the basic message #E618
6/28/08
Matthew 5:38-41
"You have heard that it was said, 'Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.' But I tell you, Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you."
As some of you know, I'm part of a prison ministry team at the Louisiana State Penitentiary (Angola). We're in our second semester studying Dietrich Bonhoeffer's book "The Cost of Discipleship". For those of you who haven't read this dynamic book, please do so. I promise it will change your life. This past week, we were studied Chapter 12, entitled "Revenge". The chapter began with the Scripture shown above. Although our ministry team is a group of dedicated Christians, we really struggled with this chapter. It seems the average Christian, after reading these very simple words of Jesus, will try their best to "reason" with the man they claim as Savior. "Surely Jesus didn't mean we should let someone beat us up, right?" What did Jesus say? "If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also." Isn't it interesting Jesus didn't add to his words by saying, "except in the case of ................" Jesus, in his infinite wisdom, knew if we were given any leeway in his instructions, we would render them void of his original intent.
At this risk of being called an "anti-patriot", may I suggest America is a land filled with folks who refuse to turn the other cheek. Quite frankly, we not only won't turn the other cheek, we will aggressively pursue anyone who wrongs us with great fervor and intensity. "So John, are you saying we should just let our enemies run over us?" I'm not saying anything other than read the passage above and if you want to argue, argue with Jesus. I, like you, struggle with the idea of being abused by my enemies, but if I'm "in Christ" as Bible thumpers like to repeat often, I must heed the words of Jesus the Christ. How can I not?
When "turn the other cheek" comes up in Christian discussion, I can count on one very predictable response from Christians: They will always jump on the worst case scenario. In other words, they will say, "If an attacker breaks in your house, are you supposed to just let them rape and murder your family?" Or, "Are we supposed to just let the terrorists take over America?" Isn't it funny we seem to brush right by the very common scenarios for turning the other cheek and focus on the most unlikely, speculative cases? Let me explain: What are the chances your home will be invaded by a person bent on an attack? Slim to none. But what are the chances you will encounter someone in the coming week who will cut you off in traffic? Very likely. What are the chances a co-worker will make you angry about something? Very likely. What are the chances someone in your family will test your patience? Extremely likely. So what's the point? Actually, it's so simple it's almost frightening. We get chances to turn the other cheek daily in ways that aren't life and death issues, but do we?
Before we adjourned our class at Angola this week, we agreed to share stories about turning the other cheek for the remainder of the semester. What I'm hoping for is some real-life success stories about how life is better for everyone when we lay down our weapons and love each other. What I've found in the past 3 days is that it's quite hard to turn the other cheek- even in the very simple situations. I hate aggressive drivers. You know the ones I'm talking about. I drive in the right lane unless I need to pass. When I pass, I will go slightly over the speed limit, but that's not good enough for the guy who will ride my bumper, flash his headlights and offer various hand gestures. Since I'm supposed to be a "good Christian", would it shock you if I admitted I will generally think, or mutter to myself "Go ______ yourself?", when that happens to me? That, my friends, is an ideal opportunity to turn the other cheek. One of my pet peeves involves people who park in handicapped spaces that have no business there. Yes, I realize some handicap conditions aren't readily apparent to the public, but I see able-bodied people regularly parking in handicapped spaces simply because they have the mirror tag for another family member (who isn't with them at the time). But, I must turn the other cheek. I must admit I haven't done a very good job of turning the other cheek this week, but there's one thing this little exercise is doing: It's making me think about how often I get angry with other people. It's downright scary just how mad I stay at people I don't even know.
It is my nature to "teach people lessons", but does that really happen? Let's go back to the example of the guy riding my bumper while I'm passing a slower car. Sometimes I just back off my speed the more he rides my bumper. Am I really teaching him a lesson? Of course not. If anything, it will make him (or her) an even more aggressive driver. What is that really solving? So what's the answer? Here's a newsflash: How about praying for the guy? I'm serious- why shouldn't I pray that God will touch this guy's heart and mind with a simple truth: He's endangering his life and the lives of innocent people when he drives aggressively. Many of you are silently thinking, "That will never work". What does that say about your faith in prayers being answered?
Friends, it's high time we, who claim to be Christians, should start operating under the instructions of the man we call our Savior. If we don't or won't, is our Salvation intact?