Saturday, October 3, 2009
Matthew 5:38-39 "You have heard that it was said, 'Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.' But I tell you, Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also."
REPAY EVIL WITH GOOD
"An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth" comes from Deuteronomy 19:18-21. It was how Israel's court system was to administer justice. But the Pharisees taught that this was how God wanted people to treat one another too. In other words, "When someone hurts you, even the score."
Jesus says, "No. When someone does something evil to you, your response should be to put out your hands in love."
Most people aren't very good at turning the other cheek. We aren't good at responding to evil with good. We've failed many times in the past. We've blurted out insults when people have insulted us. We've clawed and fought over stupid possessions. We've grudgingly, unhappily done what someone simply asked us to do. Our response to good and bad alike has often been evil.
But God's response has been very different. God has responded to our sinfulness with patience. And ultimately God responded to our sin by commissioning Jesus to save us by taking the punishment we deserved. Through Jesus, God repays our evil--with forgiveness and salvation.
On the way to the cross, where Jesus experienced a cosmic beating for our sins, He was slapped many times. But over and over again He turned the other cheek. He didn't fight back. He didn't retaliate. When beaten. When scourged. Even when tortured to death for no good reason. Even when He experienced borrowed guilt and horrific punishment for sins that He did not commit. For the sins that we committed yesterday and already this morning.
All our petty get-back-at-you comments, all our eye-for-an-eye deeds, they've been suffered for and forgiven us--because God's response to our evil was to send His Son to be our Savior.
