Matthew 5:38-42

Bird's-eye view

In this section of the Sermon on the Mount, the Lord Jesus continues His demolition of the Pharisees' self righteous distortions of the Mosaic law. He takes up the well known legal principle of "an eye for an eye," the lex talionis, and corrects its popular misuse. The original intent of this law was to provide a principle of strict, proportional justice for civil magistrates, thereby restraining and limiting blood feuds and personal vengeance. But in the hands of the scribes, it had become a justification for the very thing it was meant to prevent: personal retaliation.

Christ is not setting aside the law of God here; He has already said He came not to abolish it, but to fulfill it. Rather, He is restoring its true meaning and applying its heart to His disciples. He forbids the spirit of personal vengeance and requires instead a demeanor of radical, sacrificial generosity. Through a series of memorable and startling examples, He teaches that His followers are to overcome evil with good. This is not a command for the state to abandon its sword, nor is it a call for individual Christians to become passive doormats. It is a command to refuse a spirit of personal retaliation and to fight evil with the unexpected and disarming weapons of grace.

Outline

Context In Matthew

This passage is a crucial part of a larger section (Matt 5:21-48) where Jesus gives a series of six antitheses, each beginning with the formula, "You have heard that it was said... But I say to you." In each case, He is not contradicting the Old Testament Scripture itself, but rather the corrupted, externalized, and self serving interpretations of it that were common in His day. He is pressing beyond the letter of the law, as the Pharisees understood it, to the spirit and true intent of the law. Having just addressed oaths, He now turns to the issue of personal justice and retaliation, setting the stage for His climactic command to love one's enemies.

Key Issues

Clause-by-Clause Commentary

v. 38 “You have heard that it was said, ‘AN EYE FOR AN EYE, AND A TOOTH FOR A TOOTH.’

Jesus begins by quoting a principle found in the Law of Moses (Ex. 21:24; Lev. 24:20; Deut. 19:21). This is the lex talionis, the law of retaliation. And the first thing we must get straight is that this was a magnificent principle of justice. It was not a command for individuals to exact revenge. It was a restriction placed upon a civil magistrate. The point was to limit the penalty to the crime. If a man knocks out your tooth, the court cannot take his life. The punishment must fit the crime: a tooth for a tooth. This law prevented the endless cycles of escalating blood feuds that plagued the ancient world, where a stolen sheep could end in a clan war. It was a principle of strict, proportional, and, importantly, public justice. But by Christ's day, this rule for judges had been twisted into an excuse for individuals to nurse their grudges and take matters into their own hands. They were quoting the law of God in order to justify their disobedience to the law of God, which is a peculiar form of wickedness.

v. 39 But I say to you, do not resist an evil person;

Here is the great antithesis. Christ is not abolishing the civil requirement for justice. Romans 13 makes it abundantly clear that the magistrate bears the sword for a reason. What Jesus is forbidding here is personal, vindictive resistance. He is addressing the individual disciple, not the police department. The Christian is not to have a spirit of personal retaliation. When you are wronged, your first instinct is not to be "how can I get him back?" This is a command that goes straight to the heart. It is not telling us to be doormats, or to allow evil to run rampant. We are called to resist evil, but we must do so with good (Rom. 12:21). The issue is the way we resist. We are not to resist an evil person on his own terms, with his own fleshly weapons of malice and revenge. We must fight, but we must fight clean.

but whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also.

This is the first of Christ's illustrations, and it is a powerful one. A slap on the right cheek, in that culture, was typically a backhanded slap from a right handed person. It was not primarily an act of violence intended to injure, but an act of profound insult, a gesture of contempt, often from a superior to an inferior. The natural response is outrage, prideful defense, and a punch in the nose. Jesus says the supernatural response, the response of a citizen of the kingdom, is to offer the other cheek. This is not weakness; it is a demonstration of profound spiritual strength. It refuses to let the insulter set the terms of the engagement. It declares that your dignity is not found in the opinions of others, but in your identity in Christ. You are so secure in Him that you can absorb the insult without needing to retaliate. This is not to say there is never a time to speak up, as Christ Himself did when struck (John 18:22-23). The principle is the mortification of personal vindictiveness.

v. 40 And if anyone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your garment also.

The second example moves from personal insult to a legal dispute. The tunic was the inner garment, the shirt. The outer garment, or cloak, was often a poor man's only blanket at night, and the Mosaic law actually forbade taking it as collateral overnight (Ex. 22:26-27). Jesus says if someone is so determined to sue you that he'll take the shirt off your back, don't just give it to him. Stun him by giving him your cloak as well. Again, this is not about abandoning justice or enabling theft. It is about demonstrating a heart that is radically detached from worldly possessions. It is a willingness to suffer loss rather than to be consumed by a grasping, litigious spirit. The Christian shows that he values peace and bears witness to a greater treasure than a closet full of clothes. He is free from the love of things, and this freedom is a powerful weapon.

v. 41 And whoever forces you to go one mile, go with him two.

This refers to the practice of impressment, particularly by Roman soldiers, who could compel a civilian to carry their gear for one Roman mile (a bit shorter than our mile). This was a constant, galling reminder of their subjugation. It was an indignity that bred resentment and revolutionary fervor. The law said you had to go one mile. Jesus says, "Go two." Don't do it grudgingly. Do it cheerfully. Seize the opportunity. For the first mile, you are a slave. For the second mile, you are a free man, acting in the liberty of Christ. You have taken control of the situation, not through rebellion, but through an unexpected act of grace. You are no longer being coerced; you are choosing to serve. This utterly transforms the dynamic and provides a powerful platform for the gospel.

v. 42 Give to him who asks of you, and do not turn away from him who wants to borrow from you.

Jesus concludes this section with a general principle that sums up the attitude He requires. The Christian heart is not to be a clenched fist, but an open hand. This is a call to a lifestyle of generosity. Of course, this is not a command to be a fool. We are not required to give a drunk another dollar for a drink, or to enable a lazy man in his sloth (2 Thess. 3:10). This is not a flat, legalistic requirement that suspends all common sense. It is a disposition of the heart. The default setting for a Christian should be "yes." We should be looking for opportunities to give, to help, to lend. Our first impulse should not be to protect what is ours, but to share what is God's. We are stewards, not owners, and our Father is generous to all, making His sun rise on the evil and on the good. As His children, we are to reflect His character.

Application

The world's way is the way of retaliation, of standing on your rights, of getting even. Christ calls us to a righteousness that is from another world entirely. This is not natural; it is supernatural. It is impossible in the flesh. This kind of response to insult, lawsuits, and oppression is only possible for a man or woman who has been born again by the Spirit of God.

We must be clear. This is not a new law for the state. God has given the sword to the civil magistrate to punish evil and maintain public order. A Christian judge must still enforce the law, and a Christian nation must still defend its borders. But in our personal dealings, as individual followers of Jesus, we are to have a different spirit. We are to be a people who do not return evil for evil, but who overcome evil with good.

This means we must crucify our pride. We must be willing to be wronged. We must hold our earthly possessions loosely. And we must cultivate a default posture of open handed generosity. This is not a strategy for losing. It is God's strategy for winning. This is how the kingdom advances, not through the clenched fist of retaliation, but through the open, nail scarred hands of sacrificial love. This is how we show the world that our King is not Caesar, but Jesus.