A Message From The Heart
An Eye for an Eye (Matt 5:38-42)
By: Pastor Curtis Baker
Moving on from the subject of integrity, Jesus now brings us to two of the hardest teachings in his Sermon on the Mount (Matt 5:38-48). Their difficulty lies in the fact that they seem so unnatural to us in all our relationships with others. But before we follow Jesus there, let me make a quick observation that I hope to be helpful to our discussion.
One of the most important distinctions we can make when it comes to specific teachings in the Bible is to understand the difference between “wisdom” and “law.” A quick way of distinguishing the two would be to say that wisdom teaches one how to live life in all its various situations, while the law tells one how to respond in specific circumstances. In other words, wisdom is about character, while law is about obedience to a rule, despite what our character may be. For example, the wise person develops a character that will no longer want what other people have, while the person obedient to the law may avoid stealing because of the legal consequences, but would take something if they knew they wouldn’t get caught. You see the difference. Another important difference between wisdom and the law is that law cannot produce righteousness. The law, at its best, sets up standards of minimal decency. “Do not murder, do not steal, do not commit adultery,” are all laws that help make society a decent and good place to live, but as we have noted over the last several weeks, just because someone keeps the letter of “the law,” does not mean that their character is truly “good.”
This distinction is very important for understanding what Jesus teaches next in his sermon. Drawing on the same kind of pattern that he has used in the previous four teachings (Matt 5:21-37), Jesus refers back to the well known law of reciprocity: “You have heard that it was said, ‘an eye for an eye….'” The law that Jesus is referring back to is from Leviticus 24:20 where the law limited what could be done in return for an injury. Compared to the standards of modern society, the law seems a bit rugged, but one has to appreciate the great advance this was in ancient society. Everyone knows that the human impulse for revenge is very strong. If someone injures you, the immediate reaction is to inflict even more harm on the perpetrator than he inflicted on you. Under the Old Testament law, this was prohibited. If someone broke your arm, you couldn’t break both of his arms in return. It is a way of legislating “minimal decency.” But despite the advance that this law made in ancient culture, it still could not touch the real problem of the human heart, which is the desire for revenge.
This deeper issue of the heart is what Jesus is speaking to in Matthew 5:38-42. The law was effective enough in keeping people from seeking disproportionate retaliation, but it did not really speak to one of the most common problems in human relationships. We so badly want to be right, or at the very least, not to be taken advantage of, that we set up all kinds of walls in our heart to make sure this is so. But these walls are very harmful to human relationships, and keep us from being the kind of people God made us to be. So rather than insisting on our own way, or retaliating back when wronged, Jesus shows that the wise heart of a Christian is to be one that is not primarily concerned with those things. How can that be? It is because Christians are those who live with an eternal perspective. Because we know, ultimately, that we are beyond harm–that our future is secured for us–we don’t have to use means of self protection that other people feel obligated to use. This does not mean that self protection is not sometimes necessary; that is the difference between wisdom and law! But it does mean that self protection is not our first impulse. In Matt 5:38-42 Jesus gives several illustrations of what a disciple of his might do in different circumstances.. Next week we’ll look closely at those examples. God bless!
(“A Message from the Heart” radio program is moving from Saturday mornings to Sunday night at 8:00 p.m. Please join us on KJAK 92.7 FM or streaming live on www.kjak.com.)
Curtis Baker (curtisbaker@hotmail.com)
Write to: P.O. Box 157, Slaton, TX 79364
