For several weeks now we have been studying the Sermon on the Mount. And as I have said, that’s not really the best title for Christ’s message. He didn’t title it as that, that’s just the title that became associated with it by commentators and theologians down through the years. I think a better title is the Manifesto of the Kingdom of Heaven. Because what Jesus has been presenting in this message is a declaration of the Kingdom of Heaven. The kingdom of Christ is a spiritual kingdom, and thus it’s called the Kingdom of Heaven or the Kingdom of God.
In His declaration He began by giving a series of characteristics of the citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven. Just as the church is not a building or an organization, but the people of God, so the Kingdom of Heaven is not a place, nor a physical government, but it consists of people. People who have been born again spiritually. Paul states this spiritual reality for the Christian in [Eph 1:3 saying, “Blessed [be] the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly [places] in Christ.” He is speaking of the spiritual realm that we are a part of now in our present state. He restates it again in chapter 2:6 “[God] raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly [places] in Christ Jesus.” He’s speaking of a heavenly realm of which we belong, though physically we are here on earth.
Let me expand on this for a moment. The Bible teaches that all men are born spiritually dead. And as a result, all men destined to die. Every person born on earth is subject to die, sooner or later. That is the curse of the fall, it is the penalty for sin. And all men are born in sin and are prone to sin. God is holy and just, and in order to be holy and just, He must execute justice, and so He condemned man to death because man became sinful. Romans 6:23 says the wages of sin is death. But God is not only holy and just, but He is merciful and loving. God loved the world that He had created, He loved mankind, and He wanted to give man life. So in order to satisfy His divine justice and at the same time provide a way for man to be given life, He sent Jesus to die on the cross, as the substitute for sinners, that those who through faith in Jesus might have life. Physically this body is still dying, but spiritually we are born anew with a new life of Christ, and because we have the life of Christ living in us we will never die in spirit. That’s the other part of Romans 6:23 which I quoted a minute ago; “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Now for those who have been born again spiritually, they are made children of God. They are made citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven. 1Peter 2:9-10 says, “But you are A CHOSEN RACE, A royal PRIESTHOOD, A HOLY NATION, A PEOPLE FOR [God's] OWN POSSESSION, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; for you once were NOT A PEOPLE, but now you are THE PEOPLE OF GOD; you had NOT RECEIVED MERCY, but now you have RECEIVED MERCY.”
Peter makes an important distinction concerning this spiritual life. A lot of people want to be assured that they are going to heaven when they die. But the new life of Christ is not just about going to heaven one day, but it’s about being a citizen of heaven now. Heaven is just a word that speaks of the spiritual realm. It is the realm of Christ, who is the monarch of heaven. He is the King of Kings, the Lord of Lords. He rules over the heavens and earth. And we that have become citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven are being remade in His image at this present time. We have His Spirit dwelling in us now. And so if we are citizens of heaven, then we will manifest the character and nature and purpose of Christ now in our lives.
That should help us to understand this sermon. Christ is explaining how His people act, how they live, how they think, and how they conduct themselves. If you have been born again spiritually, then you have been given a new nature, a new character, and a new attitude. And your new nature, new character, and new attitude are patterned after Christ. Now we may not always act like Christ, but we should. We should want to be like Christ. That is the result of being born again. We are given the Spirit of Christ, so that according to Romans 8:29 we are predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son. We are growing to be like Him as we follow Him. Just like a baby is born after the likeness of his parent’s, but as He grows he is trained by his parents to act like hIs parents. Some character traits are an acquired taste, so to speak. We learn to like them, and be like them, as we practice them and as the Lord trains us through His word.
So when you read the Beatitudes, you should recognize that is a list of character traits that belong to Christ, and therefore have become our character traits as well. When Jesus starts each beatitude with the word “blessed,” He isn’t saying that if you do this you will be blessed. He is saying because you are blessed with the life of Christ in you, because you have been born again, you are blessed. And therefore these character traits are yours because you are blessed. To be blessed is to have received eternal life, spiritual life. To be blessed is to have become a citizen of the Kingdom of Heaven. And those that are citizens of that kingdom, that have the life of Christ in them, will then exhibit these characteristics because they are the characteristics of Christ.
So then, as the Lord talks about the law, and explains these 6 laws from His perspective, we should understand that these are guidelines for our conduct in the Kingdom of Heaven. As we conduct ourselves according to these principles we will find ourselves manifesting the life of Christ. These laws are guidelines for kingdom living. Obedience to these laws and principles is how we are conformed to the image of Christ. It’s not how we are born again, it’s not how we are saved, but how we grow to be like Him. It’s best summarized in the last verse of this chapter, vs48 "Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” These are designed to conform us to the image of Christ.
Now in expounding these laws as examples of heavenly principles that we are to live by, Jesus follows a certain formula. He first says what the Pharisees teach concerning the law, and then He gives what the true divine principle teaches. The law we are looking at today is the law concerning retribution. I’m sure we all have heard the first part of this law before. Maybe you didn’t even realize this phrase came from the Bible. Jesus said in vs38 "You have heard that it was said, 'AN EYE FOR AN EYE, AND A TOOTH FOR A TOOTH.’”
So Jesus is saying this is what the Pharisees teach. An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. Now what did the Mosaic law actually say? In Exodus 21:24 we can find this statement as a part of a larger statement which includes life for life and hand for hand, and foot for foot. The various body parts illustrate the principle of an appropriate response for a crime. If you read the context of this statement you will find that Moses was giving this principle as guide for civil courts. He specifically mentions that it is to be done by judges as a response to a crime.
What this law teaches is that the punishment should fit the crime. You have a similar principle in effect today in our laws. For instance, you have the right to defend yourself in your home. But there is a law which says the defensive or retaliatory force must not exceed the nature of the crime. So an unarmed intruder isn’t supposed to be shot. He can be held, arrested, incarcerated, but not executed. In the community, if someone is caught stealing a piece of candy from a store, it’s not supposed to warrant the death penalty. That’s the principle that governs our laws today and it’s the principle that the Mosaic law taught.
So what was the Pharisees teaching concerning this law? Well, they applied it to individuals. They considered it as a duty or a right to individuals to take their own revenge. They ignored the fact that this was intended for the judges only. To them it was something to be insisted on rather than something which was intended to restrain them from taking their own revenge. So the result of their teaching was that it was your right to retaliate, and furthermore, it was necessary to do so. And so you had individuals retaliating against one another and taking their own revenge.
Now then, what was the Lord’s response? Vs39 "But I say to you, do not resist an evil person.” I think a lot of confusion has been created by the King James rendering of this text. It says, “resist not evil.” And from a wrong interpretation of that text, comes the notion of pacifism. I would suggest that pacifism is not what is being taught here. And the NASB rendering of evil person helps us to recognize that it’s not speaking of evil regimes, or evil empires, such as that in Nazi Germany which tried to take over the world and wipe out the Jewish nation. But it’s speaking of individual Christians response to a person with evil intent.
I believe that these six illustrations of the law which the Lord gives for us here in this passage are chosen for their relation to the Beatitudes. And if you will remember vs 10 He said, "Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when [people] insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me.” Now when you compare that to this principle of non retaliation in vs 39, do not resist an evil person…” I think you will see what Jesus is talking about. He isn’t talking about governments defense against evil, or against those who would kill it’s citizens. But He is laying out a principle of response to personal persecution by evil people, who are acting as agents of the enemy and insult you, persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you because you are a citizen of the Kingdom of Heaven.
As we have said from the beginning, the Sermon on the Mount must not be taken out of context, without considering the greater message. That’s why I spent so much time at the beginning of my message reiterating what constitutes the Kingdom of Heaven, and why these principles are laid out in the manner in which they are presented. The point is that these principles guide how we act as representatives of Jesus Christ. They show us how to manifest the character and nature of Christ to the world as citizens of HIs kingdom.
So when we consider this principle, we must consider how Christ reacted to His detractors. How did He respond to His accusers? How did He retaliate against those who persecuted Him? Well, the short answer is, He didn’t. When they spat upon Him He said nothing. When they ridiculed Him He spoke not a word. When they nailed His hands and His feet to the cross, He prayed, “Father forgive them, for they don’t know what they do.”
But let us not forget that on two separate occasions, Jesus fashioned a whip out of leather cords and He kicked over the tables of the money changers and He drove out the animals and the vendors out of the temple. And His reason for HIs actions? “Zeal for Your house has consumed Me.” So there obviously are times when retaliation is justified. But in your own defense, the principle is that you are not to retaliate against an evil person.
So this law is not about pacifism, but about individual response to a personal attack for the sake of Christ. Particularly an attack on you because of your faith. The point being taught here is the attitude of a Christian towards himself. The Lord is concerned about our attitude towards ourselves; our rights as individuals. He is teaching that we are to be dead to self. It’s about how I see myself in relation to others. I need to die to the spirit of retaliation and self defense. The sinful nature of our natural man results in an attitude of self defense in regards to perceived injustices to me. It results an attitude of selfishness in regards to my possessions. This attitude is rooted in pride and conceit. But in Christ all that I am, all that I have, are surrendered to the greater glory of Christ and His kingdom.
I may have my rights, prescribed for me by government. I may have rights which are considered inalienable, fundamental rights of an individual. But I do not operate under those rights. I operate as a citizen of heaven. I live under the banner of love. And under that banner, I give up my rights for the sake of others.
Jesus had rights. He was God. And yet He set aside those rights for our sake. Phl. 2:5-8 says, “Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, [and] being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.” As followers of Christ, we also set aside our personal rights so that men might be saved. So that they might understand the love of Christ, the grace of God.
Jesus teaches that the child of God has become dead to self, dead to pride. Jesus said, “If any man would be my disciple, let him deny himself ( deny his rights, deny the pride of self) and take up his cross ( die to self) and follow me.” Dying to self then, Jesus is saying, is the underlying principle of the law. An eye for an eye is the law of the government, but grace upon grace is the principle by which we are to operate, because that is the principle by which Jesus operates.
Then in delineating how we are to live out this principle, Jesus gives three illustrations. Let us look at them briefly because they illustrate this principle of non retaliation. The first is found in vs. 39, “but whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also.”
Too turn the other cheek means not having the spirit of retaliation. Jesus applies it first to the physical level of someone hitting you on the face. To strike someone on the cheek was a means of humiliating them in Jewish culture. And it is often considered the same in our culture. It’s an act of humiliation, an insult.
But an insult or humiliation can be verbal as well as physical. Many women who are divorced that I have talked to have told me they left their husband because of abuse. When pressed, many times they say it is because of verbal abuse. He’s mean, he’s insulting, he gets angry. While I am not denigrating that sort of abuse, nevertheless it applies to this category of turning the other cheek.
On the other hand, it would be nice if that was all there was to it. Turn the other cheek and then the other person is guaranteed to change. But that’s not what Jesus says will happen. And I doubt that it happens that way too often in real life. My Dad, who was an old timey hell fire and brimstone preacher from the South, used to like to say, Jesus said turn the other cheek. But if he hits me on that cheek, Jesus didn’t say what I had to do then. The point being that he was going to be gracious one time. But the second time he was going to respond in kind.
Well, that’s obviously not what Jesus is teaching. Once again, we must warn against a literal interpretation. This is a principle, and the principle is that you forgive the injury, forgive the humiliation. And again, let me remind you that this principle does not apply to governments. Governments are authorized by God to be a restraint against evil and to punish evil. This is born out in Romans 13:3-4 “For rulers are not a cause of fear for good behavior, but for evil. Do you want to have no fear of authority? Do what is good and you will have praise from the same; for it is a minister of God to you for good. But if you do what is evil, be afraid; for it does not bear the sword for nothing; for it is a minister of God, an avenger who brings wrath on the one who practices evil.” So governments are a minister of God, ordained by God as an avenger who brings judgment on the one who practices evil.
But as individuals, especially as ministers of the Kingdom of Heaven, we do not retaliate or take our own vengeance. Paul quoting from the Old Testament says in Romans 12:19 “Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath [of God,] for it is written, "VENGEANCE IS MINE, I WILL REPAY," says the Lord.” As citizens of heaven, we let God take revenge, in His time, and we respond with grace.
I cannot help but think of the fact that at His trial, Jesus was slapped repeatedly on His face. And yet He did not retaliate. He could have called 10,000 angels to defend Himself, but yet He did not. He is our example when we are insulted, humiliated and hurt by evil people.
The second illustration is found in vs40, “If anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, let him have your coat also.” Here again the Lord is concerned with how we consider our possessions in light of the gospel. The example is of a man suing another which would result in losing his inner garment. The law said that they could not be sued for their outer garment, but they said it was ok to be sued for the inner garment or the shirt.
The principle that Jesus is emphasizing in this is the same. The Christian is not to be concerned about personal insults or injury, even to the loss of property for the sake of Christ. It doesn’t mean that we leave our doors open and advertise that my house is open and available for robbery, I won’t be there.
No in fact, Jesus said in Luke 12:39 "But be sure of this, that if the head of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have allowed his house to be broken into.” But if we lose our possessions because of persecutions against us for the sake of the gospel, then our attitude should be that of offering them up as unto the Lord.
I would also point out in this illustration a similar situation happened to the Lord at His crucifixion. John 19:23-24 says, “Then the soldiers, when they had crucified Jesus, took His outer garments and made four parts, a part to every soldier and [also] the tunic; now the tunic was seamless, woven in one piece. So they said to one another, "Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it, [to decide] whose it shall be"; [this was] to fulfill the Scripture: "THEY DIVIDED MY OUTER GARMENTS AMONG THEM, AND FOR MY CLOTHING THEY CAST LOTS.”
The last illustration Jesus gives is about going the extra mile. Vs.41,"Whoever forces you to go one mile, go with him two.” Once again, we are told to turn around what was meant towards you as evil and using it for good. At that time, Judea was under Roman military occupation. Under military law, any Roman soldier might command a Jew to carry his soldier’s pack for one mile – but only one mile. Jesus here says, “Go beyond the one mile required by law and give another mile out of a manifestation of love.” This is how we transform an attempt to manipulate us into an act of grace.
The last phrase is just a summation of this whole principle. Jesus says in vs 42 "Give to him who asks of you, and do not turn away from him who wants to borrow from you.” Once again this could be taken to such an extreme literal interpretation that it might be ridiculous. It would be tantamount to allowing someone to steal from you until you have nothing left. That’s not what Jesus is advocating. But what He really is talking about is the denial of self and using your life and your possessions for the purpose of the kingdom.
He is rebuking the wrong attitude of people who say “what I have is mine, I worked hard for it, and and I will not let it go lest I suffer.” He is rebuking the wrong attitude of those who are always thinking of themselves first, whether their rights or their possessions, whether they are being hit on the cheek, or asked to go an extra mile, or asked to give something up.
What the Lord is countermanding is the tendency of a Christian to deny help to those in need, to be stingy, to be selfish and prideful. But rather we are to be gracious as the Lord was gracious to us. We are to be forgiving as He forgave us. We are to be merciful because He is merciful. Jesus went the extra mile in accomplishing our salvation. He not only paid the penalty for our sins that we might be forgiven, but He gives us eternal life and an inheritance in heaven. We have received grace upon grace. So should we also exhibit grace to the world.
The only limit to this kind of self sacrifice is the limit on how much Christ loved us. The manifestation of our Christian character is going to be that of giving, of serving, of helping those in need. Especially those in need of salvation. That is our reason for being here on this planet. We are being conformed to the image of Christ that we might manifest the gospel of Jesus Christ to the world, so that the world might be saved, so that they might receive life and gain entrance in the kingdom of Heaven.
As Paul said in Romans 12:21, “do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”
May God fill us with the power of HIs Spirit that we may do the things which are pleasing to Him, and manifest the love of God to the world.
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