Text for the Week: Replying with Love

Scripture: Matthew 5:38-48

³⁸ “You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ ³⁹ But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also. ⁴⁰ And if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, hand over your coat as well. ⁴¹ If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles. ⁴² Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.

⁴³ “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ ⁴⁴ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, ⁴⁵ that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. ⁴⁶ If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? ⁴⁷ And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? ⁴⁸ Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

Questions

1. How literal was the “eye for an eye” text meant to be taken, what was the concept of justice being enforced in the passage?
2. How does the idea of giving in verse 42 relate to the theme of retributive justice in verse 38?
3. Where does the phrase “hate your enemies” come from and why does Jesus include it?
4. What does it mean to be “perfect” in the context of Jesus’ ideas and questions in verses 45-46?

Background

Related Scriptures: Exodus 21:22-25; Leviticus 19:18, 24:13-23; Deuteronomy 19:21; Psalm 145:9; Matthew 22:34-40; Luke 10:25-37

Deuteronomy 19:21 is meant to show the seriousness of intentionally harming a neighbor, the phrase “show no pity” used there is about the community recognizing the seriousness of one member of the community harming another.

The structure of verse 39 seems to indicate that Jesus is concerned with resisting evil with retaliation rather than the kind of communal justice that is depicted in the Old Testament passages that he is quoting.

The word Jesus uses in verse 42 is somewhere between “ask” and “demand” and seems to have an implication of a request with some expectation that the request will be fulfilled because of a social obligation.

The first half of the phrase quoted in verse 43 as a saying is found in Leviticus 19:18 but there is no need to think that this is behind Jesus’ words. He is probably responding to the cultural wisdom of the day rather than a specific Old Testament verse.

Jesus does not define neighbor or enemy in this passage and so we cannot limit this to any particular group (national or personal enemies) rather we must recognize that any person who we have enmity for in some way is covered in this term.

The term perfect has a meaning of wholehearted, and in the Old Testament is often related to worship, in the sense that one is completely committed to worshiping God and not engaging in pagan practices.

Reflection

In the antitheses that begin in 5:21 it is very tempting to think that Jesus is confronting the Old Testament, dismissing it and giving us new rules to live by. But that concept breaks down in 5:43 when we realize that the Old Testament never says “hate your enemy”, so he cannot be confronting the Old Testament commands. Rather, he is confronting how the Old Testament ideas are understood by the people around him at that time, this is the folk wisdom of Jesus’ day. The people around Jesus understood they needed to love their own but like so many others in their day and ours they could conceive of any number of reasons they did not have to love the people they hated. This distinction in whom we must love and who we are allowed to hate is completely broken down by Jesus’ admonishment to love your enemies. And this call to love one’s enemies is a key to unlocking what Jesus says in the 5:38-42.

In the Old Testament the verses that talk about “an eye for an eye” are meant to remind Israel to take justice seriously. The expression is meant to say to Israel as a community, do not excuse away an injustice done to one of your members, come together as a community and act with justice so the offender understands the damage caused and must live with it in himself. These phrases were not about literal retribution as much as they were a response to the reality that when it is not me who is hurt I am more likely to look the other way and show clemency toward the offender. These were not commands that Israel must follow explicitly, there was room for generosity and grace especially from the victim, rather they are a reminder that justice is essential in a society committed to Godlike character. The trouble is, just like we do today, people wanted to read these verses not as reminders to the community about the need to maintain justice, but as a right to personal retribution and retaliation. These verses were used by people in a childlike manner to say “you harmed me first, so I get to harm you”. But what Jesus wants us to recognize is that when we reflect God we as individuals are willing to lay down this perceived right to retribution and show mercy and generosity to the person who has wronged us. I do not need to get even with the person who wrongs me, I can love this person who wants to make me an enemy and show them the grace God has given me.

In doing this I am not negating the justice that the Old Testament requires of the community, in fact if the community sees how one person is wronging another and does nothing (even if the recipient of the wrong is showing love, mercy, and generosity) they are still negligent in their duties. But Jesus is addressing individuals and how we as individuals relate to those who wrong us. We are called to ask how we are going to respond to those individuals who are acting like our enemy. What is my response to the person or group of people who want to see me as adversary. Am I going to respond with retaliation, aggression, and violence, hating that person as a foe. Or am I going to generously turn the other cheek give my cloak and go the extra mile.

Living out these words in daily life is exceptionally difficult because they force us to seek justice when we see members of our community who are injured. Yet, to show peace and generosity toward others when they wrong us. And all the while to do this in such a way that we are, so much as it is within our power, working to make a neighbor of the person who wants to be an enemy. And worse yet, Jesus’ words call us to love our enemies that means to advocate for justice toward them when they are wronged and to do so in such a way that they are confronted by our love. To do this is an extreme act of faith, accepting that injustices may be done to me but that I will see justice done for others, comes from a reliance on God that says I know God will bring justice in the end. This is the self-sacrificial love that marks us as Jesus’ followers who are planting the seeds of his kingdom.