Overcoming Evil with Good
38 “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ 39 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. 40 And if anyone would sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. 41 And if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. 42 Give to the one who begs from you, and do not refuse the one who would borrow from you.
Matthew 5:38–42
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Overcoming Evil with Good
Jesus does not teach His disciples to live by the world’s rule of retaliation. The sinner naturally wants to get even, defend his honor, and make sure that no one gets the upper hand. Yet Christ calls His people to a different way: willingly bearing personal wrongs and responding to evil with generous love. This does not mean that civil authority should abandon justice or that Christians must permit genuine harm to continue unchecked. Rather, Jesus addresses the Christian’s personal desire for revenge and calls us to entrust our cause to God. Such love is impossible by our own strength. Look to Christ. He endured false accusations, mockery, violence, and an unjust sentence without retaliating. At the cross, He bore the sins of those who crucified Him, and our sins as well. There, He answered our rebellion not with vengeance, but with mercy. Because Christ has forgiven us, we are freed from the burden of getting even. His cross gives us the strength to love even when love costs us something.
Matthew 5:38–42
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Overcoming Evil with Good
Jesus does not teach His disciples to live by the world’s rule of retaliation. The sinner naturally wants to get even, defend his honor, and make sure that no one gets the upper hand. Yet Christ calls His people to a different way: willingly bearing personal wrongs and responding to evil with generous love. This does not mean that civil authority should abandon justice or that Christians must permit genuine harm to continue unchecked. Rather, Jesus addresses the Christian’s personal desire for revenge and calls us to entrust our cause to God. Such love is impossible by our own strength. Look to Christ. He endured false accusations, mockery, violence, and an unjust sentence without retaliating. At the cross, He bore the sins of those who crucified Him, and our sins as well. There, He answered our rebellion not with vengeance, but with mercy. Because Christ has forgiven us, we are freed from the burden of getting even. His cross gives us the strength to love even when love costs us something.
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