In the fifth of the six “antitheses” of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus responds to a part of the Old Testament law called the lex talionis or law of retaliation (Exodus 21:24). In Matthew 5:38, Jesus quotes part of it: “You have heard the law that says the punishment must match the injury: ‘An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.’” The principle behind this law was to insure that “whatever anyone does to injure another person must be paid back in kind” (Leviticus 24:20). In other words, this principle ensured that in Israel’s legal system, outrageous punishments were not permitted. The punishment had to fit the crime.
The reason Jesus addressed this law is that individuals began applying it outside of the legal system to justify personal revenge. The correction he offers in Matthew 5:38-42 is challenging. It goes against the grain. When people are hurtful, demanding or abusive, it’s natural to want to protect our rights and interests first, to settle the score, or to recoil against other peoples’ demands or threats. But Jesus’ alternative to retaliation is to be the bigger person: to trust God and bless others – even those who wrong you. He uses four commonplace life situations to show us what that means.
Take an insult when you want to hit back.
First, Jesus says, “If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also” (Matthew 5:39). This is not about the physical pain of a slap to the face as much as about the insult and humiliation that act expresses. So instead of using the lex talionis as justification to strike back, Jesus’ disciples will gladly endure insult a second time. This reflects the heart of the Old Testament law expressed in Leviticus 19:18: “Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge…, but love your neighbor as yourself.”
In each of these four examples, Jesus is challenging our self-protective instincts. In this case, our instinct will be to protect our dignity by evening the score against the other person. But Jesus calls for us to be the bigger person and let it go.
Be a blessing when you have every right not to be.
In the second scenario, Jesus addresses our instinct to protect our own rights. He says, “And if you are sued in court and your shirt is taken from you, give your coat as well” (Matthew 5:40). The shirt here is a person’s tunic, the garment worn against the skin. The coat is their outer cloak. In the Old Testament law, a creditor could take a person’s cloak as collateral against an unpaid loan, but the cloak had to be returned at night. It was a poor person’s only protection against the cold. This provision is an expression of God’s mercy (Exodus 22:26-27).
A person had a legal right to keep their outer garment. Yet Jesus says, “If they sue you for your shirt, give them your cloak as well.” In God’s kingdom, our standard is not just what the law may allow us to do or keep to protect ourselves. Our standard is the merciful heart of God himself. What no one has the right to take away, we still have the right to freely give.
Every scenario Jesus poses in these verses requires a person to trust God: with their honor and dignity; with their possessions; and with the basic necessities of life. Jesus himself is the prime example of this. 1 Peter 2:21-23 reminds us that Jesus “never sinned, nor ever deceived anyone. He did not retaliate when he was insulted, nor threaten revenge when he suffered. He left his case in the hands of God, who always judges fairly.” We don’t have to struggle to protect our rights. We can fully trust God to make sure we’ll be okay in the end.
Go the extra mile when you get a tough assignment.
The third situation Jesus brings up was based on a common practice in the Roman empire. In Matthew 5:41, we read, “If a soldier demands that you carry his gear for a mile, carry it two miles.” A Roman soldier had the right to draft anyone along the road as a laborer. That person then had to work or travel alongside for 1,000 steps. For example, Romans soldiers chose Simon of Cyrene out of the crowd along the roadway to carry Jesus’ cross to Calvary (Mark 15:21).
In today’s world, nobody will force you to carry their gear for a mile. But you might have a demanding boss who always gives you the extra work, or a coach who never lets up. Jesus says, “Do more than just what you have to do.” Again, this is motivated by thinking of others, not just ourselves. But it’s not necessarily compassion for that demanding individual. In Jesus’ day, if you fulfilled your required 1,000 steps, that soldier will just pick someone else to do the work for the next 1,000 steps. When we “go the second mile,” we’re sparing someone else from being drafted into duty.
Be generous when you find someone in need.
Finally, Jesus gives this last application: “Give to those who ask, and don’t turn away from those who want to borrow” (Matthew 5:42). Jesus is most likely talking about the poor. God has always demonstrated a heart for people in need, and he urged us to act accordingly. Deuteronomy 15:7-11 calls out four attitudes that are unworthy of God’s people: don’t be hard-hearted, tightfisted, mean-spirited, or begrudging in giving. This passage reminds the people how richly God has blessed them, so they will turn around and be a blessing to others.
When Jesus gave a similar message (in a different place and time), he connected this section with “the golden rule. “Give to anyone who asks; and when things are taken away from you, don’t try to get them back. Do to others as you would like them to do to you” (Luke 6:30-31). Then he ended the sermon by saying, “You must be compassionate, just as your Father is compassionate” (Luke 6:36). In other words, Christ-followers focus on others, not just their own needs and rights.
In this case, as with the other examples, Jesus is challenging our self-protective instincts: our instinct to protect our dignity, to protect our legal rights, to protect our time and effort, and now, to protect our financial assets. The question is: can we trust God with all those things? If we trust God to protect us in all these ways, we can be generous with forgiveness, time, effort, and finances as well.
In this passage, Jesus calls us to some very challenging attitudes and actions. This is not our default reaction to being wronged, hurt or coerced. So how are we able to live this way? The answer is that if you follow Jesus, you have a new nature! God promised Israel that one day, he would put his instructions deep within their hearts (Jeremiah 31:33). He also promised, “I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you” (Ezekiel 36:27). No one can follow the Jesus Way just by trying harder or being better. It takes a new nature to live a new way. That is exactly what God has done!
