win a soul. Society is not geared toward spiritual
maturity and never has been.
40 And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away
thy coat, let him have thy cloak also.
Are you getting the point?
We are supposed to be sojourners here, merely passing through. This is not our end but a jumping off point
for the real world. I find this one more
difficult because if someone is suing me for no fault of my own then giving in
seems like saying I am wrong. On the
other hand, if I am falsely accused and I freely double their award it shows my
faith in God. He has already made it
clear that he isn’t as proud when we take our punishment well when we are the
ones at fault (1 Peter 2:20).
41 And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with
him twain.
The first verse speaks of getting even or not getting
even. The second speaks against even
defending yourself in the face of serious adversity or false trials. This verse is all about giving excellent
service even when forced into it. I
remember a tract I read years ago that showed a soldier praying in the
barracks. All the other guys laughed at
him and would throw their combat boots at him while he prayed. The next morning each man’s shoes were by his
bunk and had been expertly polished.
Later the soldier rescued the worst of his abusers and was killed saving
his life. In the eyes of that Christian
soldier, he died for someone who was not ready to meet his maker because HE
was. Can you be moved to pay the
greatest price for someone who can’t even afford a down payment?
42 Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would
borrow of thee turn not thou away.
Here’s another one I’ve heard time and time again,
“Ugh! They keep asking me to loan them
money and NEVER pay me back!” The truth
is, they can’t. They are either too
poor, too disorganized or too greedy to pay you back. They may have even meant it when they asked
for a loan rather than a handout. This
is why God said, “The poor you have with you ALWAYS.” There will always be poor because there will
always be those who DO NOT TRUST GOD. We
just need to be sure we are not that person.
Once you’ve learned to trust God with everything you will never lack
anything. That does not mean you will
always be a walking bank account but it does mean that God NEVER fails the
faith of His children. Giving to the
poor is like lending to the Lord. God
always pays His debts (Proverbs 19:17).
43 Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love
thy neighbor, and hate thine enemy. 44 But I say unto you, Love your enemies,
bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them
which despitefully use you, and persecute you; 45 That ye may be the children
of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil
and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.
In Luke 10:29 a lawyer came to Jesus and asked, “Who is my
neighbor?” Scripture tells us that he
was trying to justify himself and we can only surmise that he had many in his
life that he would have excluded from this circle. Jesus told him the story of a man beaten and
robbed on the road to Jericho. The first
man to come upon him was a priest, one of the workers in the Temple in
Jerusalem. He crossed the road and
passed by on the other side without even ascertaining if the man was an Israeli
or a foreigner. The next was of the
tribe of Levi, a chief priest, and he too passed by on the other side.
Finally, and fortunately for the bleeding and unconscious
man, a Samaritan came by and had pity on the poor soul. The Jews hated the Samaritans and called them
half breeds and low life’s ever since the northern ten tribes were hauled off
to Assyria and the poor locals who stayed followed a diluted form of Judaism
with Samaria as their capitol. Jesus
spoke in Samaria to the woman at the well and His disciples were shocked both
because He spoke to an unaccompanied woman and because he spoke to a
Samaritan. Jesus even told the woman
that the Samaritan’s didn’t understand God’s Word (John 4:22-24).
In His parable though, a Samaritan had compassion on the
wounded man and because of his compassion, showed himself to be a neighbor to
the man, even offering to pay all his medical expenses, room and board. Jesus told the Lawyer, “Your neighbor is
whoever you open your heart to.” The
organized churches, the deacons and door keepers weren’t his neighbor. The five fold ministry wasn’t his
neighbor. His true neighbor and worthy
of our Lord’s honor was a mongrel dog who no Jew would give a second glance to.
The beaten man was likely a Jew even though it does not
say. The stripping of his clothing is
important because it meant he could not be identified by his rank or station in
life. All he had was his humanity and
the open heart of a half-Jew Samaritan who even Jesus acknowledged didn’t
understand salvation. In other words, he
was like us, a gentile with a heart, and
he cared for a man because it was in his heart to do so. He was not a man of God but a sinner, and yet
Jesus chose him to make a point.
We are mongrel half-breed dogs who were grafted into the
kingdom of God by faith, not pedigree. I
find it exhilarating that God not only expects us to exceed the righteousness
of the scribes and Pharisees (Matthew 5:20), but to go beyond the example of
the Samaritan and to LOVE your enemies.
This is not a suggested goal, but God’s way for you to ensure your
reward in Heaven is secure. You might
love the odd sister in the church amen corner but God is saying to love the
blaspheming atheist who curses your God and you.
Can you find that kind of love in you? Probably not unless you have pressed hard
into our Lord. We do not carry that type
of love except we allow God to sprinkle it throughout our hearts by His Holy Spirit. We must draw this love from Him by remaining
close to His heart and in constant communion (1 Thessalonians 5:14-22). Only in this manner can we love those who
hate us. An unwillingness to love them
tells you how far you are from God’s heart.
God desires to bless all mankind and He desires his children to help
make it possible.
46 For if ye love them which love you, what reward have
ye? do not even the publicans the same?
We always use the term publicans and I wonder if we get
it. After all the news in the past few
days, let me try another way. Jesus made
an IRS agent (Tax Collector) one of His disciples. Verse 46 could read, “If you only love those
who love you back, what reward do you expect to receive from God. Even IRS agents (Tax Collectors) do
that.” Writing this must have given
Matthew pause since he was in effect speaking of his life before Jesus chose
him as a disciple and set him free.
47 And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more
than others? do not even the publicans so?
This should present you with a picture of the Hollywood
beautiful people who kiss each other’s cheeks while ignoring the unwashed
masses who flock to their movies. This
is something most of us can work on.
When you witness God’s love, who are you reaching out to? I have to say that in every church I have
ever attended I have seen a mix of good looking and homely, fat and thin, smart
and not so smart, wise and just a bit crazy.
I have seen those who seem to have it all together in their lives and those
who couldn’t find IT with a flashlight and a map.
I have heard of those churches where only the Christian
beautiful people rule but I have never seen one myself. When you go out and see a need, do what you
can to meet that need. Your very
personality or place of residence or employment will have much to do with who
you minister to, but do not allow Satan to rise up in your heart and make you
withhold your love from a wounded soul.
If God has brought them to you it is for their good and your blessing.
48 Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is
in heaven is perfect.
As Paul wrote in Philippians 3:12-16, “Not that I have now attained this ideal, or have already been made
perfect, but I press forward to lay hold of and make my own, that life for
which Christ Jesus has laid hold of me and made me HIS own.
I do not consider,
brethren, that I have captured and made it my own yet; but one thing I do, and it is my only aspiration: I
will forget what lies behind and strain forward to what lies ahead,
I press on toward the
goal to win the supreme and heavenly prize to which God in Christ Jesus is
calling us upward.
Let those of us who
are spiritually mature and full- grown have this mind and hold these
convictions; and if in any respect you have a different and less enlightened
attitude of mind, God will make that clear to you also.” – and help you
grow past it.
Beloved, I too do not claim to have apprehended this
marvelous goal, but I strive daily to attain this heart and mind. I pray you will join me in this daily press.
The Lord move powerfully upon you in Jesus’ blessed name.
Bishop J.
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