The Seventh Sunday after Epiphany
February 23, 2014

Everyone has heard the expression, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ Most people understand this as a demand or an excuse to get revenge on someone. You hit me, so I hit you back. You kicked me, so I can kick you back. You insulted me, so it is okay for me to insult you. But that is not the original intent of these words in the Law of Moses. This expression was not for personal revenge, but rather for proper justice and compensation when there was an accident that resulted in personal injury.
[See the following passages. Ex. 21:22-25, “If men who are fighting hit a pregnant woman and she gives birth prematurely but there is no serious injury, the offender must be fined whatever the woman’s husband demands and the court allows. 23 But if there is serious injury, you are to take life for life, 24 eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, 25 burn for burn, wound for wound, bruise for bruise.”
Lev. 24:17-22, “AIf anyone takes the life of a human being, he must be put to death. 18 Anyone who takes the life of someone’s animal must make restitution—life for life. 19 If anyone injures his neighbor, whatever he has done must be done to him: 20 fracture for fracture, eye for eye, tooth for tooth. As he has injured the other, so he is to be injured. 21 Whoever kills an animal must make restitution, but whoever kills a man must be put to death. 22 You are to have the same law for the alien and the native-born. I am the LORD your God.”
Deut. 19:18-21, “The judges must make a thorough investigation, and if the witness proves to be a liar, giving false testimony against his brother, 19 then do to him as he intended to do to his brother. You must purge the evil from among you. 20 The rest of the people will hear of this and be afraid, and never again will such an evil thing be done among you. 21 Show no pity: life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.”]

This law was not for personal revenge, but rather was meant as a guide for judges in a liable case. For example if two people are fighting and one gets hurt, or if there is an accident on the job, or there is some sort of property damage. This law was never, at least in any even semi-civilized society, carried out literally. The judge did not poke out somebody’s eye or pull a tooth. The person who hurt the other person usually had to pay money to help the victim. “An eye for an eye” meant that it had to be a fair price. For example, the price of an eye might be $10,000. We have to consider medical costs, pain, loss of time on the job and back wages, and perhaps the inability to work at the same job again. The price is not a mere $1000 or a huge $1,000,000. It has to be appropriate. And so, rather than a savage, blood thirsty law, it was the beginning of mercy. It limited vengeance.

But people had turned this Law of Moses into an excuse or even a demand to get revenge against someone. I should hit you back. I must hit you back. I can kick you back and I will not get in trouble for doing it. It is my duty to insult you back.

But Jesus tells us not to fight back. He said, “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.” If a right-handed man wants to slap another man on his right cheek, it is very awkward to do unless he slaps him with the back of his hand. According to Jewish Rabbinic law, to slap a man with the back of the hand was twice as insulting as to hit him with the flat of the hand. So Jesus is saying that even if you should be insulted by the most deadly and calculated insult, you should not retaliate and you must no even resent it. To turn the other cheek would show how little you thought of the insult. “Can’t you do better than that? Give me a real insult if you can.” A good example of ignoring an insult was when Jesus was captured and insulted by the Jews and the soldiers. Jesus was silent and did not fight back. Another good example is the Christian saints and martyrs.

Jesus said, “And if anyone would sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well.” There was actually a Jewish law that a man’s tunic might be taken as a pledge, but not his cloak. Exodus 22:25-27, “25 If you lend money to one of my people among you who is needy, do not be like a moneylender; charge him no interest. 26 If you take your neighbor’s cloak (his outer garment) as a pledge, return it to him by sunset, 27 because his cloak is the only covering he has for his body. What else will he sleep in? When he cries out to me, I will hear, for I am compassionate.” The point is that by right a man’s cloak could not be taken permanently from him. But Jesus says that a Christian follower must not stand upon his rights. It is like he has no legal rights at all. Christians think not about their rights, but of their duties; not of their privileges, but of their responsibilities. When Jesus was crucified, his garments were taken away from him and never returned. Jesus did not demand his rights when he was on trial. But his death on the cross forgives our sins and so we are clothed with “robes of righteousness.” We are given the wedding garments for the heavenly banquet.

Jesus said, “And if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles.” Palestine was an occupied country. At any moment a Jew might be compelled to serve the Romans. They might have to give food or lodging, or might have to carry a soldier’s pack. An example of this is what happened to Simon of Cyrene when he was compelled to bear the Cross of Jesus. From these words of Jesus we get the modern English expression, “to go the extra mile.” It is a beautiful way to describe a Christian’s willingness to help and serve someone else. It is not selfishness, it is self giving. And we learn all about that from Jesus who willingly served us in his life, death, and resurrection.

Jesus said, “Give to the one who begs from you, and do not refuse the one who would borrow from you.” Well, when we pray and beg God to give us something, we do not want him to refuse us. Since we know what God has given to beggars like us, we have a place in our hearts for other beggars. Charity is an act of love.

Finally Jesus said, “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 sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.” Jesus loved his enemies. He died on the cross to forgive them. On the cross he prayed for those who persecuted and crucified him. “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” This is love. This is the confident love that turns the other cheek to enemies, that goes the extra mile even for the enemy, that gives to those in need. No one can pray for another person and still hate them. We cannot hate when we are in the presence of God in prayer. In the presence of the God of love, that love is in our prayers.

Amen.

Michael Nearhood, Pastor
Okinawa Lutheran Church

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