TEXT: Matthew 5:38-42

SUBJECT: Exposition of the Sermon on the Mount #9: Justice and Mercy

The Sermon on the Mount does not teach the way of salvation, but the way of the saved. The Lord Jesus identifies His people by their character and their actions--both of which exceed that of "the scribes and the Pharisees". What kind of people are they? The Beatitudes tell us. How do they behave? By the standard the Savior set for them. That standard is not identical to "the Law and the prophets". It is not against them, of course, but it does supplement them. "Think not that I came to destroy the Law and the prophets; I did not come to destroy, but to fulfill". And so He does. "Never a man spoke as this Man speaks".

To this point, He has spoken to murder, adultery, divorce, and oaths. Now, He takes up the subjects of justice and mercy.

He begins in the customary way, "You have heard that it was said, `An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth'". This they had heard from God. It is a quote from at least three places in the Old Testament, Exodus 21:24, Leviticus 24:20, and Deuteronomy 19:21. The last of which is also the fullest: "Your eye shall not pity; but life shall be for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot".

What was the purpose of this Law? My commentators have argued: "To prevent excessive punishment and to keep feuds from escalating". It was, in other words, a merciful commandment. If I gouged out your eye, you couldn't kill me in return. Or, if I killed your brother, you couldn't retaliate by killing my whole family. "The punishment must fit the crime" we might say.

What do we make of this interpretation? Not much. There is some truth in it--to be sure--but it misses the point entirely. Deuteronomy 19:21 reveals the motive behind the command: "Your eye shall not pity; but...eye for eye, tooth for tooth..." The command was given, not to prevent strictness, but to prevent leniency. Israel had "bleeding heart" judges, too. They must not let criminals get away with "a slap on the wrist". Justice must be vindicated. This was the goal of God's Law.

Note carefully: the Law did not encourage malice or permit revenge. "You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the children of your people..." says Leviticus 19:18. Solomon expound it in Proverbs 24:17,29: "Do not rejoice when your enemy falls, and let not your heart be when he stumbles..."Do not say, `I will do to him as he has done to me; I will render to the man according to his work'".

The Law did not permit personal revenge, but it did exact justice. Under Moses, "justice was the big thing".

"But I tell you, do not resist an evil person..." says the Lord Jesus in v.39.

This is one of His most enigmatic sayings. Its interpretation is anything but easy. What does it mean?

If it is taken in an absolute sense, it will end in chaos. It would, for example, forbid policeman from arresting criminals, armies from repelling invaders, parents from correcting children, and churches from expelling scandalous sinners. Yet the New Testament allows--even commands--each of these. Moreover, the Lord Jesus "resisted an evil person" in this sense. He "resisted" the hypocrites who wouldn't allow a crippled man to be healed on the Sabbath; He "resisted" the rulers who turned His Father's House into a den of thieves; He "resisted" Peter who would keep Him from the cross. And so, "do not resist an evil person" cannot be taken in an absolute sense.

It must be taken in a relative sense. Relative to what? To "An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth". The meaning is clear: Whereas the Mosaic Law championed justice, the Lord Jesus puts a premium on mercy. The two do not contradict each other. Moses demanded mercy as well as justice; the Lord Jesus called for justice as well as mercy. But their emphases were different. "Law came by Moses"--and therefore, "justice". "Grace and truth came by Jesus Christ"--and therefore, "mercy". Under the New Covenant, "mercy triumphs over justice". To prove this, note how often "mercy" is required in the church. How often words like "tender-hearted, kindness, forgiving, forbearing, patience, longsuffering" and similar words appear in the Epistles.

This is the duty: Be full of mercy. Don't mete it out by measure, being careful to not be "too merciful". When it comes to mercy, many Christians are miserly, spending the bare minimum. Yet this is ruinous. "There is he who scatters and yet increases; there is he who holds back more than is right, but it only leads to poverty". Whose "poverty"? His! Mercy is a replaceable resource. The more we give, the more we have to give. Thus, don't worry about being overly merciful. "Freely you have received, freely give".

In vv.39b-42, four examples are given of how merciful we ought to be.

The first is: "...whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also". What does this mean? Negatively, don't retaliate against those who do you wrong and don't withdraw from them. Positively, continue to love them, which--in turn--leaves you vulnerable to their further mistreatment. This goes against everything in the fallen human nature. When hurt by others, we want to harden ourselves against them, so as to never be hurt again. But this is not the Lord's way. His heart was often broken by others; ours must be, too.

The second is: "If anyone wants to sue you and take away your tunic, let him have your cloak also". A tunic is a shirt; a cloak is a coat. Under the Old Covenant, a man could take your shirt, but not your coat. Why? Because the loss of a coat would expose a man to the elements and put his life at risk. But the Lord says, "Give him both!" What does He mean by this? He means "Don't insist upon your rights". A man had a legal right to his coat--but he mustn't demand it. The Lord's people have rights. But we mustn't worry about them all the time. "Am I getting my due?" should not be our concern. What should be? Others. The Lord set the standard: "You call me Lord and Master, and so I am. But if I--your Lord and master-- have washed your feet, you also ought to wash each other's feet". In short: "Esteem others better than yourself".

The third: "And whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two". This must have irked the Lord's audience like nothing else. This was a Roman Law. A soldier had the right to commandeer a man, his horse, or his wagon for "official use". But only for one mile. You can well imagine the inconvenience, the pain, and the humiliation this exacted. The soldier is carrying a hundred-pound pack on his back...until he sees the Jew working in the field. He orders him, "Carry this for me". He has no choice. He drops his work and breaks his back doing "grunt work" for another man, an occupier no less! What does it teach us? It teaches us to not resent helping others, even when its very inconvenient; even when the others aren't too grateful, either. Paul excelled at this: "I will very gladly spend and be spent for you, though the more abundantly I love you, the less I am loved by you", II Corinthians 12:15.

The fourth: "Give to him who asks you, and from him who wants to borrow from you do not turn away". This means: Don't worry about loans not paid back; be generous. When my wife and I lend money we always begin our discussion with these words: "We won't get our money back". And more often than not, we don't. But, because we don't expect to, we don't resent the borrowers in the least.

These examples are not exhaustive; they exemplify the kind of people we ought to be. The Lord Jesus wants us to be generous. With our time, with our money, with our work, with ourselves. Why should we be? Because He is. "The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve". In this way, we must "Be imitators of Christ".

Are we? God help us to be, for Christ's sake. Amen.