Matthew 5:38-42

³⁸ “You have heard the law that says the punishment must match the injury: ‘An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.’^[o] 39 But I say, do not resist an evil person! If someone slaps you on the right cheek, offer the other cheek also. ⁴⁰ If you are sued in court and your shirt is taken from you, give your coat, too. ⁴¹ If a soldier demands that you carry his gear for a mile,^[p] carry it two miles. ⁴² Give to those who ask, and don’t turn away from those who want to borrow.
Matthew 5:38-42

This is perhaps Jesus’ most challenging teaching. It is so challenging that people can not believe that we should interpret it at face value because we do not believe that it can work. How could Jesus tell a woman who is being abused by her husband that she should just turn the other cheek and allow his violence to continue? How can a country invaded by their enemies lay down their weapons and lose their land? It doesn’t work.

Because of this, there is a growing movement of people who speak about the ‘third way.’ They speak about how turning the other cheek means that the person needs to hit you like an equal, or how giving your coat shames the person suing you. Making someone walk the extra mile is a clever way to get them into trouble for forcing you to do something that you didn’t want to do. Perhaps Jesus is being clever in his response to evil, battling it without violence. A bit like Martin Luther King who fought against racism without the use of violence.

However, I do not think that either is exactly what is happening here. Do you remember when Jesus told us to gouge our eye out if it causes us to sin? We did not think that he was being literal. He was using an extreme example to show us that what happens in our heart is more crucial. In the same way, I do not think that his examples are rules which are meant to be followed precisely. He is giving us provocative examples that help us to see a deeper truth. Jesus is concerned with our internal holiness. He describes someone who is so committed to peace that they would rather experience more pain than inflict pain on an enemy. He describes someone who is wrongly accused but is so full of generosity that they would give over and above what is required. He speaks of a person who is forced to do a job that they did not want to do and rather than complain, they do double.

This is all about our internal world. It is about not allowing the brokenness and evil that surrounds us to impact our hearts. Instead, it is about having the Law of God transform your inner world, so that you become a beacon of peace, generosity and love to those around you.

So, I do not think that this is not about how we deal with abuse. Jesus isn’t saying that we should stay in abusive situations. This is also not about how we deal with bullies. This is not saying that we allow evil to triumph. This is about who we are becoming: children of God.

It is easy to love those who deserve love. The love that Jesus invites us into is the kind of love that is generous and kind towards those people who deserve it the least. It is the love that kisses your betrayer. It is the love that says, ‘I forgive you’ as they crucify you. It is the kind of love that makes no sense in our world and yet our world is in desperate need of.