The Commands of Christ, Part Eight

This command is a personal struggle for most of us living in modern society. It’s not just our nature to try to get what we feel we are owed, but it’s also our nature to try to make sure others get what we feel they deserve. But, as the Old Testament teaches us, vengeance and retribution are not ours to seek (Deuteronomy 32:35). We see this reiterated by Christ in Matthew 5:38-41 (NASB20)

You have heard that it was said, ‘EYE FOR EYE and TOOTH FOR TOOTH.’ But I say to you, do not show opposition against an evil person; but whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other toward him also. And if anyone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak also. Whoever forces you to go one mile, go with him two.

I imagine, even in the NT days, this wasn’t one of Christ’s most popular things he had to say. It’s asking us to do something that goes against our nature as humans. But we have to always remember that our nature as humans comes from being born on the distant side of the sin gap. It’s not the nature we were meant to have upon our creation. This is Jesus trying to help us get back to that nature.

I do want to take a moment to clarify a major thing here. Jesus is giving us instructions, specific ones, for how to react when something happens to us as individuals. This is not Jesus saying not to protect the poor, not to protect the needy, not to protect the most vulnerable among us. It is not Jesus saying not to speak out when people blaspheme the name of the Lord. It is strictly an instruction on how we are to react when people do something to us.

As a child, I would often torment my parents by wanting to understand the why behind nearly everything. As a father, my son did the same to me (see, vengeance belongs to God!). It is far easier for me to accept correction that I understand. While I can’t say me or my parents never got a smidge too annoyed and said, “Because I said so!” it wasn’t often. I bring this up because it’s my goal to help you understand the why behind this command.

We have two primary jobs as followers of Christ. The first job, which is kind of self-explanatory, is to follow the teachings of Christ, even when they’re hard (perhaps especially when they’re hard). The second, is to behave in a manner that leads others to Christ. If we’re doing the first job well, the second job should be easier.

I see a lot of chatter across the internet when it comes to these verses that they were subtle acts of defiance. I don’t think that narrative fits into the nature of Christ that we see through the whole of the New Testament. I think these actions are more to get the person’s attention.

Let’s start with the slap. Why did you get slapped in the face? Was it just some jerk being a jerk or was it because someone was hurt by something you did or said? You may not have intentionally hurt or offended someone with words or actions, but that doesn’t mean you didn’t and not meaning to do it doesn’t remove your accountability. Turning the other cheek doesn’t admit fault, it shows acceptance that the person with their hand raised feels justified in having it raised. By allowing them a second opportunity, we show that if we are the reason for their ire, we’re regretful. To someone who has no reason to raise their, hand makes them do a double take. They may have been trying to prove that even though you follow Christ, the right motivation will motivate you to evil. Your inaction proves them wrong. The same is true in the situation with being “sued for your tunic.”

Now, growing up in the deep south, I’ve heard the phrase, “go the extra mile” more times than I can count. This is where it comes from. Again, there are two ways to look at it. You can take the historical context that Roman soldiers were only allowed to ask people in Rome to carry their gear for up to a mile and anything more than that shamed them, but I refuse to believe that Christ taught spite. Yes, there were undoubtedly soldiers who took advantage of others by forcing them to carry more than they could bear. A quick study of bully behavior will point out that those same soldiers most likely wouldn’t have cared about any manner of shame by you going one more mile carrying their stuff. You’d likely have just been met with a, “I’m glad you know your place.”

The verse in this translation clearly states “…forces you to go one mile,” so Christ is most likely referencing the Roman soldier rule here, but we have to understand why he tells us to go two. He could have just as easily said, “If someone forces you to go one mile, do not complain or speak against them.” That still would have fit the typical, loving narrative we see from Jesus in the New Testament. So why the extra mile? As a renaissance festival enthusiast, I can assure you of one thing: armor is heavy. Even if it’s just scale or chain armor, it’s heavy. It’s why I don’t wear armor in my ren fest gear. The reason Roman soldiers were allowed to force non-soldiers to help carry things was because those things were heavy and they often needed help when little was available.

Sure, some took advantage of others, but for those who weren’t. For those soldiers who just needed a little bit of respite, what did that extra mile mean? They could only force you to go for the one. When you went for the second, what opportunities might that have opened up. Can you imagine the conversation?

“You don’t have to go anymore, your mile is up,” says the soldier.

“I know,” you reply, “but I’m volunteering to go one more.”

“Why?” the soldier asks.

“Well,” you might say, “let me tell you about my Jesus.”

And that is the “why” that wraps all of these actions together. When we go against our nature to slap someone back, to countersue someone and try to make them look like fools in court; when we go the extra mile, we’re opening the door for an opportunity to show someone that we behave differently because of Christ. We are willing to forego our retribution for the sake of reclamation. We are making a statement that because Christ took lashes from a whip, we’ll take a slap in the face if it means a sinner getting saved. Because Christ was wrongfully accused, we’ll bear someone’s accusations if it means that someone hears about Jesus. It means that if someone forces our help or just genuinely needs our help, we go the extra mile with the hope that by doing so, we get to tell the person we’re helping about our Lord and Savior.

Those who have an evil heart when they slap us across the face, sue for our tunics, or force us to help them; they will have to answer to God for that behavior. Vengeance is his, not ours. Our responsibility, in every situation, is to look for ways to use those moments as opportunities to share Christ.