Vengeance Belongs to the Lord (Matthew 5:38-42)

Vengeance, Justice, and the Human Desire to Settle Scores

Settling a score. This is something that speaks to each and every one of us at some level at our core. There's something universal about it, isn't there? How do we know this? How do we know that vengeance and retaliation and settling scores and justice is at our core of who we are?

We know this in many ways. One of the ways that we can see it in our culture even, even out in the world, is through our entertainment. So the entertainment that we consume. We think about the movies.

Look at the movies that we watch. The movies that are popular. For us men, we like westerns, don't we? We like action. We like the thrillers and those types of movies. And many of those movies that we enjoy that are popular in our world today, they depict some vigilante, some hero of the story taking the law into his own hands and enacting justice.

Why do they make movies like this? Because they sell. Because we consume them. Because it's deep within us to long for justice. And we love the justice whenever that score is settled at the end of that movie, if we're honest, don't we?

I remember as a kid wanting to be that soldier, wanting to be Rambo, right? All of us kids from the 80s remember that. Wanting to be that hero that settles the score and makes everything even and brings about justice.

And I know some of you women probably feel the same about the action movies. But some of you, if you're like my wife, don't care anything about those types of movies. You like what we call the chick flicks, right?

You like the chick flicks. But you're not out of the woods yet, right? Because what is it that you like in those movies? You like the fact that the hero in the movie puts the mean girl in her place, right?

Right?

It just twists that little knife in there a little bit. You love at the end of the movie that the person that you're watching, that you've grown attached to, that you see that has been, some injustice is happening to them, at the end of the movie they get what they deserve, don't they?

This is what feeds and this is what the world longs for. This is what we long for at times. And it just shows through our entertainment because our entertainment is a reflection of our culture, isn't it?

It's a reflection of who we are or more likely who we want to be. So I point this out to point that we are all wired for justice. Every human being is wired for it. The problem is that we usually have a distorted perspective of what justice is because of our sin nature.

But today's passage in this Sermon on the Mount from the words of Jesus cuts right through that sinful perspective. And it forces us to see God's law representing true justice. So go ahead and open your copy of God's Word, Matthew chapter 5, starting in verse 38, Matthew 5, 38, as we continue our study through the Sermon on the Mount.

And this is our fourth, I believe, fourth example from Jesus, out of six that we will totally see of him contrasting the letter of the law that the religious leaders were teaching versus the heart of the law that he himself is the author of.

So Matthew chapter 5, starting in verse 38. Jesus says, 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 for you. And do not refuse the one who would borrow from you.

This is the reading of God's holy, perfect, inspired word. Let's stop now and go to him and pray that he would illuminate our hearts and minds to this truth. Dear Lord, we come to you once again and we thank you.

And we pray right now that you would speak to us through your word. God, your word is clear, it is precise, it is perfect. But in our frailty, we often have difficulty comprehending and understanding it, at least in its fullest.

So Lord, I pray that you would illuminate our hearts and minds. That the Holy Spirit within us will allow us to see, to hear, to understand these great truths from you and from your word. In Christ's name, amen.

Jesus Did Not Abolish the Law but Fulfill It

Well this passage is an often misunderstood and misapplied passage. It gets to the core of what we talked about a few weeks ago through this study. And this is that thinking that Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount came to do away with the law.

The Old Testament law that was given through Moses. And given to the people of Israel. Remember that study? If you were with us then, you know that we talked about that laying down the groundwork of this law.

And they think that he is ushering in a completely new way of thinking in this sermon. A completely new way of thinking that's all about grace. That we've thrown out all of the Old Testament law and now we are coming into the New Testament.

We're coming into a time of only grace. There is a place, there is an understanding where we see that grace. But this is not what Jesus is talking about. But when you think this way, when you think that Jesus has come to do away with the law.

And to bring about just this whole new concept of grace. It seems as though Jesus is implementing passivity and lawlessness in this section of the Sermon on the Mount. That's how people misinterpret it.

And it's easy to do so. After all in verse 38 when he says, You have heard that it was said, An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. But then gives us the coordinating conjunction in verse 39 when it says, But I say to you.

When he does this it leaves the impression that Jesus is condemning an eye for an eye. It seems as though Jesus is saying, Hey, the eye for an eye and tooth for tooth idea. That's old, that's what you've heard.

But I say to you. That's the way it reads if you think that that's what Jesus is doing. And it's because of this misunderstanding that some Christians have come to this conviction of things like the death penalty.

Have you ever seen Christians that are against the death penalty? Someone takes the life of another and we just want to throw them in prison for life. And that's their punishment. And we don't believe that the government has the sword of justice to bring about the death penalty.

This is one of the passages they get that from. We get this idea that there's no such thing as a just war. Which I'll give you in the past few decades. It doesn't seem to be much of just war. But that doesn't negate the fact that there is such a thing as war, as a just war.

People protecting themselves. But they think that because of Jesus' words here. From a practical perspective, from our day to day, some Christians have become doormats. They believe that everyone and anyone can just walk all over them at any time and they should just allow this.

It even dives into the idea of abuse. Even refusing to guard themselves from physical harm. In abusive relationships or in situations that would harm them physically. I've even heard pastors using passages like this to say that they wouldn't even guard their children and wife from an intruder in their home.

Because they believe Jesus is bringing about passivity. And of course Jesus is not doing that. But the problem with all of this is that that idea in this passage is built on a faulty premise of what Jesus is doing here in the Sermon on the Mount.

And that faulty premise is that he's doing away with the law and the prophets. And he's bringing about a new way of thinking. And that's not the case. We know that because we read verse 17, didn't we?

Verse 17. 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. So we know Jesus isn't doing away with it. We know what Jesus is doing here.

He's coming to specify the heart of the law. The truth of the law in comparison to what the religious leaders were interpreting it to be. So if this is the case, what does Jesus mean here? In verse 38 when he says, you have heard that it was said an eye for an eye or a tooth for a tooth.

Well in order to understand this we must first understand the source of this reference. And then we're going to look at the misinterpretation of it from the religious leaders, okay? So the source of it comes from Exodus 21.

As a matter of fact, turn your Bibles over there with me. Exodus 21 starting in verse 22. Exodus 21, 22. In this Old Testament section here we see the civil law of God being prescribed to the nation of Israel.

This is the consequences that come upon sin. And it's in great detail. And I just want to look at just one section so we can see where these religious leaders are getting this interpretation from. So Exodus 21 starting in verse 22.

It says, when men strive together. So it's this idea of men are fighting each other. They're out in the street and they're in a fist fight. They've gotten into this fight and they're beating each other up.

I told you it's quite specific. The civil law goes down into great detail. When men strive together and hit a pregnant woman. So they've hit this pregnant woman. Could be an accident, whatever it might be.

But she got in the mix of it. So that her children come out. But there is no harm. This means they've hit the lady. She's gone into induced labor from the trauma. The child comes out and there's no harm.

The one who hit her shall surely be fined. As the woman's husband shall impose on him. So what he's saying here is the husband gets to press charges in this situation. And the person will be fined. But it goes on, and he shall pay as the husband decides.

It's not what it says, is it? What's it say? He shall pay as the judge is determined. Notice this is an official court of law situation. This is not the husband taking the law into his own hands. And bringing about justice on his own.

This is a judge determining what that fine may be. Look at verse 23. But if there is harm. These men were fighting. They've hit this pregnant woman. The child is born and there's harm either to the woman or to the child.

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. You see the point of this is to show God prescribes perfect justice. God's justice is perfect. When a person is wronged, there are consequences. And those consequences are meant to even the score.

To even the scales.

Right?

That's justice. But here's the thing, the punishment is never to exceed the crime.

You get that?

Life for life. Eye for eye.

Tooth for tooth.

It doesn't say tooth for life. It doesn't say life for an eye. No, it's just. It balances the scales. And God's view of justice is an eye for an eye. And God's view of justice is perfect. Now on a side note.

I feel like I need to say this. Some may be thinking, well if God's serious about an eye for an eye. Then how can he send someone to eternal punishment. For the sins they've committed in a finite earthly context.

You following what I'm saying? Some people have that question. I've had that question asked me over the past couple of weeks. How can someone be sent to hell for eternity. Over what they committed on earth in a matter of what?

Let's say 80, 90 years. How is that just? How is that an eye for an eye? So that question I think needs to be answered. The answer is. It is absolutely just. Why is it just? He's a holy God. Because a finite creature from the dirt.

Defies the holy infinite perfect just God. One small minor sin is worthy of eternal punishment. Because they are finite and he is infinite. It's the thing sinned against. It's the thing sinned against.

And when God who is infinite is sinned against. The judgment is infinite punishment. Eternal punishment. So we can't use that argument. That God isn't necessarily just an eye for an eye. That punishment is absolutely an eye for an eye.

A tooth for a tooth.

It is perfect.

Now I know I kind of went on a tirade there. His holiness just demands perfect justice. But back to our context. The consequences for earthly crime. Were always only prescribed. To be carried out by the governing authorities.

If you notice that. If you look at the civil law that was prescribed to the nation of Israel in the Old Testament. You will not see a circumstance. Where the person that has been harmed. Has the right to inflict harm back.

Or to settle the score. Or to balance the scales. It's always the governing authorities. God has given the responsibility of the sword of justice. To earthly authorities not individuals. And those earthly authorities will be held accountable for any injustice.

Mind you.

So fear not. When you look around and you see somebody has murdered a child 30 years ago. And they're still sitting in a prison cell. And they haven't been put to death a life for a life.

God.

God will not be mocked. This government and its authorities will be judged.

I promise you.

But we still trust God and his hand of authority over all of that. We have no need to try and take up the sword. And go after them ourselves. That would not be just. And this is the type of justice God had prescribed back in Exodus.

However, the religious leaders in Jesus' day had distorted this view of justice and retaliation. The religious leaders as Jesus is speaking there in the Sermon on the Mount had turned this into vengeance.

They had turned this idea of an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. To lead the people to believe that it was their right to retaliate. Against someone that has harmed them. That they were obeying God's law by taking an eye for an eye for themselves.

Not only that. But human nature had taken over with these people. As they began to understand it as an eye for an eye and they have the right to do it. And they were no longer pursuing an eye for an eye.

Human nature takes over, doesn't it? They weren't like God. Pursuing even justice and balancing the scales. We know the feeling, don't we? When you've been wronged, your view of justice is to make them pay.

And pay dearly. Don't look at me with those holy looks. I know that feeling myself. When I've been wronged, I want to hit back twice as hard and twice as many times. Because that's payback. That's evening the scales.

But that's not godly justice. But that's what had taken over in the people of Israel. They began to see it this way. This is how the people of Israel thought. And to make it worse, they legitimately thought that they were obeying God by doing this.

They thought that they were okay according to the law of God that was given to them through Moses. They thought we are obeying the law by going after vengeance and retaliation. So you see Jesus is not doing away with this eye for an eye.

He's giving the true interpretation. That matter of the heart. And Jesus does this by giving three examples here that I want us to see. These examples are difficult for us to understand in our context.

So I want to break each one of them down for us as we walk through. So that we can understand them through the context of the original listener. So that we don't walk away with this concept of passivity.

Or being a doormat. So let's look. Verse 39. Here's this coordinating conjunction. 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.

You see this right here. This is the verse that people believe Jesus is calling for passivity. That if someone is attacking you, turn the other cheek. You've heard it said, haven't you? I thought you Christians were supposed to turn the other cheek.

And when you're being physically harmed, you're supposed to just turn the other cheek to them. That's not what Jesus is saying. I don't believe Jesus is referring to physical harm here. Jesus is not saying you should just allow physical abuse.

So what is he saying? Notice something in this verse. Notice that Jesus speaks specifically to which cheek? Notice that? The right cheek? The right cheek. Why did he specify the right cheek? We have to understand this in the context of the people of Israel.

Think about it. What hand would a person have to... If Pastor Jeremiah decided to slap me, he walked over here and he slapped my right cheek, what hand would he have to do it with? His left hand. He would have to use his left hand to slap me in the right cheek, right?

Unless he did like some weird contortion. Let's think logically. So is Jesus saying that this only applies to left-handed fighters? The logic doesn't hold up, does it? So Jesus is basically saying, hey, if you get into a fight with a southpaw, well then you just gotta let him beat you up.

Right?

But if you get in a fight with a right-handed guy, you can defend yourself. That's not what Jesus is saying. That's absurd. But he uses this language specifically. The listeners of that day would have known what Jesus is referring to.

Because to be slapped on the right cheek in that day to the people of Israel was considered the worst form of humiliation. The worst form of humiliation. You gotta remember, this is a very proud culture.

It's a very legalistic culture. So they carry themselves and their honor and their pride and their standing is very, very important to them. Far more than we can comprehend from our western eyes and today.

They took honor very seriously. So much so that there's other writings that show that people in that day in Israel, they would legitimately have rather their neighbor murder them than slap them on the right cheek.

Think about that for a second.

Put yourself in those shoes. I would rather be murdered than slapped on the right cheek. And why is that? Because they took honor very seriously. It was even recognized by the courts in that day. If you slapped someone in the right cheek because you're doing it in an accusatory, you're humiliating them because they're to be dishonored.

If you do it and you're found that you did it wrongfully, that they did not deserve that dishonor there was a fine that you had to pay and it was one year wages. If you slapped a neighbor on the right cheek and you did it wrongly you had to give up an entire year's worth of your salary to that person.

That's pretty intense, isn't it? So you can see now all of a sudden when we contextualize this we can understand from their perspective. Jesus isn't talking about physical fighting here. No, he's speaking to them.

He's using this analogy and he's penetrating right to their heart of pride. Their heart of self. Their heart of retaliation and vengeance. He's speaking right to it and saying, turn to him the other cheek.

He's telling them to absorb that humiliation. The most humiliating thing that you could possibly comprehend happening to you. That you would rather be murdered than have happen to you. Turn the other cheek.

Accept it. To absorb the humiliation. Not to seek vengeance. Not to retaliate. Not to restore your good name. Not to resist the evil one as he said at the beginning of that verse. The person inflicting the humiliation.

You see now Jesus even takes it further though with that second example. Look at verse 40. And if anyone would sue you and take your tunic let him have your cloak as well.

Again,.

This one's hard to understand from our eyes. I don't see anyone in here with a tunic on. It's hard to comprehend. I've noticed that this area here in Arkansas is not a very sue happy area. I've learned that over the past handful of years since I've been here.

But where we're from in Florida everyone sues everyone for anything. It's just everyone suing everyone constantly. If you want to get paid you got to sue. If you want anything you have to sue people. That's just the nature of the culture.

But see it's similar to the people in Jesus' day. They were a sue happy culture because they were prideful. They were about self. They were all about me, me, me. What can I get? I want mine. I want the scales to be balanced.

And so they were very sue happy. But here's the difference. Back then if you lost the suit if you went to court and you lost that suit if someone was suing you and you were found to be wrong you were required to leave a down payment.

You couldn't just leave court and say well we'll set up a payment plan. You actually had to put a down payment down. And you know what that down payment was? Your tunic. What does that mean? Why would I want somebody's tunic for a down payment?

You see in the Jewish people in this day they had two principal garments. Two principal garments. They had a tunic and this was their first layer coat. Kind of like me wearing a vest under here I guess.

This is a first layer coat but they also had what's called a cloak and this was your outer coat. This was an outer coat that they would wear and when you were wearing a tunic when you lost a suit in court that first layer was your down payment.

The tunic. That was common practice. You had to give them that undercoat that was given to them and it was multifaceted. Some of it was just a humiliation factor. Some of it was just the simple fact that you're telling everyone in the community that they have your tunic so they were wronged and you were wrong, they were right and now they have it.

Now I want you to notice one thing though in this passage. Jesus doesn't specify whether you were rightfully or wrongfully sued. People get sued all the time wrongly don't they? Jesus doesn't specify whether you were rightfully or wrongfully sued.

He says give them your cloak also.

Right or wrong?

Give them your cloak. Now why is this important? Why is the cloak important here? It's because in that day.

Your cloak.

Was your most prized possession. Your coat that you wore was your most prized thing that you had. As a matter of fact it played kind of like an identification for you. It was kind of like what we would consider our driver's license and then some today.

It was an identification card. People knew you from it. They knew your status from your coat, from your cloak. They knew your reputation and this was all by your cloak. It was so much so that even in the Old Testament law if you lent your cloak out to someone as a down payment for something, they could only keep it overnight.

They could only keep it 24 hours. They weren't allowed to keep it forever. It had to come back to you. That was Old Testament law. So this cloak is very very important to these people. Not only is their tunic important, but now it goes to a whole other level of importance.

Not only do you give the down payment, but now Jesus says give them your most prized possession. The thing that tells everyone in the world who you are. Remember a proud culture. Identity. Reputation.

Very important. And this coat represents and carries all of it. Jesus is essentially saying the heart that obeys God's.

Law, the heart of the law.

Holds loosely to earthly possessions. It doesn't hold tight to things like your cloak. You will gladly give them up to show love to your enemy. Because that gets down to the very heart of the law. Remember, they're trying to obey the letter.

An eye for an eye. A tooth for a tooth. Hey, you get yours. You settle the score. Jesus is saying no, you let loose of those earthly possessions. Because they mean nothing to you because you have something far greater if you truly love God and you truly love His law.

To obey the law of God is one that holds loosely to the things of this world. No matter how valuable they are to you. But now in this third example, He takes it way further.

Okay?

So far the listeners can assume with those two examples that Jesus is speaking of their fellow brothers. Other people, other Jewish people, right? You know, I gotta give up my cloak to one of my brothers, a Jewish person in court.

Or, you know, I have to love my brothers. I get that. Okay. So we can maybe accept this. I can expect this humiliation from my brothers that are of Israel. But now He brings in their most.

Hated enemy. The people they.

Vilely hate the most.

Rome.

Look at verse 41. And if anyone forces.

You to go one mile, go with him two miles. Now again,.

We read this and look at it and go, okay, so my neighbor just asked me to help him carry something down the street for him. I'm gonna take it twice as far. That's not what Jesus is getting at. That's not what these people would have understood what Jesus is saying is.

You see, Rome was their oppressor. Rome had overtaken their lands and the whole known world at the time. And by law, if a Roman guard told an Israelite to carry his stuff for him, like if he didn't want to carry his baggage, he didn't want to carry his armor, he didn't want to carry anything, he could just pick any random Israelite and he could say, you carry my stuff.

And by law, you had to stop what you were doing, grab whatever he asked of you, and carry it for one mile. Now, this even applied on the Sabbath.

Remember?

These people wouldn't carry anything that weighed more than an egg on the Sabbath. And they wouldn't walk any distance, hardly at all on the Sabbath. They thought obeying God required that. But these Romans could tell them to do it, and they have to do it by law.

So you can imagine the humiliation and the hatred that they would have for these Roman guards. The humiliation of stopping your work, leaving your family in that moment to carry this thug's stuff for him while he's mocking you and laughing at your weakness.

It's like angering you, doesn't it? A little bit. It does me. Like if I was in those shoes, I would probably be very angry. And I'd want to attack this Roman guard, and I'd probably get killed.

But this.

Is what these people felt when they do this. And he tells them to carry one mile. That's what a Roman guard would tell you. Now, however, the Roman guard could not have you carry it more than one mile.

There was limits. If you got just that mile, you could drop his stuff, and you were legally allowed to leave it, and he couldn't do anything about it. But Jesus tells them to voluntarily go the next mile.

Why is Jesus telling them to voluntarily go that extra mile?

It stems from our heart.

Only a heart that's not seeking vindication can do these things.

For their enemy.

A person that they hate the most.

To serve them.

In a way when they're being humiliated and.

Mocked. You see, that guard would not.

Have respected someone for doing this. We begin to justify and we say, okay, I'm sure if you went that extra mile, he would see the love of Jesus and he'd be all excited that you did this, and man, you guys would probably be friends.

No, that Roman guard would have mocked you because he would have thought.

You were an idiot. You wouldn't have.

Gained an ounce of respect from that Roman guard. So it can't be for selfish purposes. Not only that, but the other Israelites that are watching you and they see you go an extra mile for that Roman guard that they hate so much, they would have zero respect for you.

They would hate you as much as they hate that Roman guard for that. They would call you a kiss-up. They would say you're weak. You're just trying to appease our.

Oppressor. So again, selfish.

Motives can't be the purpose. Jesus gets right to the heart of these people.

Now. You.

Hold loosely to the things of this.

World.

Not only possessions,.

But even your own pride. Your own desires. That's obeying.

The law of God. Giving up what you.

Desire.

To do the most. And this is what Jesus is calling them to do. And finally He says in verse 42, Give to the one who begs from you and do not refuse the one who would borrow from you. This right here is evidence of a heart not seeking self, but looking after the needs.

Of others. A heart that's.

Seeking after the law of God that loves it. You know, Paul summed up Jesus' words here in Romans 12 17. You can turn there and jot this down. But in Romans 12 17 on through 21.

Paul says,.

Repay no one evil for evil. But give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably.

With all.

Beloved, never hear me.

Never.

Avenge yourself. Hear that?

The Apostle Paul says never avenge yourself. But leave it to the wrath of God for it is written vengeance is mine. I will repay, says the Lord. And he goes on in verse 20, To the contrary, if your enemy is hungry, feed him.

If he is thirsty, give him something to drink. For by doing so you will keep burning coals on his head. Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. This is the heart of a believer. We should not seek to avenge ourselves.

And why should we not seek to avenge ourselves? Why do we have no need for vengeance or retaliation? It's because he said it. Because vengeance belongs to the Lord. And God's vengeance is perfect. Unlike.

Yours. Yours is.

Not balanced.

Yours is.

Unjust. His is perfect. His vengeance will be absolutely essential and perfect. It is truly an eye for an eye. It is truly a tooth for a tooth. Our idea of justice is selfish and unjust. For us to seek it does not even the scales.