I don’t know about you, but I have what seems to be an invisible 3×5 card in my shirt pocket where I keep a record of slights, offenses, insults, and bad drivers on the road. They cry out to be settled by one means or another.
Jesus invites us to walk up the mountain with Him and learn how we can best handle all of the little and large grievances in life.
Insults and Unjust Demands
The first issue Jesus tackled involved insults and unjust demands.
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 an evildoer. But if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also, 40 and if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, give your coat as well, and if anyone forces you to go one mile, go also the second mile.
Give to the one who asks of you, and do not refuse anyone who wants to borrow from you” (Matthew 5:38-41).
You have probably seen someone in a movie slap another person with the back of their hand or a glove prior to a duel. This is the image Jesus presents to us. If we’ve come up the mountain with Jesus to learn how to deal with insults, He tells us to ignore the insult. We don’t have to pull out the scorecard, record the offense, and plan a way to get even.
Roman soldiers occupied Israel and could command people to carry their equipment for a mile. While we don’t have to carry someone’s equipment today, we are often asked to do tasks we don’t think are our responsibility.
Once again, it is tempting to pull out an invisible scorecard and make a record of how wrongly we have been treated. If our employer asks us to do something we believe is not our responsibility, Jesus offers us a positive way to approach the problem: do what is asked with excellence.
Jesus knows we are not ATMs, able to give to every person on the street corner holding a cardboard sign and asking for help. However, there are times when the Holy Spirit inspires us to give. Let’s not grieve the Spirit in those instances, but share as He prompts us.
An Enemies List
On your scorecard, do you have an enemies list? When someone’s name comes to mind, does an imaginary video begin to play, recreating the anger and hurt?
In His mountaintop sermon, Jesus places “love” and “enemies” in closer proximity than we normally want.
You have heard that it was said, You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.
But I say to you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be children of your Father in heaven, for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous” (Matthew 5:43-45).
The first issue with Jesus’ guidance concerning enemies is our willingness to forgive. Some people have been so harmed by others that forgiveness seems impossible. They may know the right answers, but doing the right thing feels impossibly difficult.
Here’s a suggestion for people who wrestle with deep hurts: begin by asking Jesus to help you forgive. He will help you make a start toward forgiveness.
If you have made progress with the first step, the next thing to do is to pray for the offending party. We often recreate negative emotions when we are hurt. We play scenes over and over again, as if they are on a loop in our minds.
Let these emotions be a reminder to pray. If you turn to the Lord in prayer, rather than allowing the anger loop to continue playing, you will eventually find victory.
One thing I have often prayed is this: “Lord, I don’t like this person, but you love them. Please love them through my prayer.” Over and over again, I have prayed this until God has set me free from holding resentment toward that person.
The greatest blessing of learning this lesson from Jesus is that we incorporate more of God’s character into our lives. That’s what being the “children of the Father in heaven” is all about.
None of us doubt that God loved us when we were His enemies. He conquered our hearts by making us His friends. God wants us to experience this aspect of His character.
The Best for Last
These verses conclude a major section of the Sermon on the Mount. They are some of the most challenging words of Jesus, but also some of the most rewarding.
As people who have come under the reach of God’s power, we learn how to live a Jesus kind of life. In doing so, we take on characteristics of the Greatest Being of All. When we think about that, who wouldn’t want to make every effort to be more like our Lord and Savior?
YouTube Discussion
Rudy Ross, Bruce Kirby, and I discussed this passage on YouTube today.
Real Voices 