Jump Start # 979

Matthew 5:39 “But I say to you, do not resist an evil person; but whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also.”

Our passage today comes from Jesus’ sermon on the mount—the greatest sermon preached by the greatest preacher of all time. These are not nice words. They are radical. They cut against the grain of Jewish teaching and they are counter to human nature. Our verse is in a mini section that deals with enemies. It a perfect world we would never have enemies. This world is not perfect. I have heard brethren proudly say, ‘I have no enemies.’ That’s nothing to be boastful nor proud about. If you follow Christ, you have enemies. They will hate you because they hate Him.

This mini section in the sermon on the mount deals with resistance to the enemy. What is our response when the enemies strike. We are not the offense but the defense here. The common thought is to fight back. The Jewish teaching was “eye for an eye,” which came from the Law. Jesus was changing all of that. His followers would walk by a higher way and a deeper concern, even for enemies.

Jesus said:

• Do not resist an evil person (39)
• If slapped on the right cheek, turn the other to him (39)
• If sued for your shirt, let them have your coat also (40)
• If compelled to go one mile, go two (41)
• When asked, give (42)
• Do not refuse someone who wants to borrow (42)

These words are hard to apply. It seems like the follower of Jesus is being taken advantage of and abused. It seems like our feelings and rights are being tossed out the window.

Recently in a parenting class that I am teaching we began discussing bullying. That subject is in the news a lot. We hear of some kids who hurt others or worse, they hurt themselves because they were bullied. We are seeing that some NFL teams are having to deal with this subject. This is nothing new. There has always been bullies. There is a clinical definition for a bully and often much of what people  throw into that term is not bullying.

There is something wrong with a person that bullies someone else. Often, especially with adults, a person abuses their position and makes life terrible for someone under them. This happens at work. Bullies are aggressive and love to have a crowd watch them ridicule someone to the point of tears. Making others terrified of them is fun for a bully. There are even bullies in the church. They misuse the Bible to scare people and threaten them. They love to be superior and dominate others. Bullies in the leadership is a disaster.

What are we to do? Human nature tells us to stand up. There is a fire within us that wants to pop the bully right in the nose. There is an episode of Mayberry where Opie had to stand up to a bully. There is a scene in the Christmas Movie where a bully is knocked flat. Are we to think that violence is the only answer to a bully? Must we toss out the window the Lord’s words here when it comes to bullies?

Turning the cheek…letting someone have your coat as well…going the second mile—hurt. There is a sense in which you feel vulnerable and taken advantage of. Fear is what bullies want. They love the reaction. Jesus is not giving the bully or the enemy that satisfaction. You want my shirt, here, take the coat also. You slap me once, I’ll not slap back. I’ll not stoop to your level. Slapping is a form of aggressive violence. Legally, it could be classified as assault.

Later in this section Jesus tells the disciples to “love your enemies” (44) and to “pray for those that persecute you” (44). Smacking them back doesn’t seem to fit in with those statements.

Is there a time when a person draws the line? Absolutely. No one should be physically hurt. A slap on the cheek is not the same as being beat up. A person often slaps when they are offended or they have heard something that they do not like. Here, in the context, they don’t like Jesus. They don’t like disciples who like Jesus. They don’t like the message of Jesus. They are not trying to kill you, they have slapped you. They have not drawn swords, they have slapped.

Physical violence, sexual intimidation are not the same as a slap on the cheek. In those cases, run. In those cases, call the authorities. In extreme situations, defend yourself. But even in persecution that for those early Christians resulted in death, they did not resist. If someone is hurting you just because he is a jerk and doesn’t like you, that is different than someone who is hurting you because of your faith.

Jesus, Stephen, James, Antipas—those early persecuted ones, did not resist. That powerful Revelation passage, “Be thou faithful even unto death” is not about remaining a Christian until you die at the age of 90. It’s about being faithful when Rome sticks a sword to your throat and tells you to deny Jesus.

I do not read occasions of God’s people resisting when they suffer because of their faith. Jesus told Peter to put the sword away when he tried to defend Jesus in the garden. The Rambo mentality, especially among many males must be held in check and we must realize that there is a greater calling that we follow that surpasses even our safety and survival. Fear not the one who can kill the body and do no more. Taking life is the most anyone can do to us. God can do even more. There are things much worse than death. Our example is the Lord, who as Peter reminds us, “while being reviled, He did not revile in return, while suffering He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously.” If that’s the steps of our Savior, shouldn’t we do the same?

These lessons are hard, but so is the world that we live in.

Roger