Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Evening Sermon Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/ev/ev19960128.htm

MATTHEW: JESUS AS ISRAEL'S MESSIAH AND HIS MESSIANIC KINGDOM
Part VII: Discerning True Kingdom Righteousness From Mere Religiosity
C. Christ's TRUE Righteousness As Contrasted With Religiosity's Bankrupt "Morality"
4. Contrasting TRUE Reconciliation With Religiosity's False Concept
(Matthew 5:38-42)
  1. Introduction
    1. When Jesus presented the Messianic Kingdom, He addressed a post exilic Jewish community that had a strict psychological allegiance to the Mosaic Law.
    2. However, the best of man's righteousness is inadequate, for all have sinned and come short of God's glory according to Romans 3:23. Well, since Paul counters Israel's belief that Israel was really upright, did Jesus agree with Paul? If so, how could Israel or any religious group in Christendom today fail to be upright?
    3. Matthew 5:38-42 shows us the spiritual bankruptcy of all men when it comes to true reconciliation!
  2. Contrasting TRUE Reconciliation With Religiosity's False Concept, Matthew 5:38-42.
    1. Jesus reported that the Mosaic Law condemned the sin of taking vengeance, and of settling feuds with the lex talionis where only an eye was to be taken for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, etc., Mt. 5:38; Lev. 24:20. This law sought to do away with personal vengeance which is subjective and, hence unequal by asserting exacting public justice, cf. Ryrie Study Bible, KJV, ftn. to Lev. 24:20.
    2. The Pharisees were eager to exercise their rights when wronged, seeking to exact and eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth with concern for themselves and not for the persons who had wronged t hem.
    3. However, Jesus displayed the sin of that misuse of the lex talionis by showing better actions that were to be taken with a truly reconciliation motive:
      1. Instead of asserting one's lex talionis rights where the wrongdoer was hurt, Jesus said a better way to reconcile was not to assert one's rights at all by not even seeking justice, 5:39a (B.K.C., N.T., p. 31).
      2. To illustrate, He gave five examples in Matthew 5:39b-42 as follows:
        1. If another strikes us on the right cheek, if it means doing so to reconcile fully with him, we are to let him strike the left cheek as well, Mtt. 5:39b.
        2. If we are sued at a court of law so that the opponent gains ownership of even our underclothes (the NIV tunic and KJV coat, implying cleaning us out), instead of going after his underclothes (all that he has), if we can resolve the problem by giving him our outer garment along with the underclothes (cloak in the NIV and KJV), we are to give it instead of using our rights to exact just dues, Mt. 5:40.
        3. Roman soldiers could legally charge any Jew they met walking along a road to carry a load for them one mile from that point in any other direction they so chose. This law was hated. However, Jesus said that if the soldiers compel us to go one mile, if it means taking it an extra mile to resolve hatreds and animosities involved, we are to go that extra mile, Mtt. 5:41.
        4. If someone asks us of our possessions, if it means keeping things peaceful, we ought to give to them instead of hoarding our possessions and creating feuds, Mtt. 5:42a.
        5. If someone wants to borrow from us, if it means keeping things reconciled and not going into a feud, we ought to lend for the sake of keeping the peace, Mtt. 5:42b.
Lesson: (1) To be totally righteous in relating to others, we ought not to seek to use our rights to the fullest to get justice just because we have been wronged, but abdicate using those rights if it means fully reconciling with others. (2) Well, since all men at one time or another have taken advantage of their rights to get "even" with others who have wronged them, they have sinned as had the Pharisees and cannot enter the kingdom of heaven, cf. Mtt. 5:20! Thus, they need Christ's righteousness by justification by faith, Rom. 3:19-20, 23-26!

Application: (1) If we are not saved, we need to be convicted of false reconciliations in heart and believe on Christ for salvation, Jn. 3:16. (2) As believers, we ought to be willing to abdicate whatever rights of retaliatory justice are ours if it means reconciling with another party. Keeping relationships good is more valuable than all we own in this life as God estimates things!