Lesson 5: The Law of Retribution.
In the light of verse 19, Jesus continues to explain to his disciples that his teaching does not do away with the law, rather his teaching supersedes the law. In effect Jesus is raising the standard of what it means to be a “righteous” individual. Then He illustrates this point with specific examples related to the Law. In fact, he places anger, lust, divorce, oaths, and retaliation on the same moral plane as murder, adultery, and perjury. Over the next few weeks we will go over these particulars that Jesus has given us.
Note: While Jesus raises the standard of righteous conduct in this passage, he does not reveal the mechanism by which we arrive at this level of righteousness. On its face, Jesus is placing the Kingdom of Heaven out of reach for everyone. Later passages in the New Testament reveal that the Christian’s righteousness is given to him or her by Jesus Christ and acted out in the Christian as he or she walks in the Holy Spirit. This does not mean that Christians are immune to sin, because believers can and do still sin; however, the spirit of the believer longs to not sin, that is, be righteous. A repentant heart can always find restoration to righteousness in Jesus Christ.
Tempering our Reactions.
"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 the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if anyone would sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. And if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. Give to the one who begs from you, and do not refuse the one who would borrow from you. [Mat 5:38-42 ESV]You may wonder how taking an "eye for an eye" could be seen as a form of righteousness. In Leviticus 24:17-22 God gives instructions on the law of retribution. This law was the civil and criminal code for the nation of Israel. It required that punishment for a crime must fit the crime. The punishment was to be neither excessive or lenient. For that reason, an eye for an eye was an act of righteousness.
Establishing the first premise: The call to personal righteousness.
Jesus is calling us to live in a state of mind in which we do not seek personal revenge for wrongs done to us. Instead, Jesus calls Christians to practice a life of personal forgiveness.
We can only forgive offences made against ourselves.
It is important to realize that some offences toward an individual are also offences in other spheres of influence. For instance, if someone murders a person I love, multiple offences occur.
- One is against me,
- another is against civil government,
- and yet another is against God.
While I can forgive the offence against me, I cannot forgive those against government or God. It is not consistent with the rest of scripture to take this passage as a prohibition against justice rendered in a recognized civil government.
The most drastic action of any civil government, capital punishment, was sanctioned by God in Genesis 9:6:
"Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed, for God made man in his own image. [Gen 9:6 ESV]He reaffirms this in Romans 13:
"Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, for he is God's servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God's wrath on the wrongdoer. "[Rom 13:1-4 ESV]
However, we can advocate before God for those who have done evil against us.
"But I say to you who hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. [Luk 6:27-28 ESV]Behavior toward those who claim offence from us.
Jesus tells us that if someone sue to take away our tunic, give them the cloak also. In other word, we are to live in such a way that our honesty will be above question. If we do cause an offence, it is a righteous thing to go out of our way to make restitution.
Behavior toward those who would take advantage of us.
Jesus uses a hated practice of the Roman government to illustrate this point. A Roman soldier could compel a civilian to carry his pack for him for a mile. Jesus says to take it two miles. It is important to remember that when I got saved, I surrendered my rights for the mission of his kingdom.
As believers, you and I have a greater call than the pursuit of personal justice. We are to pursue personal righteousness. In so doing we bear a light for His Kingdom.
To go to the next lesson, click HERE.
