Devotionals for July 31, 2024
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READ
Matthew 5:38-42
38 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and a tooth for a tooth.’ 39 But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also. 40 And if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, hand over your coat as well. 41 If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles.42 Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.
38 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and a tooth for a tooth.’ 39 But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also. 40 And if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, hand over your coat as well. 41 If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles.42 Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.
REFLECT
“Eye for an eye” was a general practice in the ancient world and denotes legalized vengeance. The Old Testament was more strict than the surrounding cultures, only allowing retribution in specific cases. Jesus is speaking to the wider, societal ethic of His time. The pattern, codified in law, of retaliatory acts toward one who has harmed you is not expanded upon but refuted by Jesus. People of the Kingdom are not those who seek their own vengeance. They do not think of the world primarily in terms of fairness, but of grace, mercy, and self-giving love.
Imagine yourself in the crowd when Jesus said this. Imagine how contrary to your natural instincts, conditioned both by sin and the surrounding culture, this message would have been as it was then, so it should be now. We should hear the difficult call in this passage and apply it to similar cultural patterns in our modern day. This means not meeting social media thread insult with an insult, or returning the middle finger to the angry driver. Sometimes it means letting someone think they won or got away with walking all over you because you trust that God will give you (and the world) ultimate justice.
Imagine yourself in the crowd when Jesus said this. Imagine how contrary to your natural instincts, conditioned both by sin and the surrounding culture, this message would have been as it was then, so it should be now. We should hear the difficult call in this passage and apply it to similar cultural patterns in our modern day. This means not meeting social media thread insult with an insult, or returning the middle finger to the angry driver. Sometimes it means letting someone think they won or got away with walking all over you because you trust that God will give you (and the world) ultimate justice.
APPLY
Q: What does this passage imply about justice?
Q: Where do you need to turn the other cheek most in life?
Q: What picture of the ideal disciple is evoked by this passage?
Q: Where do you need to turn the other cheek most in life?
Q: What picture of the ideal disciple is evoked by this passage?
SING
PRAY
"Give us today our daily bread."
Lord, keep us content with what you offer. Help us not to seek out own justice through sinful means, but to trust you to make the world right. Amen.
Lord, keep us content with what you offer. Help us not to seek out own justice through sinful means, but to trust you to make the world right. Amen.