Retaliation: Don't

Matthew 5:38-42 "...You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ 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. And if anyone would sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. And if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. Give to the one who begs from you, and do not refuse the one who would borrow from you..."

Luke 6:29-31 "...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. Give to everyone who begs from you, and from one who takes away your goods do not demand them back. And as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them..."

What scripture is Jesus citing?

Exodus 21:23-25 "...But if there is harm, then you shall pay life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, stripe for stripe..."

lex talionis - the law of retaliation, given to protect the innocent and to make sure retaliation did not occur beyond the offense.

Context:

Exodus 20: the ten commandments are a distillation of the moral law.

Exodus 21-23: ordinances for applying the ten commandments as civil law.

Moral law is for everyone to follow. Civil law is for judges to enforce.

What is Jesus saying in this passage?

- individuals are not to retaliate.

What is Jesus not saying?

- not saying that evil is okay.

- not saying that civil authorities shouldn't take action to resist evil.

How should we respond to physical violence?

- a backhand blow to the right cheek is still an "insulting blow" in the East.

- Christians receive insulting blows on a regular basis.

- don't strike back.

- allow another blow.

- Jesus gave His back to the smiters.

How should we respond to judicial judgments?

- go beyond what the judgment mandates.

- generosity in the face of both fair and unfair judgment.

How should we respond to governmental oppression?

- Roman soldiers could force any citizen to carry a load one mile.

- Luke 23:26 "...And as they led him away, they seized one Simon of Cyrene, who was coming in from the country, and laid on him the cross, to carry it behind Jesus..."

- to carry the load a second mile demonstrates free will and grace.

Would you ever consider paying twice the taxes you owe?

What are the primary concerns faced by both individual givers and by a group running a benevolence fund?

- how to distribute limited funds when needs are great.

- complication and distraction of trying to prevent abuse.

- Why doesn't Jesus address these issues?

Why is there a tendency for people to ignore the moral law but demand the civil law?

- we want mercy for ourselves but justice for others.

Which do we care for most, our self and our possessions, or the eternal soul of others?

- love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy to a friend.

A man may strive for self-protection when life is threatened without any spirit of revenge. He may appeal to the law to protect his property without any bitterness toward the one who seeks to wrest it from him, and he may set himself against the oppression of his government from the loftiest motives of patriotism. [But] if revenge slumbers in our breast, little injuries will waken it as quickly as big ones. (The Fourfold Gospel: or A Harmony of the Four Gospels)

Love Your Enemies: For real!

Matthew 5:43-48 "...You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect..."

Luke 6:27-28 "...But I say to you who hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you..."

Luke 6:32-36 "...If you love those who love you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who do good to you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. 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. 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. Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful..."

What scripture is Jesus citing?

Leviticus 19:17-18 "...You shall not hate your brother in your heart, but you shall reason frankly with your neighbor, lest you incur sin because of him. You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your own people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord..."

How had this scripture been perverted?

- the standard of love was narrowed by leaving out "as yourself".

- an exclusion was made by adding "hate your enemy".

Why had this scripture been perverted?

- the bloody wars waged in Canaan at God's command degraded from hating what God hates to hating what man hates.

How do we know that Jesus didn't define neighbor as only those who were of your own country, nation, and religion?

- In response to the lawyer in Luke 10, He told the story of the good Samaritan.

Why should we love and pray for evil men?

- because Jesus said we should!!

- evil men can repent, be justified, and be saved.

- God's people are to be perfect and merciful.

How can we "be perfect" and "be merciful, even as your Father is merciful"?

- we must abide with Him. He must dwell in us. We must be led by the Spirit.

Divorce: From the beginning it was not so.

Matthew 5:31-32 "...It was also said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.’ But I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of sexual immorality, makes her commit adultery, and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery..."

What is Jesus saying about divorce?

Is sexual immorality the only legitimate reason for divorce?

Is someone marrying a divorced person guilty of adultery?

Is a legal divorce according to human law a legal divorce recognized by God?

Context:

- there were two opposing rabbinical views of divorce.

- Rabbi Shammai took a rigorist view, requiring a a grave matrimonial offense to justify divorce.

- Rabbi Hillel took a liberal view, allowing even the most trivial offense to be justification for divorce.

- the Pharisees tended toward Hillel's view.

Matthew 19:3 "...And Pharisees came up to him and tested him by asking, “Is it lawful to divorce one’s wife for any cause?...”

Matthew 19:8-9 "...He said to them, “Because of your hardness of heart Moses allowed you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so. And I say to you: whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery...”

Does our society tend toward a rigorist or lax view of divorce?

Are we more concerned about the grounds for divorce, or the sanctity of marriage?

Does God believe in divorce?

Jeremiah 3:6-10 "...The Lord said to me in the days of King Josiah: “Have you seen what she did, that faithless one, Israel, how she went up on every high hill and under every green tree, and there played the whore? And I thought, ‘After she has done all this she will return to me,’ but she did not return, and her treacherous sister Judah saw it. She saw that for all the adulteries of that faithless one, Israel, I had sent her away with a decree of divorce. Yet her treacherous sister Judah did not fear, but she too went and played the whore. Because she took her whoredom lightly, she polluted the land, committing adultery with stone and tree. Yet for all this her treacherous sister Judah did not return to me with her whole heart, but in pretense, declares the Lord...”

Israel was unfaithful to the Lord, and was divorced. Judah didn't learn from the problem, and was also given up.

Is divorce a command or a concession?

Where did Jesus place the focus?

- it's a heart issue.

- divorce was not, and is not, the design of God.

- we don't need to check the law, and the legal precedents.

- we need to examine our hearts.

- we need to embrace God's original intention that marriage is an exclusive and permanent relationship.

Why should the divorce rate in the church be lower than the divorce rate in society?

- if we are disciples of Christ, we are a people who are increasing in our capacity to love as God loves?

- if we are disciples of Christ, we surrender our selfishness and embrace all of God's intentions for His creation.

The question shouldn't be "is divorce okay?". The question should be "how can I make my marriage everything that God intends for it to be?".

Oaths:

Matthew 5:33-37 "...Again you have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform to the Lord what you have sworn.’ But I say to you, Do not take an oath at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, or by the earth, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. And do not take an oath by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. Let what you say be simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything more than this comes from evil..."

What scripture is Jesus citing?

- the third commandment, along with others.

Exodus 20:7 "...You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain..."

Leviticus 19:12 "...You shall not swear by my name falsely, and so profane the name of your God: I am the Lord..."

Numbers 30:2 "...If a man vows a vow to the Lord, or swears an oath to bind himself by a pledge, he shall not break his word. He shall do according to all that proceeds out of his mouth..."

Context:

- the Pharisees developed a series of rulings regarding Shebuoth (oaths).

- a positive oath was a promise to do something.

- a negative oath was a promise not do something.

- eventually a system was developed to create loopholes in oaths.

- swearing by heaven, earth, Jerusalem, or by your own head didn't invoke directly the literal name of God, and therefore wasn't binding.

What was the intent of the Exodus, Leviticus, and Numbers scriptures?

- prohibition of perjury, of falsehood sworn by God's name.

- we must keep our promises.

- we must be people of our word.

How did the Pharisees restrict the scriptural intent?

- focused on how an oath was made, not the oath itself.

How is oath-taking really a sign of our own dishonesty?

- why would we need to ever swear by something if we always told the truth?

- oaths are an attempt to make liars tell the truth.

Why don't oaths work very well?

- the worse people are, the less they are bound by oaths.

- the better people are, the less there is need for oaths.

James 5:12 "...But above all, my brothers, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or by any other oath, but let your “yes” be yes and your “no” be no, so that you may not fall under condemnation..."

Are we people of our word? Can we be trusted to do what we say we'll do?

Anger: Not a good idea

Matthew 5:21-22 “...You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.’ But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire...”

What is the significance of the phrase “You have heard ... but I say to you”?

- six times in the next 22 verses Jesus compares what people have heard to what scripture really means.

- the Pharisees and teachers of the Law were promoting something that fell short of God’s true intentions for the Law.

Why is a commitment to teaching what you know not enough?

- without the leading of the Spirit, man’s wisdom misunderstands God’s intentions.

What scripture is Jesus citing?

- the 6th commandment, and subsequent clarifications.

- Exodus 20:13 ”...You shall not murder...”

- Numbers 35:30 “...If anyone kills a person, the murderer shall be put to death on the evidence of witnesses. But no person shall be put to death on the testimony of one witness...”

Why would Jesus equate anger with murder?

- it’s a heart issue.

- it’s a disrespect issue.

- it’s a failure to appropriately love and care for someone that Christ loves.

- it’s a violation of God’s intentions for human interaction.

Why does calling someone a fool lead one to a hell of fire?

- Raca is Aramaic for “empty-headed one”.

- Is disrespect for God’s creation a sin?

- Do we live in a respectful culture?

- Would our culture be better if it was more respectful?

How does “...with his brother...” affect the requirement? Who is your brother? Who is your neighbor?

Matthew 5:23-26 “...So if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift. Come to terms quickly with your accuser while you are going with him to court, lest your accuser hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you be put in prison. Truly, I say to you, you will never get out until you have paid the last penny...”

Why is reconciliation important?

- our relationship with God is affected by our relationship with people.

- we can’t approach God if we’re not right with people.

- we pay a high price for unresolved issues with people.

What if a person won’t be reconciled?

- our attempt to reconcile is required, regardless of any real or perceived resistance that the other party may display.

Is reconciliation necessary if you have nothing against another person?

- this isn’t about you forgiving another, it’s about someone having something against you.

- this is you making amends for real or perceived problems you’ve caused.

If we are not reconciled, we are unfit for communion with God!

Lust:

Matthew 5:27-28 “...You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart...”

Which scripture is Jesus citing?

- the seventh commandment.

- Exodus 20:14 “...You shall not commit adultery...”

What is adultery?

- moicheuo - voluntary sexual intercourse between a married person and a partner other than the lawful spouse (translated as adultery).

- porneia - sexual intercourse between partners who are not married to each other (translated as fornication in the KJV, sexual immorality in the ESV, and immorality in the NASB).

What is lust?

- epithumeo - to covet, crave, desire, or long for.

- a self absorbed desire for an object, person, or experience.

Is lust a part of our culture?

- 2 Peter 2:14 “...They have eyes full of adultery, insatiable for sin. They entice unsteady souls. They have hearts trained in greed. Accursed children!...”

- Peter had much to say in Chapter 2 about the false teachers in his world.

- Our world is full of the same type of people.

Why is lust a problem?

- it elevates the object of our desire above other things in our lives.

- it places the object of our lust above God.

Whose problem is it?

How can the way a person dresses promote sexual lust?

How can where a person looks promote sexual lust?

The problem is both male and female.

Matthew 5:29-30 “...If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body go into hell...”

How can we avoid the adultery of a sexually lustful culture?

- we must reject the world’s way of living and adopt God’s intentions for our lives.

- we must do away with everything that leads to sin.

Why does right living involve difficult, disciplined choices?

- the world is not kind to those who refuse to take the wide road.

Salt and Light:

Matthew 5:13 "...You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet..."

How is salt useful?

- it is one of the basic necessities of life.

- it's used to both preserve and enhance the flavor of food.

Can salt lose it's saltiness?

- sodium chloride is a stable compound, which doesn't cease to be sodium chloride.

- mixing it with impurities can cause it to become useless.

Name some institutions with the potential to preserve and enhance human life:

- the state, by properly enacting and enforcing laws.

- the family, by properly raising responsible children.

- the schools, by properly educating children.

- the church, by properly giving people a moral framework.

Are these institutions preserving and enhancing human life?

What causes these institutions to fail?

- impurities mixed in with their God given reasons for existence.

- an increasing amount of the kingdom of this world.

What causes these institutions to succeed?

- purity.

- alignment with kingdom of God reality.

Should we be surprised at the decay of our society when God is pushed to the periphery?

Why are Jesus' disciples necessary for the welfare of the world? What does Jesus expect of us?

- to preserve and enhance human life.

How are we doing?

What is the difference between salt and honey?

- salt can be quite biting.

- honey adds sweetness.

Why is trying to sweeten the world around us destined to failure?

- a biting realization of sin is necessary to move humanity to repentance and salvation.

Matthew 5:14-16 "...You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven..."

Why does the world need light?

John 8:12 "...Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life...”

- without light, the world walks in darkness.

What light do disciples offer the world?

- good works are a stark contrast to the selfishness of corrupted humanity.

When are Christians guilty of hiding a lamp under a basket?

- when submitting to the demands of a pluralistic society that demands no Christianity in public.

What is the end result of shining before others?

- God is glorified.

Taking Christ's words seriously leads to blessings, good works, and glory for the Father.

The Law and the Prophets:

Matthew 5:17-20 "...Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished. Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven..."

Do you prefer the Old Testament or the New Testament?

Which is most important?

- they are both equally important.

- Jesus was in the Old Testament concealed, but in the New Testament revealed.

** Why did Jesus come?

- to fulfill the Law and the Prophets.

- OT doctrinal teaching was partial, but fulfilled in Christ.

- OT predictive 1st coming prophesy was fulfilled by Christ.

- OT ethical precepts (moral law of God), which were superficially interpreted by the scribes, were fully revealed and fulfilled in Christ.

Prior to the end of the age, what will pass away from the Law?

- not an iota, not a dot.

- the law is as enduring as the universe.

How are people ranked in the kingdom of heaven?

- personal obedience or disobedience to the commands, even the least.