One of the
more famous statements made by Jesus is “turn the other cheek.” He made this
statement during his most well known sermon called the Sermon on the Mount.
During that speech, Jesus redefined what it means to be a true follower of God.
The strategy He used was to contrast the standard understanding of God’s laws
against their true meaning.
As He does
this, we begin to see that there is more to God’s law than a set of rules and
regulations. We learn that God is much more interested in transforming our
heart than He is in controlling our behavior. It is not that He doesn’t care
about behavior, but rather that He knows a change in heart results in a change
in behavior. In contrast, if you change behavior only, you may not ever get to
the heart.
Many have
misunderstood this statement because they have made the fundamental error of
thinking Jesus was dictating a particular behavior when He was talking about a
heart attitude. Because of this you have people believing Jesus is telling us
to be absolutely non-violent and passive. But clearly this is not what Jesus is
saying.
We know this
because He gives us four pictures illustrating what He means. The first is of
an individual who has been insulted with the traditional “slap of insult”, well
known in eastern cultures. This is equivalent to being insulted with words
either to our face or behind our back. The second is of someone sued in court,
has lost the case and must hand over some property. The third is of someone
forced to do something against his or her will by an authority figure. And the
last is of someone who is asked for a handout.
All of these
are situations we are familiar with! In each case, our natural reaction is to
respond with anger, bitterness and a desire to “stick it to them”. But Jesus
tells us the correct response is one of the open hand—that is, a generous
spirit.
Instead of slapping back, we are to absorb the insult and
if necessary receive more. Instead of haggling down to the penny what we lost
in our legal battle, we are to be generous and give more than what the judge
ruled. Instead of obeying those in authority over us through gritted teeth, we
are to “go the extra mile with a smile.” And instead of ignoring that request
for a handout, we are to give more then the minimum.
Each of these
examples demonstrate a heart attitude of generosity that gives not because it
is required, but because there is a recognition that God is a God of
generosity! Why do we go the extra mile? Because God did for us? Why do we not
worry about penny pinching? Because God owns everything and we believe that He
is going to care for us! Why do we give more than is asked? Because God did
first!
Jesus is
calling us to live life with an attitude that refuses to hold on to anger and
bitterness. Those things slowly eat away at our insides and make us small
people. When we instead keep our hands open and let go of those destructive
tendencies, we are actually being like God and we open a channel for him to
fill us with more of Himself.
So the
question I have for you is, are you living with tightly closed fists? Are you
harboring bitterness, anger and resentment for insults and abuses you have
received in the past? Or are you living with open hands? Remember, bitterness
is the poison you drink hoping the other person will die.
This weekend
the pastors in Kings County would love the opportunity to help you understand
Jesus’ teachings and become a person who lives with open hands. Why don’t you
gather your family together and make a Sunday of it?
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