Matt 5:38 You have heard that it was said, An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. 39 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. 40 And if anyone would sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. 41 And if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles.
It's clear, Jesus is not attempting to degrade this OT teaching, rather He's showing a better way to deal with matters of personal offense. While unchecked, can lead to the potentially lethal game of "retributive, tit-for tat".
Our fallen instinct leans naturally toward retaliation, and depending upon one's temperament may range from the passive-aggressive, "silent treatment" to a flying roundhouse kick. Both, can be summarized as form of conquering, "evil, with evil".
The New Testament offers a different way for the individual to address the evil which leaves one offended. There are at least 3 ways (I realize there are others) the bible calls us to deal with matters of offense:
1. We're to call "evil", "evil":
2. We're urged to not respond by furthering evil, w/ more evil:
3. We're to give place for God to do what God is exceptionally skilled at...Namely, execute Righteous Justice. (in other words, "trust God")
1. We are to call "evil", "evil":
I find that people can often get stuck in a, "black or white", extremism. An example may go something like this, "If I'm not to retaliate with "evil", then I'll just ignore it altogether". Yet, Jesus doesn't teach us to ignore it. Actually, we're to acknowledge it, but when the retributive instinct revs up, it's to be controlled & calculated. Some things which offend us are not necessarily "evil", rather, we're thin-skinned. In short, we're encouraged to call, "evil", "evil", and not just pretend it doesn't exist.
2. We're urged to not respond by furthering evil, w/ more evil:
Responses to the various offenses, Jesus suggests are, innovative! They're intended to drive home truth, with vividness.
For instance, "if anyone would sue you". This illustrates a person who is unjustly & shamefully sued by a powerful individual and this process has proven dishonorable & dehumanizing. It's so bad, that his very underwear (tunic), were taken, and all he had left is his outer-garment (shirt).
What's this guy to do?
He's out gunned! Out lawyered! Out maneuvered!
His options for retaliation are slim!
He may not posses power to turn the tables of Justice. But he does have: dignity, value & respect, gifted by God, to communicate to the evil suer & the courtroom by way of a, living/creative parable, what was done to him was, "shameful", all the while reflecting something of the giving nature of God.
How?
Jesus says, give to him your "outer-garment" too!
By this time, methinks Jesus' audience was chuckling at the thought of this divine version of, "stick it to the man", took the form of a naked guy, standing in a full courtroom of gawkers. This action showed in a poignant way:
+generosity (giving away your goods),
+a shout of attention to what, really happened by saying in essence "look at me...this (naked body) is what you've really done" and was "shameful",
+all while leaving space for God to move.
Jesus' suggestion replaces the default reaction of, "evil retribution" with a more "creative retribution", which paves the way for, evil to be conquered, light to push back darkness, salt to preserve the decay, and for offenders to see a reflection of the goodness of God.
[One final thought here: Jesus' statements are filled with hyperbole, and intended to get the audiences attention (like, cutting off the offending hand in Matt. 5:30) & not intended as the final instruction for your next court appearance.]
3. We're to give place for God to do what God is exceptionally skilled at...Namely, execute Righteous Justice. (in other words, "trust God")
Paul the apostle in Romans 12 + 13, gives sound insight for discerning & distinguishing between two types of offense & means of retribution/justice regarding them. I'll break it down like so:
1. Personal Offense:
2. Civil Offense:
1. Personal Offense - The list mentioned by Jesus in Matt 5:39-41, are not "illegal", but nonetheless, cause great offense and emotional/physical pain... e.g.
+Slap on the cheek: acceptable behavior in the 1st century albeit, insulting & humiliating.
+Persecution: (as Paul mentions) No laws protected Christians from, being shunned, abandoned, mocked or cursed, and this was extremely painful & hurtful to all who felt it.
To this type of offensive & belittling conduct, Paul wrote:
Romans 12:17 Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. 18 If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. 19 Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord. 20 To the contrary, if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head. 21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
In these instances, ultimate "retribution/justice" or "vengeance" is to be reserved for God & God alone. From His vantage point, He sorts through, "right from wrong" & "intention from action", while we in the meantime called to live out, in parable form, the kindness and generosity of God, by "giving" good things which aim to bless our enemy (food & water). Doing so, will be like "heaping burning coals on their head" (vss 20). The synonymous phrase for this in our culture is, "kill them with kindness". This is what I mean by, "Creative Retribution". It addresses evil in a way which creatively reveals, it's shame, while bearing blessings to the wrongdoer (something God does, everyday-Matt. 5:45).
2. Civil Offense: The second type of Retribution/Justice God executes, happens to be done thru Civil Government....(Yup, Obama, Sotomayer, non Christian legal systems etc, and all those other people, modern Christians feel license to gossip about & hate.) If I understand Paul's reasoning in Romans 13:1-7, this is exactly his train of thought.
These offenses, unlike the ones stated above, have civil/legal consequences and will be tried/tested & judged through a legal system dominated by unbelievers, (though some may not be) considered, "ministers of God" (Rom. 13:1, 4+ 6). Thus when a verdict is rendered, a judgement is passed this, is equivalent to God's vengeance being executed (in an immediate sense, not replacing the ultimate & eternal).
Rom. 13:4 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. 5 Therefore one must be in subjection, not only to avoid God's wrath but also for the sake of conscience.
It is because God, has entrusted Civil Retribution/Justice, into the hands of human government, we ought to do as Paul exhorts...Pray for these leaders, that the judgements they make may lead to a peaceful existence. (1 Tim 2:1-2)
In summary, Christians, (who are privileged with dual Citizenship) may freely & joyfully, submit to all civil leaders, as unto the Lord (Rom 1:1), bless those who offend them, and freely give away what we have, all as a means of, "creative retribution", simply because we are guaranteed that our Just God has got our back!
Solid post, Bryan. Thanks for the challenge. It's hard to swallow pride as finite creations and trust that this "creative retribution" is the way we've been called live by the IN-finite Creator. I'll be doin' some thinking about this...
ReplyDeleteIt is so interesting you write this, I had a kind of experience of this topic just last night and was so stoked to read this because it's absolutely true! God definitely has our back and when you pray instead of retaliate, He really can blow evil out of the water! Awesome Bryan!
ReplyDeleteThank you for writing about this. It is something that is rarely talked about yet is necessary. Definitely a character issue that the Lord has been working on in me over the past year, and the Lord encouraged me to do a study about His justice in scripture. My favorite was Luke 18 vs 7 "now, will not God bring about justice for His elect who cry to Him day and night, and will He delay long over them?"
ReplyDeleteAnd if you put a gospel lens on it - (It has been like Close Encounters of the Third Kind ever since the light went on with that concept - Im starting to see the gospel in mashed potatoes... jk). If Jesus is the fulfillment of the law, then fairness and justice is now bound up in and poured out in Him. When we retaliate, we are not only positioning ourselves as judges, but we are also eclipsing the demonstration of our communion with grace.
ReplyDeleteAlso, our retribution is horribly ineffective at actually solving the root of the evil (wait was that our goal?;) ). When I retaliate- to achieve fairness- I definitely get distracted by things like... my self, my feelings, my new 'call-you-out' verbs. Unfortunately, in the flesh, I think Id rather take two teeth for my one (Im just being honest). Also, I don't have the ability to see what led up to the other person's demonstration of evil. I fail.
However, Christ's retribution is total and hits the right target. Our freedom in wearing his grace is to drop our tunics, our garments, and fig leaves, and let evil wear itself out - even out of those we are tempted to accuse.
I like how you distinguished the "calling (of) evil, evil," which is not the same as retribution. Im sure a primary tweaking of this scripture could fuel the hesitance to leave an abusive relationship, call a spade a spade, ect.
Hi Bryan, I'm so bummed I haven't around to participate more in these discussions. You are doing a wonderful job of carefully and helpfully providing content and guidance for our consideration on these issues. Thanks and peace! (steven)
ReplyDelete