YOU HAVE HEARD THAT IT WAS SAID...

1. DON’T MURDER…
Matthew 5:21-22…Exodus 20:13 …6th…“You shall not murder.” || internal anger is also a sin

2. DON’T COMMIT ADULTERY…
Matthew 5:27-28…Exodus 20:14,17 …7th…14 “You shall not commit adultery. || 10th…17 “You shall not covet your neighbor's house; you shall not covet your neighbor's wife, or his male servant, or his female servant, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor’s.” || Adultery is sin but so is the internal sin of lust (and coveting) || Today we are going to look at the next ‘you have heard that it was said’ statement || todays verse is a little different…dealing with divorce

3. DON’T DIVORCE…
In Matthew 5:31–32, Jesus teaches that divorcing a wife for an inadequate reason, even when the “proper paperwork” is filed, may not be a legitimate divorce in God’s eyes.…only in cases of adultery, abandonment and abuse is divorce permitted...so pursue reconciliation and only pursue divorce as a last resort

4. DON’T LIE…
Today we are going to look at the next ‘you have heard that it was said’ statement dealing with oaths, keeping your word and being truthful

5-6. DON'T RETALIATE...LOVE YOUR ENEMIES...
Today we are going to look at the last two ‘you have heard that it was said’…how to avoid retaliation/revenge when insulted and instead show love to your enemy, a person who acts in an evil way towards you. || Moments in our life where we have suffered an injustice || our reaction to the injustice a lot of the time is vengeance, or retaliation || some of the most popular movie plots are based on vigilante justice “I'm gonna get you back for that” “you are gonna pay for that” || and something inside of us likes it when the bad guy gets what is coming to him || justice is a good thing, it is a God thing || but Jesus has some things to teach us today about how we should respond when we experience some types of evil || not all forms of evil towards us are to be retaliated, which flies in the face of our desire for justice in all situations and all types of wrongs || again, in this new Kingdom that we are now citizens of, Jesus wants us to practice a new kind of ethic, a new way for us to live…and today we will learn about retaliation, vengeance and love…all aimed at our…enemies

1. WHAT IS JESUS TEACHING US ABOUT REVENGE AND RETALIATION?

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 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. 40 And if anyone would sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. 41 And if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. 42 Give to the one who begs from you, and do not refuse the one who would borrow from you.”


Vs38…EYE FOR EYE, TOOTH FOR TOOTH…
Revenge/Retaliation was common in the ancient Near East. Frequently it led to personal vendettas in which escalating vengeance continued for generations.

- 3 eye for eye passages...
--- EX 21:22-24 || LEV 24:17-23 || DEUT 19:15-21
- Israel's LAW OF RETALIATION limited retaliation to no more than equal retribution || The Jews, through Pharisaic teaching, tended to view the LAW OF RETALIATION as God's permission to take vengeance. That was never God's intention. He simply wanted to protect them from excessive vengeance and to curb vendettas.

VS39…DON’T RESIST THE ONE WHO IS EVIL…
Q: Does this instruction mean that there is an absolute, literal, unqualified prohibition against resisting any and all forms of evil? I would argue NO…I read this list (Sam Storms) of 7 things that we should consider as we try to figure out what Jesus is talking about:
1. First, if there was an absolute restriction to all forms of resisting evil, it would prohibit us from disciplining our children when they commit acts of sin or evil! But the Bible says we are to resist the evil in them and lovingly chastise them for it.
2. Second, Paul, Peter, and James, for example, frequently exhort us to “resist the Devil” (Eph. 6:13; Js. 4:7; 1 Pt. 5:8-9), who is the ultimate embodiment of evil.
3. Third, in Gal. 2:11-14 Paul resisted Peter to his face; he publicly rebuked and denounced him for withdrawing fellowship from the Gentiles under pressure from the Jews.
4. Fourth, in John 18:19-23 Jesus appears to resist the high priest and the “police brutality” of the soldier who slapped him. Clearly, Jesus did not turn the other cheek. Why? Because Jewish law prohibited striking an accused person before he had been legally convicted. Neither Jesus nor Paul nor we are to forego the protection the law provides us.
5. Fifth, in Matthew 18:15-17 Jesus commands us to resist the evil in our brothers when he advocates church discipline.
6. Sixth, Romans 13 clearly endorses the right and responsibility of human government to resist and punish evildoers.
7. Seventh, let us never forget that Jesus “violently” and “angrily” resisted the evil of the Pharisees when he cleansed the temple on two separate occasions.

-- What Jesus is saying is this: Do not retaliate against those who have maliciously opposed you.

SAM STORMS says this QUOTE:
“His statement is not meant to apply to instances when a third party is involved. If someone assaults your neighbor or your spouse or your child or someone weak and helpless, go to their defense. Jesus is not suggesting that we stand idly by while others are being injured. He is not forbidding us from opposing evil when it threatens our families or our society. He is forbidding the taking of revenge for purely personal reasons, when nothing is ultimately at stake except our pride, our reputation, our so-called rights. Jesus was not prohibiting the administration of justice but the taking of the law into our hands for the purpose of exacting personal revenge. The “I’ll get even with you for this” attitude is utterly foreign and antithetical to Christianity. Jesus is not advocating temperamental weakness or moral compromise or political anarchy or total pacifism. His words are not a license for the thug or tyrant. Christians are to fight evil in society. Jesus is calling on us to resist the urge to retaliate and to be willing, if need be, to suffer additional pain at the hands of those who hate us. “He teaches not the irresponsibility which encourages evil, but the forbearance which renounces revenge”

—> Jesus gave FOUR ILLUSTRATIONS to clarify what He meant by NOT RESISTING ONE WHO IS EVIL…
- Jesus is here talking to his disciples, and speaking of personal relations: he is not laying down moral directives for states and nations, and things like the work of police or the question of a defensive war are not in his mind.

#1. MT 5:39b “But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.”
- In Jesus' first illustration, the disciple gets slapped on the right cheek. Under normal conditions this would come from the back of a right-handed person's right hand. Such a slap was an insult more than an injury. So, does Jesus here prohibit all self-defense? I would say No. Jesus isn’t talking about a physical attack but more likely a personal insult. Jesus is calling us to refrain from trying to vindicate and defend ourselves when someone insults us or seeks to humiliate or degrade our Christian character. He is not calling on us to be self-destructive when it comes to our physical welfare or that of others. He is not asking us to allow ourselves to get beat up or killed. Jesus is not describing an attack on your health but on your honor! Don’t Retaliate.

#2. MT 5:40 “And if anyone would sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well.”
- The second illustration…If someone wanted to take your shirt (“tunic” like long johns), for some real or imagined offense, the disciple was to part with it willingly, and his “coat” as well. This “coat”, which was a loose wrap, like a small blanket or afghan, was worn as an outer garment during the day and used as bedding at night. Under Mosaic Law, a person's outer cloak was something that he or she had an almost inalienable right to retain.
[Exod 22:26-27, “If you ever take your neighbor’s cloak as a pledge, you are to return it to him before the sun sets, for that is his only covering; it is his cloak for his body. What else shall he sleep in? And it shall come about that when he cries out to Me, I will hear him, for I am gracious.”] This is another example of hyperbole. Jesus did not intend His disciples to walk around naked, but to be generous—even toward enemies—even if it meant parting with essential possessions.
-- To sum up, these first two illustrations have nothing to do with the legitimacy of courts of law or whether we should or should not fight a lawsuit. He is referring, rather, to our willingness to set aside personal rights and to make sacrifices compatible with the nature and demands of love.

#3. MT 5:41 “And if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles.”
- The third illustration requires some background knowledge of customs in New Testament times in order to appreciate it. The Romans sometimes commandeered civilians to carry the luggage of military personnel, but the civilian was not legally bound to carry the luggage for more than one Roman mile. This imposition exasperated and infuriated many a proud Jew, it was equal to a personal insult. Again, the disciple is not only to refrain from retaliating, but even to refrain from resisting this personal injustice. Jesus advocated going an extra mile. The disciple is to respond to unjustified demands by giving even more than the adversary asks, and he or she is to return good for evil. || basically what Jesus is saying is: don't go a mile with bitter and obvious resentment; go two miles with cheerfulness and with a good attitude.'

#4. MT 5:42 “Give to the one who begs from you, and do not refuse the one who would borrow from you.”
- The fourth illustration, Jesus told His disciples to give what others request of them, assuming it is within their power to do so. Is it our responsibility to shell out to the professional beggar or to pay for the alcohol and drugs on which they so often depend? By saying “give to him who asks of you” Jesus does not mean that we are to subsidize sin! In 2 Thess. 3:10-12 where Paul says clearly to the undisciplined and slothful: “If anyone will not work, neither let him eat.” Jesus has in mind cases of genuine need. He is not telling us to support drug addicts or people involved in criminal activity. He is not suggesting that we give a gun to the murderer when he asks for it or money to the lazy when they are fully capable of working. Rather, he has in mind open-hearted and generous giving to those who are in need through no fault of their own.

—> There is a progression in these 4 illustrations, from simply not resisting, to giving generously to people who make demands that tempt us to retaliate against them. Love must be the disciple's governing principle, not selfishness…which leads to the last statement Jesus said…

2. WHAT IS JESUS TEACHING US ABOUT LOVING OUR ENEMY?

MATTHEW 5:43-48…
43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. 46 For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? 47 And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? 48 You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”


Vs43…LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AND HATE YOUR ENEMY…
- Jesus was quoting LEV 19:18 (“You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your own people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord.”…love your neighbor as yourself…) || but He also added in the extra statement that the Rabbi’s had added that was not part of the law (…and hate your enemy…) || nowhere does the bible advocate hating your neighbor || The law had been distorted by the Rabbi’s || 1. they took out “as yourself” and weakened the law || 2. They restricted “neighbor” to only mean fellow Jews || 3. and added “hate your enemy” to justify their actions toward others

Vs44…LOVE YOUR ENEMIES AND PRAY FOR THOSE WHO PERSECUTE YOU…
- Jesus again reset the interpretation the religious leaders were teaching to better fall in line with the heart of the law, what an actual disciple would act like in the face of his enemy || Jesus addressed this by going back to an OT teaching from EX 23:4-5 “If you meet your enemy's ox or his donkey going astray, you shall bring it back to him. 5 If you see the donkey of one who hates you lying down under its burden, you shall refrain from leaving him with it; you shall rescue it with him.”

--> Jesus gave two commands that spoke to the heart of the law
1. Vs 44a LOVE YOUR ENEMIES:
- This removes the calculating we might do to figure out whoever deserves to be loved and who doesn’t…everyone is now on the list
2. VS 44b PRAY FOR YOUR PERSECUTORS:
- That might be one of the most challenging things Jesus has called us to do, pray for people who are acting in an evil way towards you

VS 45 BUT WHY?
- Why would Jesus ask us to do that?
- We are to love our enemies because in doing so we demonstrate that we are who we say we are: the children of God. One of the more common charges against Christianity is that they don’t behave as they believe. Here Jesus says, “Prove them wrong! Live in conformity with who you really are. Show them that you are a child of God.”

3. HOW IS JESUS CALLING US TO LIVE? WHAT IS THE PATTERN?

Vs 45b…LOVE POSITIVELY EXPRESSED
- Simply put, we are to love our enemies because that is what God does with his. Our motivation isn’t based on our own experience which proves love is better than hate, or that love makes us happier…we are to love our enemies because that is what God is like and we are to be like God! (Not like in the deity sense, but like in the father/child sense)

Vs 46-47…LOVE NEGATIVELY EXPRESSED
- If we love our children, brothers, sisters, husbands or wives and friends, and only them, what makes us different from anyone else? If that is all it means to be a Christian, why be a Christian at all? Non-Christians love those who love them.
- TAX COLLECTORS/GENTILES/PAGANS: Tax-collectors were unusually despised in ancient times. The Roman empire had a “tax-farming” system. The government would specify the amount to be collected from a certain region and appoint a man to gather it. He in turn would appoint men under him and they under them. As long as the appointee reached his quota, anything above and beyond that was his to keep. The system thus was a breeding ground for bribery and corruption. Jewish tax collectors were especially hated by other Jews because they were regarded as having been defiled by their contact with Gentiles. If our love is no better than that of tax-collectors, what makes Christians different? What makes their love stand out, is that they love against the grain! They love the unloving, the hateful, those who spitefully persecute them.
- The KEY WORD in v. 47 is “MORE"

Vs 48…BE PERFECT AS YOUR FATHER IS PERFECT
- Be holy/righteous/loving like our Father [MT 5:20 two book ends]

1 Peter 2:19-23
“19 For this is a gracious thing, when, mindful of God, one endures sorrows while suffering unjustly. 20 For what credit is it if, when you sin and are beaten for it, you endure? But if when you do good and suffer for it you endure, this is a gracious thing in the sight of God. 21 For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps. 22 He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth. 23 When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly. 24 He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed."