The Asymmetrical Warfare of the Kingdom Text: Matthew 5:38-42
Introduction: Misreading the Rules of Engagement
We come now to one of the most frequently quoted, and most tragically misunderstood, passages in all of Scripture. These words of Jesus have been used to justify everything from a doormat theology that enables abuse to a full-blown Christian pacifism that would leave the sheepdogs in the pen while the wolves have their way with the flock. Both of these positions are a gross distortion of what the Lord is teaching. To get this wrong is to fundamentally misunderstand the nature of the Christian life and the tactics of our spiritual warfare.
Jesus is not laying down a new foreign policy for Caesar. He is not giving instructions to the magistrate on how to wield the sword. He is not telling a father he cannot defend his family from a violent intruder. To apply these words to the civil realm is to make a hash of everything. The magistrate is God's deacon, and he does not bear the sword in vain; he is an avenger who brings wrath on the wrongdoer (Romans 13:4). That is his God-given vocation. Nehemiah armed the men building the wall. Jesus told His disciples to buy swords. The failure to distinguish between the duties of the individual Christian in his personal capacity and the duties of the civil magistrate in his official capacity has led to centuries of confusion.
So what is Jesus doing here? He is continuing His exposition of the law, showing its true and radical intent. He is training the citizens of His kingdom in the asymmetrical warfare we are called to wage. The world operates on the principle of retaliation, of personal vengeance, of tit-for-tat. The kingdom of God operates on a different principle entirely. It operates on the principle of gospel grace, which absorbs insults, overcomes evil with good, and thereby heaps burning coals on the heads of our enemies. This is not weakness; it is a display of immense spiritual strength. It is not passivity; it is a calculated, strategic assault on the conscience of the offender and the powers of darkness that stand behind him.
Jesus is correcting a Pharisaical abuse of a good law and teaching His disciples how to live as citizens of a heavenly kingdom while on assignment here in this fallen world. He is teaching us how to fight, but not with the world's weapons. Our weapons are not carnal; they are mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds. And it begins with understanding the true nature of justice and the radical nature of grace.
The Text
"You have heard that it was said, 'AN EYE FOR AN EYE, AND A TOOTH FOR A TOOTH.' But I say to you, do not resist an evil person; but whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also. And if anyone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your garment also. And whoever forces you to go one mile, go with him two. Give to him who asks of you, and do not turn away from him who wants to borrow from you."
(Matthew 5:38-42 LSB)
Rescuing Justice from Vengeance (v. 38)
Jesus begins by quoting the Old Testament principle of justice known as the lex talionis.
"You have heard that it was said, 'AN EYE FOR AN EYE, AND A TOOTH FOR A TOOTH.'" (Matthew 5:38 LSB)
Now, our first mistake would be to think that Jesus is about to abrogate or cancel this law. He has already told us in this very sermon that He did not come to abolish the Law but to fulfill it (Matt. 5:17). The law of "an eye for an eye," found in Exodus, Leviticus, and Deuteronomy, was a magnificent gift from God. It was not a command to exact personal revenge. Far from it. It was a principle of public justice, given to the civil magistrate, to restrain vengeance. In the ancient world, blood feuds were common. You knock out my tooth, and my clan comes and wipes out your entire village. The lex talionis put a stop to that. It established the principle of proportionality in justice. The punishment must fit the crime, no more and no less.
This principle is the foundation of all sane jurisprudence. It prevents both draconian cruelty and sentimental laxity. But the Pharisees, in their legalistic perversity, had taken a principle of public justice for the courtroom and twisted it into a justification for personal vengeance in the streets. They were using it as a warrant to get even. "He insulted me, so I get to insult him back. An eye for an eye."
Jesus is not attacking God's law. He is attacking the selfish, vindictive abuse of God's law. He is rescuing a principle of civil justice from the clutches of personal spite. The law is good and righteous, but it belongs in the hands of the judge, not in the hands of the offended party simmering with resentment.
The Strategy of Non-Retaliation (v. 39)
Having corrected their misapplication of the law, Jesus now gives the kingdom's rule of engagement for personal offenses.
"But I say to you, do not resist an evil person; but whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also." (Matthew 5:39 LSB)
The phrase "do not resist an evil person" is where the pacifists plant their flag. But the word for "resist" here means to set oneself against in a retaliatory way. It's about personal vengeance, not about all forms of opposition to evil. Jesus is forbidding the tit-for-tat mentality. He is not forbidding self-defense, the defense of others, or the magistrate's duty to resist evil with the sword.
The example He gives is crucial. "Whoever slaps you on your right cheek." This is not a brutal assault that threatens your life. In that culture, a slap on the right cheek was almost always delivered with the back of the right hand. It was not primarily an act of violence but an act of profound insult. It was a gesture of contempt, meant to humiliate and degrade you, to treat you as an inferior. It was a personal affront to your dignity.
And what is the kingdom response? To turn the other cheek. This is not an invitation to be beaten senseless. It is a stunning, disarming act of spiritual defiance. It says, "Your insult has no power over me. My dignity is not derived from your opinion of me, but from my status as a child of the King. You cannot humiliate me, because I am already humbled before God. Go ahead, your best shot is nothing." It seizes the moral high ground. It exposes the pathetic nature of the insult by refusing to play the game of honor and shame by the world's rules. You are challenging the insulter to treat you as an equal, to strike you with an open palm, but more than that, you are demonstrating a freedom from the world's system of honor that is utterly baffling to it.
Extravagant Generosity (v. 40-42)
Jesus then provides three more examples that flesh out this principle of asymmetrical, generous engagement with a hostile world.
"And if anyone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your garment also. And whoever forces you to go one mile, go with him two. Give to him who asks of you, and do not turn away from him who wants to borrow from you." (Matthew 5:40-42 LSB)
First, the lawsuit. Someone sues you for your tunic, your inner garment. This is a petty and unjust lawsuit. The kingdom response? Don't just give him the tunic; give him your outer garment as well. The outer cloak was essential for warmth and was something a creditor was forbidden by the Mosaic law from keeping overnight (Ex. 22:26-27). By giving him your cloak too, you are essentially stripping down and saying, "Here, take everything. Your greed is so rapacious, let's show everyone just how far it goes." It is a shocking act of protest that exposes the injustice of the claim through an act of radical, almost comical, generosity.
Second, the Roman mile. A Roman soldier had the legal right to compel a subject, a Jew, to carry his pack for one mile. This was a constant, galling reminder of their subjugation. It was an act of oppression, and it was deeply resented. What does Jesus say? When he forces you to go one mile, cheerfully go with him two. The first mile is the mile of compulsion. The second mile is the mile of freedom. In that second mile, you are no longer his beast of burden. You have taken the initiative. You are serving him freely. You have transformed an act of oppression into an opportunity for witness. You are killing him with kindness. You are forcing him to ask, "Why are you doing this? What kind of man are you?" And the door is now wide open to talk about the King and His kingdom.
Finally, Jesus gives a general principle: "Give to him who asks of you, and do not turn away from him who wants to borrow from you." This is not a command to be a gullible fool, to fund laziness, or to enable addiction. The rest of Scripture gives us ample wisdom on how to be good stewards. This is a command about the disposition of our hearts. A citizen of the kingdom is to be characterized by an open-handed, radical generosity. We are not to be misers, clutching our possessions tightly. We are to be conduits of God's grace. We who have been forgiven an infinite debt should not be stingy with our loose change. Our default posture should be to give, to lend, to help. We are to reflect the character of our Father, who gives good gifts to His children.
Conclusion: The Gospel Counter-Attack
What Jesus is describing here is nothing less than the gospel lived out in our personal relationships. This is not a strategy for societal transformation through political means; it is a strategy for conquering hearts and minds through personal, sacrificial love.
Think of how God has dealt with us. We did not just slap Him on the cheek with our sin; we spit in His face. We nailed His Son to a cross. We were His enemies. What was His response? Did He demand an eye for an eye? No, He turned the other cheek. He absorbed the blow. He took the ultimate insult, the ultimate injustice, upon Himself.
When we were spiritually naked, sued by the law and condemned, what did He do? He did not just give us His tunic; He stripped Himself of His divine glory and clothed us in His own perfect righteousness. He gave us His robe.
When we were compelled by sin and death to walk the mile to eternal destruction, what did He do? He did not just walk it with us; He walked it for us. He went the second mile, and the third, all the way to the cross and out the other side of the tomb, carrying us on His back the whole way.
When we ask, He gives. When we are in need, He does not turn away. This is the character of our God. And we, as His children, are called to image Him to the world. Turning the other cheek is not about being a doormat. It is about showing the world a picture of the Christ who was struck for us. Going the second mile is not about being exploited. It is about showing the world a picture of the Christ who bore our burdens. Giving our cloak is not about being a fool. It is about showing the world a picture of the Christ who clothed us when we were naked.
This is the asymmetrical warfare of the kingdom. The world fights with power, insults, and lawsuits. We fight with weakness, blessing, and generosity. And in this upside-down kingdom, our weapons are the only ones that win the war that truly matters: the war for the souls of men.