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.
In concert with the rest of the words of Jesus in Matthew 5, these words don’t seek to create new law; the intent of the words of Jesus in this passage is not to create a society devoid of justice. He seeks to invite the hearer of His words to consider their hearts. Hearing these words even two thousand years later challenges our hearts and invites us to reflection on what we value.*
In the understanding of the people of the time of Jesus, “an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth” was not a rule of personal revenge, but a precept of law that demanded that all people, no matter their rank or social status, receive equal justice in the court of law.*
The original hearers of the words of Jesus would have also understood that a slap to the jaw was not a physically injuring act, but one of societal implications: it was the most severe attack on a person’s personal dignity that could be offered.*
Furthermore, in the time of Jesus, the cloak was the outermost garment. For the poor, it was used as a bed. As such, by biblical law, every person in that society had a right to their garment, so it could not be taken away even overnight.*
When was the last time someone forced you to walk a mile? For the Jewish people under Roman oppression, a situation such as this might have been more likely than for our context today. Jesus encourages them to “go the extra mile” for leadership, even if that leadership is oppressive.*
Finally, Jesus invites the hearer not to refuse needs when brought to them.
Here is the overarching question Jesus asked the people of His day. It is the same question He asks us today: what is in your heart? Said another way, what do you value?
It’s easy to get caught up in one extreme or the other. In one season of our lives, we view ourselves too highly. In another, we do not value ourselves at all. Swinging between pendulums of self-worth, we forget who we are and how to walk as people of the Kingdom of God.
To misinterpret the words of Jesus in Matthew 5 as more law set before us is to walk around in a world of injustice, naked and penniless.
What happens when the evil person comes against you? What happens when someone publicly humiliates you in the most grievous way possible? What happens when someone attempts to use the law to take what is closest to you and provides you comfort? What happens when authority abuses that authority to send you on a journey? What do you do when needs are before you or you stand to lose something owed back to you?
What is in your heart?
Jesus invites those who hold membership in the Kingdom of Heaven to remember who they are as children of God. When these things happen, the Kingdom person must not default to the rules of society or the impulses of human nature. The Kingdom person must remember that their source of justice, provision, comfort, and reward comes from God and nowhere else.
The person who understands this may not always allow others to do these things to them, but they certainly won’t default to societal norms of self-protection. Led by the voice of the Holy Spirit, the Kingdom person will play by the rules of the Kingdom. Want to know what that looks like? Going back to the Beatitudes is a good place to start.
Today, take a step.
Maybe today the one step God wants you to take is to relinquish your own attempts to protect yourself. Perhaps today God is asking you to let go of your version of justice and to pick up His version. Maybe God wants you to change your focus from fighting for yourself and turn it toward standing up for someone else. Perhaps God wants you to remember who you are.
Whatever the step, ask God to direct it. Take a moment to take that step. Invite Him to speak. He will.
Life is a long road. Walk it with Jesus. Take a step today… just one is fine.
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*Leon, Morris, The Gospel According to Matthew. Pillar New Testament Commentary (Wm. B. Eerdmans, 1992), 125-128, and Keener, C. S., Matthew (Vol. 1, Mt 5:38-40) (InterVarsity Press, 1997).