Turn the Other Cheek
Sermon on the Mount Series
Matt 5:38-42
One of my favorite movies is The Last of the Mohicans, a movie about the French and Indian War. There is a scene where Nathaniel, the adopted son of the last living Mohican, walked bravely into the enemies camp with a Wampum belt held out to his side, which was a sign of peace. As soon as he was seen, he immediately started an uproar. People clamored to him, he was surrounded and yelled at in their native tongue. A man approached him, hit him and pushed him over, but Nathaniel calmly got up. Another man stood in front of him, blocked his way, and cut him with a knife. In pain, he moved forward. A third man clubbed him in the back of the head. This dropped him to his knees, while he grimaced in pain. All the while, he calmly walked forward, never raising his hands to defend himself or strike back. He was on a mission, and that mission could not be compromised.
His mission was to rescue a British officer, and two daughters of a British general—one of whom was his girlfriend. Nathaniel knew that if him, his father, and his brother would to attack the camp all six of them would be killed. He had too much to lose if chose to fight back.
There is an Old Testament law known in the Greek as, lex talionis, “the law of retaliation.” This law determined what amount of retribution an offender would have to endure if he harmed someone. Does anybody know what that law is? “An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.” Quite simply, if you knock someone’s tooth out, you have to endure your tooth being knocked out. If you cause someone to lose an eye, you will lose an eye.
But as we have observed over the last few months as we studied Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, that He may not have changed the law, but He change how we apply the law. For instance, the law says not to murder, but Jesus said, if you hated someone murder has already begun in your heart. The law said do not commit adultery, but Jesus said if you look at someone with lust in your heart you have already committed adultery. Here we have an old law and a new application. The law states how you are allowed to retaliate, but let us see how Jesus said we should apply it.
Matthew 5:38-42 38 “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ 39 But I tell you not to resist an evil person. But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also. 40 If anyone wants to sue you and take away your tunic, let him have your cloak also. 41 And whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two. 42 Give to him who asks you, and from him who wants to borrow from you do not turn away.”
Quite clearly, Jesus laid out the situation: “Here is what you are allowed to do, but here is what I suggest you do; Here is what you are obligated to do, but here is what I suggest you do. These are just suggestions but, if you are going to called one of my followers, I’m going to have some expectations of you.”
There are four mandates Jesus laid out for His followers.
1) Physical Attacks: Has anyone here everybody maliciously hit by someone? How did you react? Did you fight back? Did you turn the other cheek, and allow him or her to strike you again? What is gained if you fight back? What is gained if you don’t?
2) Legal Suits: Here is an example of what to do in a legal situation. A tunic was like a shirt, but a cloak was an outer garment like a coat, that could be used as a blanket. A man could take your tunic in a lawsuit but he could only keep your cloak until sundown. Jesus said if someone takes what he is legally allowed to take, give him what he is not legally allowed to take, too.
3) Government Demands: The Roman soldiers could make any citizen carry their heavy bags for exactly one mile, but not a step further. Every Jew of the day knew exactly how far one mile was. Jesus again said do more, go farther than what you are obligated to do and go.
4) Financial Requests: Give to those who ask.
But let us look more closely, at the physical attacks. There’s more than one way to be attacked. You can be physically attacked, verbally attacked, and emotionally attacked. Just like in the scene from The Last of the Mohicans, there’s a story in the Bible of a woman who was attacked four different times, but the mission was to important for her to fight back. She had to turn the other cheek.
Matt 15:21-28 “Then Jesus went out from there and departed to the region of Tyre and Sidon Canaan came from that region and cried out to Him, saying, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David! My daughter is severely demon-possessed.”
23 But He answered her not a word.
And His disciples came and urged Him, saying, “Send her away, for she cries out after us.”
24 But He answered and said, “I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”
25 Then she came and worshiped Him, saying, “Lord, help me!”
26 But He answered and said, “It is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the little dogs.”
27 And she said, “Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs eat the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table.”
28 Then Jesus answered and said to her, “O woman, great is your faith! Let it be to you as you desire.” And her daughter was healed from that very hour.”
23 But He answered her not a word.
And His disciples came and urged Him, saying, “Send her away, for she cries out after us.”
24 But He answered and said, “I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”
25 Then she came and worshiped Him, saying, “Lord, help me!”
26 But He answered and said, “It is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the little dogs.”
27 And she said, “Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs eat the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table.”
28 Then Jesus answered and said to her, “O woman, great is your faith! Let it be to you as you desire.” And her daughter was healed from that very hour.”
She was attacked when they ignored her, wanted her sent away, put her down because of her nationality, and called her a dog. What would she have gained if she fought back? What would she have lost?
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