Anchor My Faith

Don’t Retaliate

Scripture: Matthew 5:38-42; Lk 6:30

Our previous lesson was the only one needed to cover the topic gev052 on taking oaths. This section contains more verses and will require five lessons to cover the topic of “Do not retaliate, but instead love your enemies.” I am sure you have heard many times that we are to love our enemies, but how are you obeying that command and how does that play out in your relationship with others, especially your enemies?

Again Jesus begins this section of study with a familiar phrase: “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’” (Matthew 5:38). This command, that Jesus is referring to is found in Exodus 21:24, Leviticus 24:20, and Deuteronomy 19:21. Looking at Deuteronomy 19:20 – 21 (ESV) we find: “And the rest shall hear and fear, and shall never again commit any such evil among you. Your eye shall not pity. It shall be life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.” The intent of this law was to maintain justice and purge evil from among the people. We see this in “the rest shall hear and fear.” Those who read what will happen and see it carried out by magistrates should then be able to control their evil.

As a judicial rule this law is not unjust, but the problem occurred when the Jews extended it to private conduct, resulting in its use in taking revenge. Jesus is not saying the law is bad, just that it was given to regulate the magistrates and that they, the Jews, were to be governed by different principles in their private conduct.

To see what Jesus is referring to we need to look further into what he said: ^{Mt 5:39} “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, ^{Lk 6:30} and from one who takes away your goods do not demand them back.”

What is the meaning of “Do not resist the one who is evil?” Jesus is not prohibiting the use of force by governments, police, or soldiers when controlling evil, but is focusing on individual conduct. God has governing authorities the responsibility to control evil: ^{Romans 13:1} “Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. ² Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. ³ For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, ⁴ for he is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God’s wrath on the wrongdoer.”

The focus of Jesus in this section is about revenge, a condition of the heart. What Jesus is saying is strengthened by Paul in Romans 12:19 (ESV): “Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.”’ Jesus is not saying that when we have opportunity to resist evil that we shouldn’t, but he is limiting his discussion to this one area of the heart in which vengeance might be found.

Prayer

Father, in this lesson we have only established the focus of Jesus of this topic of “an eye for an eye” to be about vengeance found in the heart. An understanding of this is critically important when we find ourselves in a situation where we cannot control evil, which occurs at times during persecution. Father, guide us as we look at this in the next lesson.