Matthew 5:38-42
Going The Extra Mile
Thu Sep 22 09:13am EDT
Runner carries injured foe half mile to help in middle of race
Josh Ripley didn’t have to stop. Running in a recent cross country meet for Andover (Minn.) High, the junior varsity runner was making his way through the trail at the Applejack Invite when he heard a loud scream during the first mile of a two-mile race. Most of the other kids running didn’t pay much attention to Lakeville South runner Mark Paulauskas, who was writhing in pain at the time, as they passed by. The only person who decided to pay attention was Ripley.As an Anoka-Hennepin school district release reported, Ripley immediately noticed Paulauskas holding his bloody ankle. Then, instead of running back and calling for help, he did the only thing he could think of: He carried the injured runner a half mile back to coaches and family members. “I didn’t think about my race, I knew I needed to stop and help him,” Ripley said in the school district release. “It was something I would expect my other teammates to do. I’m nothing special; I was just in the right place at the right time.” It was a good thing Ripley had the foresight to carry Paulauskas so he could be rushed to the emergency room. When Paulauskas arrived at the hospital, doctors realized he had been accidentally spiked by another runner’s shoe during the race. The injury required 20 stitches and a walking boot to keep the wounded area from opening up. Andover cross country coach Scott Clark couldn’t believe what he heard when word got to him that Ripley was carrying another runner back to the starting line. “Then Josh comes jogging into view carrying a runner,” Clark said. “I noticed the blood on the runner’s ankle as Josh handed him off to one of the coaches from Lakeville. Josh was tired and you could tell his focus was off as he started back on the course.” Amazingly, the story gets even better from there. After dropping Paulauskas off with his coaches, Ripley proceeded to go back and finish the race — even after carrying a kid for a half mile on the running trail. Admittedly he was a bit winded, but still completed the course as scheduled. It’s safe to say the average athlete would have taken a breather and called off the rest of the race after such a harrowing and intense experience. Luckily, Ripley is clearly not the average athlete. Fittingly, he’ll be honored at a school board meeting next week. Talk about an incredible example of sportsmanship.
Read Passage
38“You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for 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.”
The Law Of Like For Like
We find ourselves in some tough situations and sometimes we are put in tough situations. When we get hurt or treated poorly, our natural tendency is to fight back, to get revenge, to right the wrong. Some people have a tendency for revenge and take it to the extreme. “You hurt me or offended me so I am going to take an ‘arm and a leg’ or sue you for all you have!” but what are we really supposed to so. How are we suppose to act? That is what makes this series, 7 Things I Wish Jesus Never Said so difficult to understand. How are we really suppose to respond to hurt, to attacks, and to tough situations.
“You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’” vs. 38
Jesus quotes a passage here from Leviticus 24:20. Many people believe there are other “laws” that were put in place to dela with the whole idea of being wronged. The Babylonians had something called the Hammurabi Code (Babylonian Law Code about 1700 B.c.) and Hebrew Law both had death penalties for many crimes, the “eye for eye” was to restrict compensation to the value of the loss; in the Hammurabic code as being literal, and in the Hebrew Law applying monetarily. Thus, it might be better read ‘only one eye for one eye.
Another is called the lex talionis. The “lex talonis”, or law of like for like, Various ideas regarding the origins of lex talionis exist, but a common one is that it developed as early civilizations grew and a less well-established system for retribution of wrongs, feuds and vendettas, threatened the social fabric. Despite having been replaced with newer modes of legal theory, lex talionis systems served a critical purpose in the development of social systems — the establishment of a body whose purpose was to enact the retaliation and ensure that this was the only punishment. This body was the state in one of its earliest forms. The “lex talonis”, or law of like for like
There are two reasons these kinds of laws needed to be put into place.
1) The fear of justices limits violence. It’s a deterrent.
2) Left to our own accord, we tend to take being wronged or mistreated too far. A limit on retribution. This is huge because when it comes to revenge or retribution, we go overboard. We feel wronged and mistreated so we go overboard to feel vindicated and to feel better.
Dealing With Difficult People
And we all comes to grips with the fact that we will have to deal with difficult and evil people. Jesus follows the first statement with a second; verse 39a:
“But I tell you, do not resist an evil person.” vs. 39a
The Greek word translated resist signifies standing in battle array, striving for victory. This is probably best described in actions not in words.
Ex. Someone attacks us and we go: HYYYYAHH!
We go into battle array or battle mode. Is this wrong? Well, there are times we are called to defend ourselves but what is jesus really saying in this passage? Does he want us to let people walk all over us and to let ourselves be taken advantage of and abused?
Four Tough Situations and Having The Right Heart
Jesus uses four scenarios, tough situations, here that each of us deal with in our lives. Let’s look at them and then decipher what and how we should be acting and what it looks like to approach them with the right heart.
- Physical Confrontations
First, in verse 39b we have the first scenario; physical confrontations. Verse 39b:
“If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also.” vs. 39b
Physical confrontations are scary, their difficult, and they can really get our blood moving. Many people think that any time they have been mistreated physically they should automatically allow it to continue or maybe even play the role of a doormat because of this verse. But the greater question might be to question our attitude when we are confronted with physical situations or abuse. Jesus is moving us to consider this:
Solution: Be An Instrument Of Peace
Are you automatically taking up a battle position or are you looking to be an instrument of peace?
Ex. My confrontation at Darby Dan’s and my attitude
See Paul says in Romans 12:18
“If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.” Romans 12:18
Now I am going ot be right up front with you here, peace is not always the first thing on my mind and probably not on many peoples mind. But Paul, an Jesus, call us to be people of peace first. Peace should be our first thought but there will be times when it is necessary to turn the other cheek.
Ex. Jesus: overthrew the money changers, called the Pharisee’s dogs, but didn’t retiatliate whern it came time to go to the cross.
2. Character Attacks
The second tough situation is one that we face often, verbal attacks. Verse 40:
“And if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, hand over your coat as well.” vs. 40
One of the quickest ways to gt to someone is verbally attack them or to threaten them especially with the loss of their physical possessions.
Ex. You have seen someone wronged and they threaten to sue you for millions of dollars. It gets out attention. Many people bring frivolous lawsuits everyday to illicit responses from people. Let’s face it, my things are mine and I have to take care of myself, my family, my church, etc. So Jesus raises the bar and in doing so causes us to ask ourselves how we view our possessions. We might forget our things are on loan to us from God and ultimately they’re gone.
Solution: Trust God
Here is the solution, give them back to God and put your trust in Him. David put it best in Psalm 135:14:
“For the LORD will vindicate his people…” Ps. 135:14
Ex. Job – God took all he had, he trusted God and in the end got back double of everything (except his family of course). I’m not promising you double but I am challenging you to ask yourself if you trust God enough to take care of you, to provide.
3. Oppression
A third tough situation is oppression; being forced to do something. Verse 41:
“If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles.” vs. 41
Ex. A Roman guard could grab a Jew at any time and make him carry his things for a mile at any time. So let’s say you’re at the market, you’re in a hurry, you’ve got to get home and this bigf old roman guard comes by and says: “You carry this shield for me.” You couldn’t say no. So Jesus, again, ups the bar. Don’t just carry it a mile, go two.
Most of us aren’t forced to do things against our will. Let me give you some senario’s where you might; work, parents and child, etc.
Solution: Servant Leader Attitude
So what is the solution? I call it having the servant attitude. Let me put it this way to you: When we are oppressed we tend to p[lay the role of the victim. “Poor me!” “I’ve got no choice.” Jesus says no, kill them with kindness. In doing so you are shoeing them the heart of Jesus. Listen to how Paul puts it in Gal. 5:13:
“You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love.” Gal. 5:13
Ex. Go back to opening story. Everyone ran passed their “opponent” except for John. But when I read that story didn’t you have a respect for John? Do you realize if he kept running and won the race we would have never heard about him. Interesting.
Challenge: Who can you kill with kindness this week? K-LOVE Chirsitan Radio Station and Make a Difference Mondays
4. Being Taken Advantage Of
Finally, the 4th tough situation we face is many people take advantage of others. This situation comes in verse 42:
“Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.” vs. 42
In our difficult economic times we are seeing more and more the great needs of people and it gets ore and more difficult to meet those needs. It seems everyone wants something from you and you can’t help everyone. You go to the store, to the gas station, to the post office, and there seems to always be someone wanting something from you. And isn’t it difficult to discern who to and who not to help? So many times we see our generosity misused and abused.
Solution: Open Heart Toward Others
What do we do? Part of the key to this is to not let your heart become hardened but to have an open heart toward others. That’s where is starts…the heart.
Heart is used in Scripture as the most comprehensive term for the authentic person. It is the part of our being where we desire, deliberate, and decide. Joseph Stowell in his book Fan the Flame Moody, 1986, p. 13says:
“The heart is the place of conscious and decisive spiritual activity,” “The place to which God turns.”
Now I will say that we should be smart, discerning, and bathe our decisions in prayer and listening to the Holy Spirit.
Ex. Many people come to our church during the week to “get” something. You know we are not in a position to always help them. So we try to support places that can. Like The Food Closet and Darren. What a heart for people.
When we handle it the right way, it brings glory to God.
“Carrying out this social relief work involves far more than helping meet the bare needs of poor Christians. It also produces abundant and bountiful thanksgivings to God.” 2 Cor. 2:9
(The Message)
Walking The Extra Mile
In THE GRACE OF GIVING, Stephen Olford tells of a Baptist pastor during the American Revolution, Peter Miller, who lived in Ephrata, Pennsylvania, and enjoyed the friendship of George Washington. In Ephrata also lived Michael Wittman, an evil-minded sort who did all he could to oppose and humiliate the pastor. One day Michael Wittman was arrested for treason and sentenced to die. Peter Miller traveled seventy miles on foot to Philadelphia to plead for the life of the traitor. Rev. Miller pleaded with G. Washington to spare Mr.Wittman’s life.“No, Peter,” General Washington said. “I cannot grant you the life of your friend.”“My friend!” exclaimed the old preacher. “He’s the bitterest enemy I have.”“What?” cried Washington. “You’ve walked seventy miles to save the life of an enemy? That puts the matter in different light. I’ll grant your pardon.” And he did.Peter Miller took Michael Wittman back home to Ephrata—no longer an enemy but a friend.
