38 “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye
for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ 39 But I tell you not to resist an evil person.
But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also. 40 If anyone wants to sue you and take away your tunic,
let him have your cloak also. 41 And whoever compels you to go one mile, go
with him two. 42 Give to him who asks you, and from him who wants to
borrow from you do not turn away.
Therefore here the Lord Jesus in opening up this commandment does not annul it, but rather He now commands us who believe in Him to reach beyond it, to not let the minor offenses that evil people do to us and others (i.e. here a slap in the face, basically “an insult”) become the means by which we are dragged down into harboring hatred, seeking vengeance, or exemplifying our own wrath when insulted or mildly harmed (consider James 1:19-20). And so rather than hitting back when hit, or repaying an insult with another insult, Jesus says that we are to turn the other cheek, and thus by doing so we deny ourselves any “rights” to retaliation. Now what Jesus is not commanding here is “pacifism”, that is that force (even lethal) force should never be used to restrain an aggressor, or to defend an individual or nation when such force is the only means to do so. And so what Jesus is commanding us all here is that we not resist an evil person; and so if they slap us in the face, or insult us by some other means, we are to turn the other cheek which may defuse the situation, but may also pave the way for their own reconciliation with God. Again Jesus says that if someone wants to sue you and take away your tunic (an inner garment) let him have your cloak also (an outer garment), the principal being non-resistance to the evil gestures of the unjust. For under the law no one should sue to take away another’s clothing, for that was simply considered unconscionable to demand ones clothing as surety or repayment for debts (Ex. 22:26-27). Therefore Jesus says rather than resisting such an individual let him have your cloak also, because by doing so one commits the affair to God who always judges justly (1 Peter 2:21-23). Seeking then to sue back in like manner when one is sued is not what the Lord would have any of us do, for that is just another form of seeking personal retribution and retaliation and takes no more discipline than what the world does when wronged, they push back by whatever means they can, and Jesus says we are not to do so. Following this Jesus then says: “And whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two.” (vs. 41) In ancient times a Roman military person (or some other official) could compel one of their subjected peoples to carry their armor a full mile, something which was a sore spot with the Jews, and all subjugated peoples, to be compelled to carry their vanquisher’s armor or baggage for them; a law that the Romans would also use to publically humiliate someone if they so desired; now as humiliating as that might be it was not a law that would compel one to do something that would be in violation of God’s commandments. Therefore instead of resisting, or doing such things slothfully, or with a grudging countenance, Jesus commands us when compelled to go one mile with someone, (that is to do something that is lawfully required of us, but may not be all that appealing to us, yet is not in contravention of God’s commands) go with them two. For in doing so we not only rise above the oppression and hate that often follows when one is subjugated to another, but we also open the door for conversation and maybe even reconciliation! I think the Apostle Paul and Silas exemplified this kind of grace of God when they were wrongly imprisoned for their faith, and yet by their enduring such wrongs in a right way, God was able to move in the heart of their Philippian jailer and save him and his whole household (see Acts 16:16-34). Therefore in concluding this section on dealing with evil or unjust or possibly hostile people Jesus now commands us all to: “Give to him who asks you, and from him who wants to borrow from you do not turn away.” And so instead of putting up fierce resistance, we are to offer docile compliance to the minor and insignificant requests of men.
Scripture Quotations
The New King James Version. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982.
Commentary
Now God gave a commandment in the law that
said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ Now this command was given to both restrain the evil inclinations of
men, as well as repay whatever harm they caused, or schemed to cause to happen;
causing harm or death to another individual; thereby assuring that whatever
evil they did would be fully repaid to them in like manner (see Exodus
21:22-25, vs. 24-25; Lev. 24:19-20; Deut. 19:15-21, vs. 21). Therefore it was a law of just
retribution that also put a restraint on the extent that any evil action could
be repaid and punished. Therefore here the Lord Jesus in opening up this commandment does not annul it, but rather He now commands us who believe in Him to reach beyond it, to not let the minor offenses that evil people do to us and others (i.e. here a slap in the face, basically “an insult”) become the means by which we are dragged down into harboring hatred, seeking vengeance, or exemplifying our own wrath when insulted or mildly harmed (consider James 1:19-20). And so rather than hitting back when hit, or repaying an insult with another insult, Jesus says that we are to turn the other cheek, and thus by doing so we deny ourselves any “rights” to retaliation. Now what Jesus is not commanding here is “pacifism”, that is that force (even lethal) force should never be used to restrain an aggressor, or to defend an individual or nation when such force is the only means to do so. And so what Jesus is commanding us all here is that we not resist an evil person; and so if they slap us in the face, or insult us by some other means, we are to turn the other cheek which may defuse the situation, but may also pave the way for their own reconciliation with God. Again Jesus says that if someone wants to sue you and take away your tunic (an inner garment) let him have your cloak also (an outer garment), the principal being non-resistance to the evil gestures of the unjust. For under the law no one should sue to take away another’s clothing, for that was simply considered unconscionable to demand ones clothing as surety or repayment for debts (Ex. 22:26-27). Therefore Jesus says rather than resisting such an individual let him have your cloak also, because by doing so one commits the affair to God who always judges justly (1 Peter 2:21-23). Seeking then to sue back in like manner when one is sued is not what the Lord would have any of us do, for that is just another form of seeking personal retribution and retaliation and takes no more discipline than what the world does when wronged, they push back by whatever means they can, and Jesus says we are not to do so. Following this Jesus then says: “And whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two.” (vs. 41) In ancient times a Roman military person (or some other official) could compel one of their subjected peoples to carry their armor a full mile, something which was a sore spot with the Jews, and all subjugated peoples, to be compelled to carry their vanquisher’s armor or baggage for them; a law that the Romans would also use to publically humiliate someone if they so desired; now as humiliating as that might be it was not a law that would compel one to do something that would be in violation of God’s commandments. Therefore instead of resisting, or doing such things slothfully, or with a grudging countenance, Jesus commands us when compelled to go one mile with someone, (that is to do something that is lawfully required of us, but may not be all that appealing to us, yet is not in contravention of God’s commands) go with them two. For in doing so we not only rise above the oppression and hate that often follows when one is subjugated to another, but we also open the door for conversation and maybe even reconciliation! I think the Apostle Paul and Silas exemplified this kind of grace of God when they were wrongly imprisoned for their faith, and yet by their enduring such wrongs in a right way, God was able to move in the heart of their Philippian jailer and save him and his whole household (see Acts 16:16-34). Therefore in concluding this section on dealing with evil or unjust or possibly hostile people Jesus now commands us all to: “Give to him who asks you, and from him who wants to borrow from you do not turn away.” And so instead of putting up fierce resistance, we are to offer docile compliance to the minor and insignificant requests of men.
Scripture Quotations
The New King James Version. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982.
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