Matthew 5:38-42, Retaliation during your ministry

Tod Kennedy, April 13, 2005

Key Verse of Matthew 5. Matthew 5:20 “For I say to you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.”

1.     Outline of Matthew 5

a.      Characteristics of Kingdom people, the repentant people, or the righteous remnant (Matthew 5:1-16).

b.     Christ’s relationship to the Old Testament (Matthew 5:17-19). Christ fulfills the Law.

c.      Kingdom righteousness contrasted with the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees (Matthew 5:20).

d.     Illustrations of Kingdom righteousness contrasted with the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees (Matthew 5:21-48).

i.        Personal conflicts (Matthew 5:21-26).

ii.      Man and woman relationships (Matthew 5:27-32).

iii.    Vows (Matthew 5:33-37).

iv.    Retaliation (Matthew 5:38-42).

v.      Love your enemies (Matthew 5:43-48).

 Matthew 5:38-42, Retaliation during your ministry

1.     Remember the context for Jesus sermon. Jesus has to contend with the current religious thinking of the Scribes and Pharisees They followed the oral law—the interpretations, explanations, and expansion of the written law. This was the Mishnah.

a.      Jews believed that the oral law also came to Moses at Sinai. This oral law had equal authority with the written law. By the third century AD the oral law had taken a written form. (The Mishnah, Tranlsated from the Hebrew with introduction and brief explanatory notes by Herbert Danby, Oxford University Press, 1933)

b.     Later, Jewish scholars wrote commentaries on the Mishnah. These commentaries were called Talmuds. The Jerusalem Talmud has twelve printed volumes and the Babylonian Talmud has sixty printed volumes.

2.     The Jewish community was regulated by this oral law, and this oral law was oppressive and works oriented. Jesus had to prepare his disciples to minister in that kind of a world.

a.      Jesus’ main audience in this sermon is his disciples (5:1-2). They will soon be sent to preach the kingdom to Israel (10:1-11:1). He instructs them in the Word of God in contrast to the oral law.

b.     The frame of reference for Jesus and his disciples is the OT and its promise of a coming Jewish Messianic kingdom.

c.      So, when he gives these instructions, he is directing them to this group of people.

d.     We in the church gain principles for living, but we must be careful. We live under a different economy.

e.      When we think of the interpretation, we must go back to that time and put ourselves in the disciples sandals and realize that we are about to go about the country preaching the kingdom. We will face much opposition. How were we expected to act?

f.       Even today, if a missionary is mocked or physically attacked, the worst thing to do is to retaliate in kind.

i.        John Wesley, in his journals, records many incidents when he was attacked while trying to preach. He did not retaliate.

3.     The “you have heard that it was said” (5:38) is about the Old Testament law of Lex Talionis or law of retaliation (Matthew 5:38-42). The OT law contained this for both the protection of those injured and therefore as a deterrent to crime and to limit retaliation.

a.      He begins the usual way by saying “you have heard” (5:38). He is taking something well known from the religious authorities and the Old Testament and will now correct misunderstandings and misapplications.

b.     The “eye for an eye” limited retaliation equal compensation (Exodus 21:24; Leviticus 24:19-20; Deuteronomy 19:21). It was enacted to protect from vengeance. This principle is sometimes used today to support revenge. That was not the reason for this law. And, this law does not apply today.

c.      This law could degenerate into vengeance, and God did not want his people to take vengeance (Leviticus 19:18).

4.     The primary command is “do not resist an evil person” when he takes advantage of you while out preaching the kingdom message.

a.      The evil person (poneros. Evil in a moral sense. Used of people, evil spirits, and things such as thoughts) is one who opposes the kingdom message and attacks the disciples.

5.     Jesus gives four illustrations of kinds of incidents: slap, take your shirt, go two miles, and borrow some kind of personal wealth.

a.      Matthew 5:39, the slap on the face. The slap is primarily a sign of disrespect (39). Do not let this cause you to strike back. If you do, your pride has taken control of you. Stand your ground and take the slap on the other cheek, too. This shows self control, lack of retaliation, and does not give the attacker a reason to shun the kingdom message.

b.     Matthew 4:40, to sue for one’s shirt.

i.        The word “sue” in the NASB is krino (κρίνω), which mean to judge, decide, give an opinion. It does not necessarily refer to a legal case, though it can.

ii.      The shirt is the kiton (χιτών) (40). This is the undershirt or underclothes. It is the garment often worn next to the skin. The coat is himation (ἱμάτιον) a general garment and refers here to one’s coat.

iii.    Jesus said that if an attacker wants your underwear, let him take it. Give him your coat, too.

1)     How were the disciples to understand this? If one gives all his clothes away, he will not have any clothes left. He will be naked. Does Jesus want his messengers to be naked? No, this is an exaggeration in order to teach a point.

2)     The OT law said that the coat was so important to an individual that it had to be returned at night (Exodus 22.26; Deuteronomy 24:13).

3)     The point is to take a loss for the sake of the message. Jesus tells them to not allow people to distract them from the job he sends them to do.

iv.    Does this apply today? Only in the sense that we are not to retaliate  or seek revenge when someone attacks us when we are witnessing and ministering. We must not get drawn into distractions and act like unbelievers.

c.      Matthew 5:41, to go two miles instead of just one mile (41). What does that mean? At that time in history the Roman army has the authority to commandeer a civilian and make him carry his equipment for him. The law limited the distance for the work to one Roman mile. This made the proud Jew mad. Here a Gentile ordered him, a Jew, to carry baggage for a Roman soldier. Roman soldiers pressed Somone of Cyrene into service of carrying Jesus’ cross (Matthew 27:32).

i.        Jesus told his disciples to do as requested, and to even offer to carry it an extra mile. This would make an impression on the Roman soldier.

ii.      What about today? When you are serving the Lord and an unbeliever  forces you to do some task for him, do it and do it with a good attitude. This will help to gain a hearing for the message.

d.     Matthew 5:42, give to him who asks. What about the one who want to borrow money or part of your wealth (42)?

i.        The Old Testament allows loans, but the Jews were not to charge interest to one of their countryman (Exodus 22:25; Leviticus 25:37; Deuteronomy 23:19).

ii.      If one did loan to a countryman, he was to do so with grace and generosity (Deuteronomy 15:7-11; Psalm 37:26; 112:5).

iii.    Proverbs 11:15; 17:18; and 22:26 indicate that one must be careful about loaning money. There are times when one should not loan.

iv.    Therefore, this verse is not advocating spreading our wealth on whomever may ask.

v.      The point is that when the disciples were out preaching they were to be generous to others if they were able.

6.     We have studied the interpretation of these verses. They are ministry related. So what does all of this mean to me in the church age?

a.      Do not let pride get in the way of preaching and teaching and witnessing.

b.     Do not retaliate if someone disrespects you because of the gospel.

c.      Do not get into legal arguments with those over non-essentials such as your shirt or coat. You can get another.

d.     Surprise the mocker or one who wants to take advantage of you in the ministry and do more than he asks.