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“Ye have heard that it hath been said,
An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.” This was given to the
judges in Israel so as to maintain justice, law and order in the nation. The
main intent of this Mosaic legislation was to control excesses and restrain
crime. The punishment was made to fit the crime and not to be in excess of it.
This law, given to be administered in the proper courts of law, worked far more
equitably than the system of fines. The system of fines allows rich men to
offend with comparative impunity but this law was a great check on the criminal
tendencies of the poor and the rich alike.
The Pharisees and
scribes ignored the fact that this law was for the judges only. They made it a
matter for personal application. They removed the law from its context and
setting and gave licence to their followers to revenge and retaliate. We must
remember that even the Old Testament did not give this enactment to the
individual, but rather to the judges. The vengeful spirit is contrary to the
Spirit of Christ. Christ demands that our personal relationships be ruled by
the spirit of love and not by the rule of law.
“But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil.” It is
necessary to “rightly divide the word of truth” here. Just as
verse 38 is not given to individuals to take laws into their hands, so also
verse 39 is not given to regulate the relationships between citizens and the
government, children and their parents, learners and their teacher, disciples
and their master, employees and their employer or the wife and her husband
(Romans 13:1-7; Mark 7:9-13; Matthew 16:21-23; Ephesians 6:5-8; 5:28-31). Also
we need to understand that from the life of Christ, our perfect Example, to “turn
the other cheek ” is not to be interpreted or observed literally. “And
when He had thus spoken, one of the officers which stood by struck Jesus with
the palm of his hand, saying, Answerest Thou the high priest so? Jesus answered
him, If I have spoken evil, bear witness of the evil: but if well, WHY SMITEST
THOU ME?” (John 18:22,23). Let us also note that “resist
not evil ” does not mean that we are to deliberately expose ourselves
to danger (John 8:59; Matthew 10:23; Acts 12:5-18). In Christ’s teaching,
“that ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right
cheek, turn to him the other also”, He was directing us to be dead to
self and not seek to retaliate or revenge whatever persecutors or neighbours
do.
Matthew 5:40-42 instructs us to live a life of practical love, peace
and righteousness. It is God’s will and this is Christ’s way “that we may
lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty” (1
Timothy 2:2). God’s Word teaches the believer to maintain a life of
righteousness in his relationship to the government, to members of his family,
to brethren in the church and to neighbours and enemies in the world. These
different relationships are often addressed in different passages of Scripture.
If we take a verse of Scripture out of its context of controlling our attitude
towards enemies and persecutors and apply it to our family or fellowship
relationships, our interpretation would be false and misleading.
Matthew 5:40 relates
to an adversary engaged in a law suit, not a thief or a robber. Matthew 5:41 is
not referring to a neighbour but an officer with authority from the government
(Matthew 27:32; Mark 15:21). Matthew 5:42 directs us to give of what belongs to
us. We cannot give others what does not belong to us. We are to give generously
to the poor and the needy. There is no encouragement here or in any other
passage of Scripture to give anything to a covetous man who is asking only to
feed his lust.
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