But I say to you

Matthew 5:38-42

“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 from you, and do not refuse the one who would borrow from you.”

Most of us who go by the name Christian have little are no problem with good confession, like I have a new boat, my child or grandchild is the star of his/her team, we are moving to a new home.  That’s easy to confess, but to confess you have disregarded the commands of Jesus Christ from a child, now that falls into a different platter; I am such a man, or you?  I can remember as a young boy not believing the verses above, but I was not cognizant that I was being setup to begin a pattern to ignore what Jesus said.  At a very young age, I believed the lie, which was used in the fall of mankind; “Did God actually say,” and it went something like this, surely Jesus did not mean that.  When you or I take that position we have bought into the serpent’s deception found in Genesis 3:1, or the thief found in John 10:10, and as my friend John often reminds me, you can’t have it both ways, one cannot fit the same peg in both the round and the square hole.

Shall we just stop trying to be religious for a moment an agree with what Jesus said in the verses above does not fit well into the culture of the American Church, and maybe not the one in your country either.  It has been said by many a Christian, I’ll turn the other fist not cheek, and when he gets off the ground I will forgive him.  If that is your attitude, you are living in rebellion and pride is your authority, not Christ who you claim is your life.  I would be so bold to say we have a problem with all of these verses, even the easy part of the one who would borrow from you.  Why do we act as if Jesus does not tell the truth?  Could it be we do not know Him in such a way as to trust Him with all He brings into our lives?

Let’s take a moment to look at what comes from getting even, it is called revenge, and this is an example of where that will take us, found in Acts 5:33, “When they heard this, they were furious and wanted to put them to death.”  The "they" was in reference to the Sanhedrin, and the apostles were the "them," and the "why" was because the apostles proclaimed Jesus risen and at the right hand of the Father.  But Jesus is not telling us to get revenge, but to be meek, and meekness looks like this: “And the Lord's servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth, and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will.” (2 Timothy 2:24-26)  I sure hope my confessions do not discourage one who is young in the faith, but at the young age of 71, I am giving up on myself ever doing this, and I’m asking Jesus to do it all through and for me, for I so long to be the Lord’s servant.

In closing, let me share this from Psalms 37:26, God has stated that those who are always generous and lend freely, their children will be blessed.  And in Psalms 112:5, “It is well with the man who deals generously and lends; who conducts his affairs with justice.”

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice