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.”
