“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 one who is evil. But if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also; and if anyone would sue you and take your coat, let him have your cloak as well; and if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. Give to him who begs from you, and do not refuse him who would borrow from you.”
Matthew 5:38-42
Most of us are familiar with the Ten Commandments. There are actually 603 other commandments in the Old Testament books of Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy, for a total of 613 commandments. The first five books of the Old Testament, sometimes referred to as the Pentateuch, contain all of what is called “The Mosaic Law”, or the Law as handed by God to Moses on Mount Sinai. Some of the “laws” are written more than once. The word “Deuteronomy” actually means “the second (deuteron) giving of the law (nomos). A lot of this book is Moses’ farewell instructions to the Israelites before his death and their entrance into the Land of Canaan, and in these instructions, he reiterates many of the 613 commandments.
One of the commandments which is written more than once concerns In Exodus 21:23-25 we read “if any harm follows, then you shall give life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, stripe for stripe.” Leviticus 24:20 reads “fracture for fracture, eye for eye, tooth for tooth; as he has disfigured a man, he shall be disfigured.” And Deuteronomy 19:21 reads “your eye shall not pity; it shall be life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.” This concept of equal retaliation and punishment was well ingrained in the culture of the Israelites.
In the Sermon on the Mount, and following in His ministry, Christ would in many instances turn the Law on its head and tell people to do the opposite. In reflecting on this, one might wonder not why Jesus changed the Law but why would God have set this austere Law to begin with. Christ preached love, and it seems like the Old Testament was preaching punishment and vengeance.
The world was created out of God’s love. Human beings were created in God’s image and likeness (Genesis 1:16-27) so we were created as an image of love. God’s hope for humanity was a communion of love between man and God. At the Fall, when mankind willfully went away from God, not only was the relationship severed, but disorder entered into the world. The image of love was distorted with the entrance of sin. God couldn’t send Christ into the world to bring back the concept of love. The first thing that needed to be dealt with was the disorder. Law provides order and justice. It does not provide love. That’s why in the scales of justice, the symbol of justice is wearing a blindfold, completely impartial to emotion and love, only seeking justice.
Christ came into the world not just to enforce justice, but to preach love, and to transform the world back to the original image of love, rather than the distorted one of sin. We still have a need for order in the world. The teaching of Christ does not contradict the right of the state to protect citizens and punish wrongdoers. There is still justice and a need for justice, and in the justice system, there is also mercy, which is why it is so difficult for the person who is a judge—who must meet out justice, and also weigh mercy.
This teaching of Jesus leaves legal justice to the judges, but for the Christian, we are called to a law of love. We are not to meet violence with more violence. In Hebrews 2:1-3, we read Therefore we must pay the closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away form it. For it the message declared by angels was valid and every transgression or disobedience received a just retribution, how shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation? And in Psalm 130:3 we read, If Thou, o Lord, shouldst mark iniquities, Lord, who could stand? These examples remind us that God is merciful, and that if we were to be punished for each iniquity, no one would be able to stand before God or enter into the Kingdom of heaven. If God, then, is a God of mercy, then we should be merciful as well. God is also a judge, as we read in Matthew 25:31-46, the parable of the Last Judgment. But eternal justice belongs to the Lord, and legal justice belongs to the courts. The human being is called to a life of mercy. Hence Christ tells us to turn the other cheek if someone strikes us. And to give someone our cloak as well as our coat.
The teaching to “give to the one who begs from you” (Matthew 5:42) causes a conundrum. What do we do then with the people on the side of the road who are begging? We see them all the time in our cities. This is part of our using what we’ve been given (parable of the talents, Matthew 25:14-30) in deciding to be charitable to those who are less fortunate. In our parish, we support agencies that aid those who are in need in our city. Several times a year, we make “bags of love” which parishioners take and give to people on the side of the street—these contain water, snacks and hygiene products. Because of the abuse of where the funding goes, we make a point of generously supporting agencies who provide appropriate aid.
The message from this section of the Sermon on the Mount is that we are not to meet evil with evil. The person who is evil can only be changed by being exposed to what is good. We are to endure with patience, understanding, and mercy. Meeting evil with our own evil only causes us to become angry and not loving. When the Law was given, the intention was to bring back order into disorder. But the ultimate goal of God was to restore a relationship of love. This is why Christ came, not to enforce the Law, but to reframe the Law under a new law of love, which is why the 613 commandments are summarized into two—love God and love your neighbor—and Christ said in Matthew 22:40, “On these two commandments depend all the Law and the prophets.”
Out of the depths I cry to Thee, O Lord! Lord, hear my voice! Let Thy ears be attentive to the voice of my supplications! If Thou, O Lord, shouldst mark iniquities, Lord, who could stand? But there is forgiveness with Thee that Thou mayest be feared. I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in His word I hope; my soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen for the morning, more than watchmen for the morning. O Israel, hope in the Lord! For with the Lord there is steadfast love, and with Him is plenteous redemption. And He will redeem Israel from all His iniquities. Psalm 130
Point to ponder: How can you do a better job of being merciful when you are wronged, and avoiding the temptation to want to “get even”?
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