Beyond

Matthew 5:38-42


"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" (Matthew 5:38).

I like what I read somewhere that the ten commandments are just the starting point for love; they lay a strong foundation for love. The rules of justice in Exodus were a starting point. It was far better to mete out a punishment equal to the crime than run the risk of ever deepening revenge cycles: think Hatfields and McCoys.

Loving one's enemies wasn't completely a new concept in the Bible. (Think David not killing Saul when Saul took a bathroom break in his hideout or remember Elisha feeding the soldiers who came to capture him.) But Jesus crystallized the idea of not seeking revenge. Jesus was able make this command clear and ask from people more than had ever been asked of them because he would embody what it meant to turn the other cheek. "I offered my back to those who beat me, my cheeks to those who pulled out my beard; I did not hide my face from mocking and spitting" (Isaiah 50:6).

Ultimately Christ's death fulfilled his own command."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" (Matthew 5:17).