18th june, matthew 5, 38-48, transformed living-part 3 web view2017/06/18 · and...

The Ethics of Discipleship in the Sermon on the MountTransformed Living – Part 3

(Matthew 5:38-48)Matthew 5:38-48

An Eye for an Eye

Mt 5:38 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ Mt

5:39 But I tell you, Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the

right cheek, turn to him the other also. Mt 5:40 And if someone wants to sue

you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. Mt 5:41 If someone

forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. Mt 5:42 Give to the one who

asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.

Love for Enemies

Mt 5:43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbour and hate your

enemy.’ Mt 5:44 But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who

persecute you, Mt 5:45 that you may be sons 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. Mt 5:46 If you love those who love you, what reward will

you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? Mt 5:47 And if you greet

only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans

do that? Mt 5:48 Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

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(Matthew 5:38-48)Introduction

Slide - 1

On a recent documentary about Islamic State…an Arab leader was asked

questions regards why Islamic extremists do what they do…and some of the

answers…Somewhat surprised me…e.g.

In their interpretation of the Quran…they were entitled to carry out Jihad if they

had a land…which is an ideology based very much on the Old Testament…

And asked why they struck certain nations particularly hard…such as France…

he said…because…in the past…France had been a starting point for a lot of the

Crusades…

Now I always thought that their objection with the West was to do with modern

liberal standards of living…which partly it is…but it surprised me…as it would

most rational minded people…that they are bearing grudges over events of

history…which started over 1,000 years ago…

So…here then…is an example of a practice…taking revenge…which…rather

than bringing things to a closure…is caught up in a vicious circle of violence…

which just goes on and on and on…

And…its quite probable…that Jesus spoke these words in a context where…the

Jews were living under the rule of an oppressor who was occupying their

country…

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(Matthew 5:38-48)And as there were plenty Jewish religious zealots around…he was effectively

saying…you can never win that way…because for one thing you are too small a

nation to take on Rome…

But also…even if you did drive them out…they would be back…reinforced…

and the violence would just continue…

In other words…you cannot overcome evil with evil…

However…this business of passive resistance…is not weakness…and it does

not do away with the desire to see justice being done…

In the world today there are situations where to say…e.g...if a terrorist has been

responsible for the death or injury of a loved one…just forgive…would be…not

right…

That person rightly wants justice…and forgiveness may in some instances take

a lifetime…or even into eternity to fully be achieved…but meanwhile…these

transforming initiatives help us to deal with anger…in the here and now…

So…as we have seen so far…Jesus teaches his disciples how to break vicious

circles…

We can break the vicious circles which escalate when we do not forgive

one another…Matthew 5:21-26…

We can avoid…or break the vicious circles…which lead to adultery and

divorce by taking our eyes away from such temptations…

And today…it’s how we break vicious circles of violence by forgiving

our enemies…

3


(Matthew 5:38-48)Not so easy perhaps…and maybe we might even think impossible…given that

Jesus causes us to think of being perfect…as God is perfect…something we see

as impossible…

Slide - 2

Doing the Impossible

Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect… (Matthew

5:48)

Of course God is perfect…and if we look at the life of Jesus…we can see how

he perfectly fulfilled God’s Law…

He did not resist the evil…which had him nailed to the Cross…

He…when struck on the right cheek…offered his left…

He had no real possessions of his own…yet shared the riches of Heaven with

the poorest of the poor…

He…most perfectly loved his enemies and his neighbours…

He…greeted the tax collectors and sinners…

We could go on…but clearly we can see…that in terms of Law…he has

fulfilled all of that…that which is impossible for us…he fulfilled perfectly…

But…there is an element of mystery in the words spoken at the end of this

passage…in that he not only expects us to believe that he is all of this…that he

is like the Father…and as put so eloquently in John’s Gospel…is one with

him…

4


(Matthew 5:38-48)It’s more than that…he says for…You!...to be like this also…

One of the problems that we have with this translation is our understanding of

perfect…

Now of course there should be an understanding of God as being without fault

in any way…thus being perfect…

But…

According to Stassen and Gushee…the Old Testament understanding of God

was not so much in that way…we inherit that from the Greek Philosophical way

of looking at things…but…

The better translation of this phrase is to be like God and to…

Slide - 3

Be complete…or completely all embracing… Stassen & Gushee,

Kingdom Ethics, p341-342)

God is the one who forgives and embraces his enemies…therefore…be like

him…

You only have to think of the parables that Jesus told…to understand what it is

like to be like God…e.g.

The Prodigal Son and the unconditionally forgiving Father…

The Good Samaritan…the one who forgives his enemy…and also…goes the

extra mile…since Jews and Samaritans were such bitter enemies…

5


(Matthew 5:38-48)So…Jesus is not meaning that these things are impossible…therefore…we

leave all of that to him…

Rather…this is a way of saying…you can…it may be hard…but it’s the way

that your called to…as his followers…it’s the way that our Heavenly Father

is…

Therefore…be like him…who is perfect in his all-embracing love of…even his

enemies…

The difference is…with God’s help we can do this stuff…e.g.

Evil

Slide - 4

Another of the problems we encounter with this teaching is our definition of

evil…

For clearly…there are things that we can forgive quite easily…there are other

thing that are much harder to forgive…

If…for example…John stands on my foot by accident…I can forgive that quite

easily…

If…someone breaks into my shed and steals my bike…that would be a bit

harder to forgive…but…I could probably reason that they may have been

desperate…or something along that lines…

6


(Matthew 5:38-48)Someone did steal my bike once when I was at college in Paisley…it was

securely locked on the campus…with security cameras nearby…but alas…when

I came back for it…it was gone…

I have largely forgotten it now…but I seem to recall that it really annoyed me at

the time…and may have even uttered a few unkind words against the

perpetrators of such a heinous crime…

But…there are crimes…or offences against us…of varying degrees…

Here in this passage for instance…

Slide – 4b

“You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ But

I tell you, Do not resist an evil person (Matthew 5:38)

Eye for eye and tooth for tooth…was a reference to the law which

made sure that recompense was not excessive to the crime…

Slide – 5x1

. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also…

(Matthew 5:39)

Striking someone on the right cheek…entitled the offended to

recompense by law…assuming you are right-handed…it also

meant using a back handed slap…which was highly insulting in a

shame honour culture…therefore entitled one to even greater

recompense…

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(Matthew 5:38-48)To…strike on the left was to double the offence and the

recompense…so rather than showing weakness…you were in your

passive resistance…bringing greater shame on the perpetrator…

Slide – 5x2

And if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have

your cloak as well… (Matthew 5:40)

If someone takes your cloak…and you give the tunic also…you are

left naked…and no-one…in that culture…would think about

shaming you in that way for the greater shame would be on them…

Slide – 5x3

If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles…

(Matthew 5:41)

A Roman soldier was entitled to stop a person and ask them to

carry their bags etc a certain set distance…

angareuo…dates back to the time of the Persian Empire…when

officers in the Persian postal service rode in stages to deliver a

message…

Here the Roman soldier could commandeer you as a porter…but

you had rights for he should not force you to go further than a set

distance…interpreted here as a mile…

Now this may save on postage stamps and delivery charges…but…

You can imagine the hassle that this would cause today…as

everyone gathers for the service this morning and asks…where is

Willie…he’s just been commandeered to nip down to Maryburgh

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(Matthew 5:38-48)to deliver a letter…

But…back to the text…to go the extra mile was to…in the context

of doing it for your enemy…unthinkable…

Love

Slide - 6

But…Jesus uses that example to lead nicely into the central command of the

Sermon on the Mount…which is also the central command of the Law…that

is…to love…

There has been much said about love…the different words for love in the New

Testament…the word is used in nearly every pop song that is played on the

radio these days but what is real love…how do we know that love is for real…

There used to be a song…a number of years ago and to show my age…which

went…love and marriage…love and marriage…go together like horse and

carriage…

But what about love and enemies…loving our fiancé whom we will one day

marry…loving our wives and our children…loving your neighbour even…that’s

all good and very well…

But…Jesus said…

Slide 6x2

“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbour and hate your enemy.’

But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,…

(Matthew 5:43-44)

9


(Matthew 5:38-48)After all…this is what God does…he shows grace to even those who persecute

the family of God…

Slide 6x3

…that you may be sons 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… (Matthew 5:45)

It’s not enough to just love those who love you…

Slide - 7

If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even

the tax collectors doing that? Mt 5:47 And if you greet only your

brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do

that?... (Matthew 5:46-47)

Anyone can do that he says…to love in that respect is part of our God given

human nature…but there is a capacity to love that is…also God given…but

beyond and contrary to the human nature that we tend to have…and that is to

love our enemies…

But…when you think about it…if we don’t…then the old vicious circles of

violence and retribution just go on and on…like the Jihadists who are fighting a

thousand-year old cause…

Perhaps…closer to home…if we think of the situation we are in here in

Britain…with a hung Parliament…and the government of the country

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(Matthew 5:38-48)depending on a coalition between the Conservatives and the DUP…we can see

how easily old wounds and divisions can be opened up…in Northern Ireland…

Its not a political situation any of us would have wished for…but…there are

many pundits saying…it won’t work…when perhaps we should be saying…

maybe it has to work…

We have to work together for the common good and in order that the old

vicious circle is broken…

I don’t want to digress into party politics…but in terms of ethics…I

unashamedly say that we should desire to be peacemakers…and it is in that

sense that I think we require to at least reflect on the situation…and be salt and

light where we can…

To love…in any sense of the word requires action…and according to Dietrich

Bonhoeffer…

Slide - 8

The cross is the differential of the Christian religion, the power which

enables the Christian to transcend the world and to win the victory. The

passio in the love of the Crucified is the extreme expression of the

extraordinary quality of the Christian life…

(Dietrich Bonhoeffer, The Cost of Discipleship, 101)

Here then…is the love of the Father…who loved those who did not love him…

but allowed his Son to die for them…

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(Matthew 5:38-48)And…Jesus commands that we be like him…and that is the differential from

any other norm that we know…

Slide – 8x2

Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect… (Matthew

5:48)

Conclusion

For sure…there are challenges with this…but we should not right off Jesus

teaching as impossible demands…nor should we expect to comply with it

without his help…but…together we can break the vicious circles…

I have spared any diagrams until the end this time but…

Slide - 9

12


(Matthew 5:38-48)Traditional Teaching

“You have heard that it was

said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth

for tooth.’

Vicious Circle

But I tell you, Do not

resist an evil person

Transforming Initiatives

If someone strikes you on

the right cheek, turn to

him the other also. And if

someone wants to sue you

and take your tunic, let

him have your cloak as

well. If someone forces

you to go one mile, go

with him two miles. Give

to the one who asks you,

and do not turn away

from the one who wants to

borrow from you.

Slide - 10

13


(Matthew 5:38-48)Traditional Teaching

“You have heard that it was

said, ‘Love your neighbor

and hate your enemy.’…

(Matthew 5:43)

Vicious Circle

If you love those who

love you, what reward

will you get? Are not

even the tax collectors

doing that? Mt 5:47

And if you greet only

your brothers, what are

you doing more than

others? Do not even

pagans do that?...

(Matthew 5:46-47)

Transforming Initiatives

But I tell you: Love your

enemies and pray for

those who persecute you,

Mt 5:45 that you may be

sons 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…

(Matthew 5:44-45)

So…we can…be transformed by Jesus…through faith in him…but also by

following him in the way which crucifies our own self and the desires of our

broken humanness…and in being transformed into a new humanness…

Here he teaches us how to live lives in a world which is caught…for now…in a

vicious circle of hatred and violence…but we can…

Slide - 11

Resist evil…peacefully

Love our enemies

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(Matthew 5:38-48) And…be like God who is all encompassing

Sometimes…we may wonder what part we can play…in a world which seems

to be becoming increasingly angry…

…sometimes the anger…such as the outrage voiced by those affected by the

Tower-block fire in London…could be justified…

Sometimes…the anger or violence expressed by extremists is never

justifiable…

But much of the time we can have an effect in breaking the vicious circles by

acting…with love…rather than retaliating with more violence…

I finish with this story…Steve Chalke tells of the night of the Tottenham riots in

2011…when a 29 year old…Mark Duggan…was shot while sitting in the back

of a car and his death sparked riots…

Many buildings were destroyed by fire and the headquarters of Steve’s

charity…Oasis…was in line to be torched the next night…as his organisation

was informed…

However…Disaster was averted because of the good relationship his youth

workers had built up with the rioters…they went out and served cakes and soft

drinks and chatted with the youths into the small hours…

They…according to Chalke…had traded on the good relationships they had

built up over many years…

15


(Matthew 5:38-48)We too build such relationships…in this community…and we never se riots…I

hope…

But…when we least expect it…we will get opportunities to trade on these

relationships…

Remembering though…why we do so…because the one who loves his enemies

enough to die for them…is with us…

May he be with you as you seek to walk with him…in this way...in the week

ahead…

Amen…

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18th june, matthew 5, 38-48, transformed living-part 3 web view2017/06/18 · and...

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