Sermon for Sunday, March 9th, 2025 at First Presbyterian Church at Unionville, NY (BPC)
Old Testament Reading:
[Deu 19:15-21 ESV] 15 “A single witness shall not suffice against a person for any crime or for any wrong in connection with any offense that he has committed. Only on the evidence of two witnesses or of three witnesses shall a charge be established. 16 If a malicious witness arises to accuse a person of wrongdoing, 17 then both parties to the dispute shall appear before the LORD, before the priests and the judges who are in office in those days. 18 The judges shall inquire diligently, and if the witness is a false witness and has accused his brother falsely, 19 then you shall do to him as he had meant to do to his brother. So you shall purge the evil from your midst. 20 And the rest shall hear and fear, and shall never again commit any such evil among you. 21 Your eye shall not pity. It shall be life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.
New Testament Reading:
[1Th 5:12-22 ESV] 12 We ask you, brothers, to respect those who labor among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you, 13 and to esteem them very highly in love because of their work. Be at peace among yourselves. 14 And we urge you, brothers, admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all. 15 See that no one repays anyone evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to everyone. 16 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 19 Do not quench the Spirit. 20 Do not despise prophecies, 21 but test everything; hold fast what is good. 22 Abstain from every form of evil.
Gospel Reading:
[Luk 6:27-36 ESV] 27 “But I say to you who hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28 bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. 29 To one who strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also, and from one who takes away your cloak do not withhold your tunic either. 30 Give to everyone who begs from you, and from one who takes away your goods do not demand them back. 31 And as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them. 32 “If you love those who love you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. 33 And if you do good to those who do good to you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. 34 And if you lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to get back the same amount. 35 But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil. 36 Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful.
Sermon Text:
[Mat 5:38-42 ESV] 38 “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ 39 But I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. 40 And if anyone would sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. 41 And if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. 42 Give to the one who begs from you, and do not refuse the one who would borrow from you.
Introduction
We are challenged nearly every day with the question of how we will respond to the actions of others. Particularly, how will we respond to the sinful actions of others? What should we do? How are Christians to be different? And then there is the question, indeed related, of how we will respond to those in need.
How to respond as a Christian.
Jesus addresses this subject in these five verses from the Sermon the Mount.
Now, in each of the verses, it can be hard to interpret what Jesus is saying. So I think it is good if we take some advice from Martyn Lloyd-Jones who here notes a couple important interpretive principles:
1. If our interpretation ever makes the teaching appear to be ridiculous or leads us to a ridiculous position, it is patently a wrong interpretation.
2. If our interpretation contradicts the plain and obvious teaching of Scripture at another point, it is obvious that our interpretation has gone astray.
If a person takes the verse “do not resist the evil one” and interprets that in a strict way, without comparing the teaches of other parts of the Scripture, then they might end up in pacifism. An even worse interpretation of “do not resist the evil one” might be completely at odds with James’s teaching to “Resist the devil and he will flee from you.”
Then, if a person interprets the verse “turn the other cheek” in a strict way, they perhaps wouldn’t stand up for themselves in any situation.
And if you believe you literally need to give your money to every beggar that asks of it regardless the amount or of the situation, then you’ve reached, in Lloyd-Jones words “a ridiculous interpretation.”
Jesus is actually using these statements as examples of a larger point – that a Christian is to RESPOND in mercy and meekness rather than in power and selfishness. [REPEAT]
I. Responding to Violence and Insults (v. 38-39)
First we have this verse:
38 “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’
Now, this, it seems IS quite literal. Jesus is referring to the Old Testament law, but again reference the Pharisaically misunderstanding of it.
In three places in the Old Testament we find that language of “an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.” (Exodus 21:23-25, Leviticus 24:19-20, Deuteronomy 19:21)
For example;
[Lev 24:19-20 ESV] 19 If anyone injures his neighbor, as he has done it shall be done to him, 20 fracture for fracture, eye for eye, tooth for tooth; whatever injury he has given a person shall be given to him.
And this is entirely literal. Though I wonder if, in the spirit of other laws, whether payment could be made in kind. That is, instead of knocking out my tooth, can I pay you a certain sum? I’m not sure.
But we have to understand a few things here.
While we think of this “eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth principle” as harsh or even barbaric, the reality is that this was a LIMITATION on revenge. If someone knocks out your tooth, you aren’t allowed to kill them.
And indeed, these are LEGAL punishments. They are not carried out by an avenger, but by the court.
The contrary error seems to be what the Pharisees are teaching; that personal vengeful retaliation is necessary. That for any harm done to you, you should do it back to others, taking justice into your own hands.
Jesus is thus not arguing against the law; remember he’s not abolishing the law. He’s not taking away that God-given right of the magistrate and the court to enact justice. Rather he’s opposing vengeance. You are not to retaliate against those who have harmed you.
That why he continues in verse 39:
39 But I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.
This isn’t by any means a requirement not to “resist evil.” We are indeed to “resist the devil and he will flee from you.” We are to resist sin all the time. And resist those who would lead us into sin.
What we are not to do is fight back. We are not to be revengeful or succumb that that sinful desire to retaliate.
The includes not only in the case of physical harm, but of insults as well. That is what the “slap of the cheek” is; an insult of the highest order in the ancient Jewish world.
So we are not to insult back.
And
We are not to injure in return.
II. Responding to Lawsuits and Oppression (v. 40)
There is a different, but related subject in verse 40.
40 And if anyone would sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well.
Again, it is how to respond to evil, but now it is a legal attack rather than physical violence or insults.
The tunic is the first garment worn, and the cloak is the more expensive outer garment worn especially at night to keep warm.
We find such a reference in Exodus 22:26-27
[Exo 22:26-27 ESV] 26 If ever you take your neighbor’s cloak in pledge, you shall return it to him before the sun goes down, 27 for that is his only covering, and it is his cloak for his body; in what else shall he sleep? And if he cries to me, I will hear, for I am compassionate.
Now with this “let him have your cloak as well” saying and then the saying “And if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles” we are called not only to a passive respond but an active one. But not active in violence or evil. Rather, it is a calling to the “heaping on of coals.” Or a “killing them with kindness.”
This is the idea that we can be more effective showing kindness than working revenge. Our actions can bring others to a conviction of their sin and even to repentance. And that’s not likely to happen if we retaliate with force.
This idea, by the way, in verse 41 that you should go two mile when a person forces you to go one mile, this needs to be understood in the context of history. It was apparently part of the Roman rule of their subjects in territories like Judea that they could press you into service to carry things. (And there is an example of it with Simon of Cyrene in the Gospels who was compelled to carry the cross.) We don’t suffer from this same situation in our day, but the principle Jesus is pronouncing still stands: Better than retaliation is endurance and even love. Endurance is the first step. Love is the second.
That is how we should respond. First endurance, then love. More on that in a minute, but let us look at the final verse. Verse 42.
III. Responding to Financial Requests (v. 42)
42 Give to the one who begs from you, and do not refuse the one who would borrow from you.
Many sermons on this passage from verse 38 to verse 42, are on “not retaliating.” This would fit well if verse 42 were about people forcing you to give them your money. But that doesn’t seem to be the case. Rather, we find here a beggar. “Give to the one who begs from you.” And it is probably not a stretch to say that the one “who would borrow” is in a similar situation to the beggar. So these are forcing you to give your money, but are requesting it. Therefore, I’ve looked at the sermon passage as about how Christians are to RESPOND in general, not just to violence, but to insults, and to those in need.
We are to respond to all things in love.
The parallel passage in Luke has much more explanation:
30 Give to everyone who begs from you, and from one who takes away your goods do not demand them back. 31 And as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them. 32 “If you love those who love you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. 33 And if you do good to those who do good to you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. 34 And if you lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to get back the same amount. 35 But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil. 36 Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful.
Now, remembering Lloyd-Jones’s point about avoid absurdity, we have to understand that this “giving to the one who begs” cannot be in each and every situation.
For one, we are called to support our family. 1 Timothy 5:8 says “But if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.” So if we give all our money to beggars we can’t fulfill the obligation to provide for our household.
And then, what is in view in our passage, is not to give to every beggar who desires to buy more booze, but to give to those truly in need.
We are called to be charitable.
And I think this often means that we should LOOK for people in need, not even waiting until they are stooped down to ask us for alms.
Then we can see how our passage continues to grow in an upward level of Christian living.
1) Do not retaliate.
2) Respond with love.
3) Love even before it is asked of you.
Now, one practical note I heard somewhere and agree with.
It is better to give work than cash to a beggar. That term “beggar” is a bit harsh in today’s connotation. Most who ask us for money are so poor that they are begging, or so injured that they can’t work. So give them some work for money. It helps both out. You get work done, they get money and even more they get that pride of accomplishment and self worth.
IV. The Response of Christ
So we’ve looked through these verses, and in each case the natural tendency is to envision ourselves as the harmed, stolen from, insulted, and financial giver.
But the reality, in our relationship with God, is that we are evil, we are the insulting one, and we are the one in need.
The patient, enduring, loving one is Jesus Christ. Nobody ever was insulted and cursed like Jesus was on the cross. Yet, how did he respond? Not in retaliation, but endurance and love. Not revenge, but meekness. And though we have sinned, he has paid our debts.
So we are called by that example of Christ to be Christlike.
We are to recognize that revenge doesn’t solve anything. It comes from a wicked mind.
But as God has dealt gently with me, so I am called to deal gently with others, even enduring much mistreatment.
About the hardest thing you can be asked to do. Love your enemies.
We are now giving practical advice of how to do so.
Turn your cheek that you may turn their heart. [REPEAT]
It is for their good that you act in such a way.
And it is for your good as well. For consider, How might you get closer to God? Through revenge? Most certainly not.
God sustains repeated injuries against himself and yet restrains his wrath.
God is patient.
So we are called to be.
Christians indeed are called to be different.
Not to retaliate and so display sin in their action, but to display Christ in all that we do.
So how are we to respond as Christians? There are many situations that might arise. Jesus gave some examples. But the response is the same.
Respond not in vengeance, but endurance and love, seeking to do good to those who seek to do you harm.
You will have many opportunities to apply this sermon.
The next time someone sends you an insulting message.
The next time someone shows up late, disrespecting your time.
The next time a person is in need.
What will you do?
Remember the Lord and his endurance, his meekness, his love.
And go and do likewise.
Let’s look at some case studies. That’s what we called them in business school. Practical examples.
How to respond.
You bring your favorite key lime pie to a gathering, intending to indulge in a piece. You set it on the desert table, and then go visit the restroom. When you get back, its all gone. How do you respond? Some endurance is called for.
Another case. It is apparent that the neighbors dog has been visiting your yard. How do you respond? Get a larger dog and visit their yard? Hardly. Endure. Have patience.
You get a message from someone, criticizing you in a way that is not true. How do you respond? Criticize them in return?
No, we don’t return evil for evil. We endure. We have patience.
But it is not enough to simply be passive.
The Christian response is then to be in love.
Be glad that others got a piece of key lime pie. They clearly liked your choice.
Don’t blame your neighbor’s dog if you’re not sure its the culprit. But if it is guilty, maybe ask your neighbor about the dog. What breed is it? How long have you had it? And then say perhaps “I’ve been finding some calling cards in my yard, I don’t know if your dog or not, but if you see that happen in in the future I’d appreciate if you clean it up. I got the ones I found already, so don’t worry about those.”
Then, as for the critical message you’ve received. Sometimes no response might be the best response. This is what theologian Guy Richard wrote in a Tabletalk article: “Some of the criticism we receive needs to be ignored entirely. False accusations and malicious gossip fall into this category. We should not take these kinds of criticisms to heart, not even for a moment.” Then he said, “Let us ask the Lord to allow us the grace to receive criticism well when it comes, because it will come.” And he noted Charles Spurgeon who said, “You cannot stop people’s tongues, and therefore the best thing is to stop your own ears and never mind what is spoken.”
Each of these three examples I’ve noted are, with slight modifications, real issues I’ve dealt with personally. I hope I have responded well.