Good morning. I would like to have us think this morning about an aspect of love that doesn’t get much attention. Have you ever considered that love typically requires sacrifice? Often, love requires significant sacrifice. I think that Jesus may have “blown His disciples away” when He preached the following to them in Matthew 5:39-41: But I tell you, do not fight against the evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also. And if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, hand over your coat as well. If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles.
I believe that by the time Jesus preached those words the disciples would have thought they had come to a pretty good understanding of what it meant to be His follower. Those words of Jesus would have been startling. They flew in the face of what the disciples had been raised to believe and spoke the opposite of how they have been taught to act when someone displays evil against you. Jesus gives them, and us, some eye-opening insights, some down to earth, everyday illustrations about what it means to love as He loves…radically.
The slap in the face: In first century Jerusalem receiving a slap in the face was the ultimate degradation. It was intended to humiliate and to challenge to a verbal or physical fight. When you received a slap in the face, your honor was at stake. Jesus says that His radical love is greater than our idea of personal honor. He is asking His followers to trust in Him rather than trying to satisfy our anger. In a revenge-oriented culture such as theirs (and ours) this teaching would have seemed incredible.
Beyond legal rights: In first century Jerusalem the common person had two kinds of garments covering themselves. The inner garment was made of softer fabric for comfort while the outer garment was made of tougher, heavier material intended to keep out the wet and the cold. Typically, a person had a few sets of the inner garment but only one of the outer variety. The outer garment was so essential to health and wellbeing that it was protected by law. A person could lay a legal claim to a set of the inner garment to satisfy a debt, but the outer garment was off limits. The point that Jesus was making is that the demands of His radical love exceed those of written law.
The second mile: In first century Jerusalem, Rome was in control. It was legally required of any Jew, male or female and of any age, that if a Roman soldier commanded it, they must immediately stop whatever they were doing and must carry the soldier’s gear for up to a mile. Naturally, this law and demand were hated by the Jews with a passion. So, Jesus tells them, if this situation occurs and your enemy, the Roman soldier, makes this evil demand of you, you are to show exceptional love rather than anger. The love of Christ is revealed when you go the second mile.
The context of these words of Jesus is usually given the heading “Love Your Enemies.” By doing so, the radical love of Christ is revealed.
Vern