Trinity Baptist Church

 

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One element of the great American philosophy of life is that we all have certain inalienable rights. We're big on rights; in fact, maybe we've never been bigger on rights than we are nowadays in our society. We have had movements for civil rights, women's rights, children's rights, prisoners' rights; we have unions to demand rights for the employees. We are very conscious of our rights. In fact, it is not uncommon in our society to hear someone say, "You'll never get away with that. You can't do that to me. I'll get even."

 

If you doubt that, try cutting someone off in traffic. They will let you know in no uncertain terms that you have no right to even have a license, much less drive on their highway. What are they doing? They are demanding their right to a certain area of the freeway upon which no one was allowed to infringe.

 

Deep down in the human heart is a retaliatory, vengeful, spiteful spirit; it's part of the curse of sin and it's there in all of us. It comes out in the most strange ways. 

 

I'll always remember the story of the bride and groom who got married in the horse and buggy days. They rode off on their honeymoon, and the horse bolted, and the guy said, "That's one." The horse bolted again, and he said, "That's two." The horse bolted yet again, and he said, "That's three," and took out a gun and killed the horse. 

His wife said, "That's terrible; you can't do that!" He said, "That's one."

 

Deep down in the human heart is this retaliatory, get even kind of spirit. Frankly, in our society, we make heroes out of the kind of people who take nothing from nobody. They are the strong, the tough, the courageous, and the macho; and our society looks down on the meek and the non-retaliating, the gentle, the forgiving, the gracious, the merciful person who demands nothing from anyone, and we say he's a weakling and a coward.

 

I was trying to analyze why America was so in love with John Wayne and why it was such a tremendous loss to the country to loose him. I think it was because John Wayne was, in a sense, the national symbol of the crusty, tough, 'take nothing from nobody' kind of folk hero that really symbolizes American attitudes. That's part of human nature, to not let anyone get away with anything until you've told them. Or to let them know that they can't do that to you.

 

Basically, that's at the heart of the Jewish misunderstanding of 'an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth,' give them what they're due. That's the way it was being applied in Jesus' time. It had become a license for vengeance, a basis for a vendetta, sort of a biblical permission to have a grudge or to strike back. But Jesus said, "If someone hits you on the right cheek, give him your left. If someone sues and takes your coat, give him your cloak. If someone asks you to go a mile, go two. And if anyone needs what you've got, give it or loan it."

 

That's antithetical to everything in human society; that doesn't cut it with the human heart. In fact, by human nature, we have just the opposite in us.  

 

Now, everyone has in them this sense of justice, and I believe that is the image of God. But in the Fall, that sense of justice became perverted into a vengeful spirit. It isn't so much the idea that if a person does something wrong, we want it to be made right to uphold the law and to maintain a righteous standard so that God, who made the righteous standard, can be glorified; it's that we want to get even. That's the perversion of a moral righteousness given us in the creation of God.

 

So, in our society, everyone fights for their rights. We're so big on rights right now that we're setting the law aside. We have a vengeful society if they don't get their rights. Parents have to deal with it in their children. Many parents say, "It's just easier to give my kid what he wants than to try and discipline him." Basically, that's what society is saying. 

 

This is precisely the issue to which our Lord speaks in Matthew. He contrasts the ethics of His Kingdom, which is forgiveness, seeking nothing, no defensiveness, no self-protection, no rights for me, with a grasping, retaliatory, spiteful, vengeful, grudging spirit. It characterizes society.

 

Let's see what He's saying specifically.

 

 In front of the people gathered close to Him were the Pharisees and scribes, who thought they were the best of men, and perhaps even closer to Him were the disciples.

 

As Jesus speaks in this particular part of the sermon, He is speaking directly at the form of religion developed by the scribes and Pharisees. You see, they believed that they had attained self-righteousness on their own merit. They believed that they were able to enter the Kingdom of God on the basis of their own self-righteousness, that they had attained a standard of excellence by law, by legalism, and by ritual. 

 

So Jesus is busy, in the Sermon on the Mount, ripping off their masks, stripping their hypocrisies, so that they will see themselves a wretched sinners.

 

He has already shown them that, in spite of what they thought, they were murderers, adulterers, liars (as we saw last week), and now He's going to show them that in spite of what they thought, they were filled with vengeful, spiteful, grudging spirits not characteristic of the Kingdom of God. Jesus is, again, reiterating God's standard to them, and saying, "You fall short." 

 

This passage has confused a lot of people. We won't be able to get through all of it this evening; we'll have to finish it next time. But I'll lay the foundation, and hopefully, it will help you to get a start. 

 

Let's look at the same three points we've seen in all these illustrations in Matthew 5, as Jesus exposes the sin of the Pharisees. 

 

 

 

 

 

verse 38. 

 

Now in this case that refers to an exact quote from the Old Testament, "An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth." 

 

They had just shifted the emphasis and messed up the interpretation, as they so often did with the Old Testament.

 

Now in their defense, it is rather easy to confuse or misunderstand. This passage is fantastic in that it provides a perfect balance and perspective where the law fits in the life of a believer. The Bible upholds law and order. And while we can talk about forgiveness and turning the other cheek, it is never to the detriment of what is lawful. 

 

See how that can be confusing? "If we are to forgive, then we must turn the other cheek, and never retaliate. If someone sues us, and we're not to fight him, but give him everything we have and more. If anyone wants to borrow, we should just lend it. Then where is the balance? 

 

What if someone robs me; do I just say, 'It's alright, brother, would you like anything else?'" Is that what we're to do, just turn them loose, let them all go and forgive them? Is that what this is saying? Or do we uphold the law and punish them? 

 

What is Jesus saying? 

 

 

 

Well, look again at verse 38. The statement is this, "An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth." 

 

Some say, "Boy, that kind of stuff is merciless; that's the bloodthirsty, Old Testament stuff." 

 

Some of the old critics of the Bible used to say there was a different God who wrote the Old Testament. They said the God of the Old Testament is not the God of the New Testament. 

 

They thought the God of the Old Testament wanted an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth, and that He was saying, "I'll get you. Whoever does anything to you, get them back, and if he pokes your eye, poke his eye. If he knocks your tooth out, get his." But is that what it is saying?

 

Do you know why people interpret it that way? Because that's the way the human heart is. But that's not the way God's heart is, and that's not what it means in the Old Testament when it says that. 

 

Starting in Exodus 20, you have the law of God basically codified, systematized. In that chapter, you have the moral law, which is between a man and God, or a woman and God. 

 

Then in Exodus 21-23, you have the civil law. The moral law is taken care of between a man and God; the civil law is taken care of within the framework of magistrates, judges, courts, and duly constituted authorities. God instituted judges, magistrates, and authorities to take care of civil matters. 

 

 

 

Now, there are three times in the Old Testament where the phrase, "An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth," is mentioned. All three of those times relate to a civil situation; they relate to something occurring within a duly constituted authority: a judge, a magistrate, etc.

 

What does that mean? "An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth," is not a statement that is in any way related to personal relationships. 

 

However, that's precisely what the Pharisees had done with it. They took a divine principle for the courts, and they made it a matter of daily vendettas. 

 

Let me show you why I say that. Let's look at the three Scriptures where this phrase is mentioned. 

 

The first is in Exodus 21:22-25

 

In other words, if you harm a woman with child (and we won't go into all of the possibilities; there could be harm where she doesn't loose the child, there could be harm where she does loose the child), the point is that the husband has the right to seek damages, and the judge will determine. 

 

So this is a civil situation; the husband doesn't get a club and beat up the guy; this is not a vigilante approach. This is not personal vengeance. In order for there to be structure in law and order, and in order for there to be preservation of society, you cannot have personal vengeance. 

 

So even in the Old Testament, in civil law, there were judges to deal with these matters; the judge determines. 

Then notice 26-27

 

In other words, within the framework of the civil law, God was protecting the weak from the strong, the good from the evil. And bear in mind, these are civil laws providing for equity and fairness among the people. 

 

If you're a servant and your employer knocks your tooth out, you don't catch him at an unwary moment and knock his out; you would go to the court in Israel and say, "This is what happened," and it would be confirmed by the mouths of two or three witnesses, and the just due would be given to you: you'd be set free. So this would temper the master's treatment of slaves if he knew that if he struck his slave, and the slave lost a tooth, he'd lose his slave. That would be a high price to pay.

 

You see, law is a restraint, and when justice is enacted speedily and equitably, it has a great effect on society. There is a second use of this same phrase in

 

Leviticus 24:19-20.

 

Again, the law provided for equity and justice. The punishment is to fit the crime, and it is in a civil setting.

 

Then the third one is in Deuteronomy 19:15-21.

 

Question: If there are sufficient witnesses that the man has done something, where are the witnesses coming? Because this is a court setting, a tribunal, a magistrate, this is a civil thing. 

 

Do you know how to get rid of evil in a society? Give just punishment speedily for people who commit crimes, even perjury, as in this case. 

 

The court is not the place for pity. This absolutely flies in the face of what we’ve heard recently from President Obama and his supreme court nominee. They talk about understanding the victim and making decisions with that compassion and pity. 

 

The court is not the place for pity. The court is the place God has established to see to it that the standards of the law are carried out without regard to race and social standing and finances and positions. 

 

Why? Because that and that alone will preserve society and put fear into the hearts of men.

 

Take a sinful man with a depraved nature and give him his rights, and he'll run right into chaos if you don't make consequences for his behavior. I'll tell you, parents, start it with your children. If there are no consequences for the behavior of your children, they will never learn what it means to live a righteous life.

 

So he says at the end of Deuteronomy 19:21, "Life shall be for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot." 

 

In all three of those passages, you will see that the law was for the civil courts. It even mentions judges and magistrates several times. The point is this: the law was never to be taken into the hands of an individual. God knew that would be utter chaos; you cannot have anarchy and preserve society. 

So the intent of the Mosaic law was to control sin, in this case, the sin of anger, violence, and revenge. 

 

And don't miss the point; that is a good law. It is a law that puts fear into people's hearts. That law doesn't do anything but good for righteous people. It just protects them. 

 

First of all, this is a just law. It is a just law because punishment should fit the crime. It's nothing more than justice, it's just equal. 

 

Secondly, it is a merciful law. An eye for an eye is merciful because it limits vengeance; it does away with vendettas and blood feuds. You've read so many times about a native who goes over to another tribe and kills someone in the tribe. What happens? 

 

The whole tribe comes over and slaughters everyone in the other tribe. No, no. This law says, "Only the person who committed the crime, and only commensurate with the crime should be the punishment." It's a merciful law. It puts a lid on human vengeance

 

Thirdly, it is therefore a beneficent law. It was designed to protect the weak from the strong, the peaceful from the violent. You see, our society gets everything twisted. We talk about 'right' so much now that it seems often that today, criminals have more rights than honest people. 

 

Our suffering society, overrun with crime and violence, would do well to reexamine the Old Testament law. But you see, once you deny God and let that go, everything is gone. 

 

We now have a liberal n effeminate generation that wants to abolish capital punishment, turn prisons into country clubs, and relax justice in violation of God's law. That's the legacy of liberalism, politically and religiously. 

 

To restrain evil is merciful and beneficent; not to restrain evil, not to have punishment, not to have things the way they should be is to allow evil to run rampant. Then everyone pays the price.

 

Arthur Pink says, "Magistrates and judges were never ordained by God for the purpose of reforming reprobates or pampering degenerates, but to be His instruments for preserving law and order, and that by being a terror to the evil (Romans 13), they are to be an avenger to execute wrath on him that does evil." 

 

He is right; there is to be terror. The law has been ignored because God's character has been ignored, because a sense of eternal punishment has been ignored, because the church doesn't even bother to discipline. 

 

Pink further says, "A conscience has become comatose. The requirements of justice are stifled. Maudlin concepts now prevail, as eternal punishment is repudiated, either tacitly, or, in many cases, openly. Ecclesiastical punishments are shelved, churches refuse to enforce sanctions and wink at flagrant offenses. The inevitable outcome has been the breakdown of discipline in the home and the creation of a public opinion which is mawkish and spineless. 

 

Schoolteachers are intimidated by foolish parents and children, so that the rising generation are more and more allowed to have their own way without fear of consequences. And if some judge has the courage of his convictions and sentences a brute for maiming an old woman, there is an outcry against him." This is the legacy we have in our country.

 

The law must be upheld, justice must rule, there must be a right sense of justice. 

 

Now, on the other hand, what about our responsibilities as Christians? In the work of justice, do we hate the criminal? Do we feel vengeance and bitterness and spite? 

 

Listen to what the Old Testament also teaches in Leviticus 19:18. "You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the children of your people." That's the same book and the same author - Moses. 

 

You should never hold a grudge, never avenge. If there is a crime committed, then you should seek the law to do its work, because that preserves society and exalts God, who wrote the law. But your heart is filled with forgiveness and love, so that Jesus says, "Love your enemies and do good to those who spitefully use you and persecute you."

 

That was beautifully illustrated recently in Long Island, NY when a man attempted to rob a convenience store with a baseball bat. The owner pulled a rifle, and the robber began begging for forgiveness. He said he need food for his family.

 

The store owner gave him a loaf of bread and $40.

Was he lying? I don’t know, and frankly, I don’t care. The storeowner had the right attitude. 

 

He, in fact, was Muslim. But he illustrated the principle God gave in Proverbs 25:21:

 

"If your enemy is hungry, give him bread to eat; and if he is thirsty, give him water to drink." And we're talking about a real enemy here, not the guy over the fence who doesn't cut his weeds and they grow into your yard. We're talking about someone who comes to kill your family, a serious enemy. 

 

The Old Testament says, "If your enemy is hungry, give him bread to eat; and if he is thirsty, give him water to drink." But it also says, "If he commits a crime, take him to court, to the judges, to give him due punishment for his crime."

 

In fact, Proverbs 24:29 says, "Do not say, 'I will do to him just as he has done to me.'" Don't say that. That's vengeance. 

 

Jesus hangs on a cross, and they've set about to murder Him, and He knows it will be a little time until they will murder His disciples. So He looks down the ages and sees all the heroes of the faith who will die in martyrdom. He looks at an ungodly, unruly world and says, "Father, forgive them. Forgive them."

 

He knew that justice would take its course; He knew if they died without repentance, they'd spend eternity in Hell. And yet His heart was a heart of forgiveness. 

 

So when I catch a thief in my house who has wronged me, or someone who has hurt my family, I must forgive him in the love of Christ, I must tell him about Christ, I must feed him. 

 

On the other hand, I must let the law take its course because that it to uphold the divine standard. I cannot say, "I will do to him as he has done to me." 

 

This is precisely the point, beloved. And that brings us to the second point:

 

What about The Perversion of the Pharisees?

 

They had perverted this great truth into a personal vengeance principle. "If someone gets your tooth, get his." Instead of taking it as a limit on vengeance, they took it as a mandate for vengeance. 

 

Their emphasis was wrong; they removed it from the courts, made it a personal revenge, and used it to justify hearts full of hate. Jesus is saying to them, "You're not righteous. You're not righteous at all. If you were righteous, you wouldn't be vengeful." They cherished a spirit of retaliation.

 

So that raises the question: How do we find this kind of balance where you can uphold the law of God and still be free in your heart to forgive?" 

 

I'll tell you how, it's very simple concept. At least it is simple to state. 

 

The only person who is non-defensive, non-protective, non-vengeful, never bears a grudge, has no spite in his heart, is a person who has died to self. 

If I die to self, what is left to defend? But if I'm going to fight for my rights, then I prove the point that self is on the throne, self is ruling. 

 

Jesus had died to self in the sense that He had abandoned Himself to the Father's will, so if He died, He died. Paul had abandoned himself to the Father's will and died to self, so that he said, "If I live, I live to the Lord. If I die, I die unto the Lord. So whether I live or die, I'm the Lord's." He knew what it was to say, "I die daily." If Paul had lived for himself, he would have gone through his life defending himself against his critics; he never did. 

 

Selfishness is defensive, protective, vengeful, spiteful, reactionary. So if we are to have the Spirit that Jesus asks for, we have to die to ourselves. 

 

How does that express itself? 

 

Let’s take it to the extreme, since most of us will hopefully never have to deal with the extremes. In fact, thinking about the extremes makes the normal so much more manageable. 

 

We are living to demonstrate the spirit Christ is talking about. What about the death of self? If someone kills my child, if I have died to self, I don't make it a matter of personal retribution. I will uphold the law for the glory of God, but I'm not going to strike that man back out of personal anger and vengeance of, "Look what you've done to me." 

 

No. Instead I desire only God’s best for that person. I desire that they know the love and grace of God that I know, because that is their only hope.

 

The heart of the matter, then, is to understand what it means to die to self. Listen, maybe this will help. 

 

When you're forgiven, or neglected, and you sting and hurt with the insult of the oversight, but your heart is happy, being counted worthy to suffer for Christ -- that is dying to self. 

 

When your good is evil spoken of, when your wishes are crossed, your advice disregarded, your opinions ridiculed, and you refuse to let anger rise in your heart, or even defend yourself, but take it all in patient loving silence -- that is dying to self. 

 

When you lovingly and patiently bear any disorder, any irregularity, or any annoyance, when you can stand face to face with waste, folly, extravagance, spiritual insensibility, and endure it as Jesus endured it -- that is dying to self. 

 

When you are content with any circumstance, any food, any offering, any clothing, any climate, any society, any solicitude, any interruption by the will of God -- that is dying to self. 

 

When you never care to refer to yourself in conversation, or record your own good works, or itch after any commendation from others, when you can truly love to be unknown -- that is dying to self. 

 

When you can see your brother prosper and have his needs met and can honestly rejoice with him in spirit and feel no envy nor question God, while your own needs are far greater and your circumstances more desperate -- that is dying to self. 

 

 

When you can receive correction and reproof from one of less stature than yourself, and can humbly submit inwardly as well as outwardly, finding no rebellion or resentment rising up within your heart -- that is dying to self.

 

Ask yourself a question: are you dead yet? 

 

If we are to know the balance between holding up the law of God in an evil society and pouring out a heart filled with forgiveness and love, and empty of any vengeance, any self, it will be when we learn what Jesus meant when He said this, "If any man will be My disciple, let him deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow Me." 

 

Let's pray together.