9th October 2024

9th October 2024


Pray (ACts)


Read (Matthew 5:38-48 focus v41)


Message (Alan Burke)


I didn’t get as far as I’d like to have with Monday’s devotion, we worked though the first three of the scenarios that Jesus gives, if someone slaps you turn the other cheek, if someone wants to sue us and take our tunic we give then our cloak as well even though according to the law you couldn’t take a cloak from someone (See Ex 22:26 and Deut 23:13). The third scenario that Jesus gives is that if someone forces us to go one mile we go with them two. The imagery here is that of what would have happened at the time, a Roman solider forces someone to carry their equipment for them and instead of resisting that they are to go further than what was expected them. In a sense the Roman forces that they so hated they were to help. This teaching of Jesus is teaching us how to respond when someone does something against us and our human nature finds this difficult, we are prone to lashing out, to take revenge, we want not only an eye for an eye but we want both their eyes and we want them to suffer. But we are not to repay evil for evil. 


Jesus though isn’t finished in telling us how to live, he gives two further examples which come in v41 so we are to give to the one who asks us, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow. What is this about? Well in the OT there are commands to assist the poor, those in need (see Ex 22:25, Lev 25:36-37, Deut 15:7-11, Prov 28:27). Does this mean if someone begs me for my hifi or phone I just give it to them or if someone wants to borrow my computer I give it to them and it doesn’t matter if I know them, if they have begged or asked then I am duty bound to give it to them. No it is not teaching us that. In Jesus day it was seen as shameful to beg, and then later in the New Testament the Lord through Paul makes the point in 2 Thessalonians, “If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat” 2 Th 3:10.


So Jesus isn’t saying that if anyone asks of us we should give it to them, our wealth, possessions. Martin Lloyd-Jones has a helpful explanation for us to what Jesus is teaching us here, he says, Jesus “is rebuking the wrong spirit of those who are always considering themselves… …when to give of their own goods and wealth to help someone in need”. There is a difference between someone who is in real need and someone who is not, but often we do not see the difference, we want to hold on to what is ours rather than help those who are in actual need and for the followers of Jesus, then if we are in a position to help someone in need then we should do so. We might be risking what we have but we will help them (Thanks to MLJ p288-9). This teaching of Jesus is so counter cultural, it was at the time and it is now, because we want justice, we want to be vindicated, if we don’t like what someone has done we want payback, and we don’t want to help people out if there is a cost to ourselves that is how we work as sinful people but we are to live like Christ, the calling of a Christian is a high one but it is exemplified by our saviour. When we get it wrong, when we fail to live as we should then we know that Jesus has done all that is required of us. 


Pray (acTS)


Sing


WSC
Q4. What is God?
A. God is a Spirit, infinite, eternal, and unchangeable, in his being, wisdom, power, holiness, justice, goodness, and truth.
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