A New Golden Rule
Gospel of Matthew 2024 • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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When was the last time that you felt insulted?
What does it reveal about you?
We live in an age of outrage.
outrage is a truly negative emotional experience that includes anger coupled with a public component, partly with the implicit function of outing a transgressor within some social community. - Psychology Today Article “Why does Outrage feel so Good.”
The issue of retaliation was a burning issue for the Jews.
People look to the church for love, and often find outrage.
What do people get outraged about?
When we become outraged, we become blind.
Living Generously towards our Enemies
“It is far too easy to be critical. It is far harder to have a better idea.” Scot McKnight
Types of giving.
Transactional Giving
Appreciation Giving
Manipulative Giving
Sacrificial Giving
This is what is amazing about Jesus.
He did not give to who people usually gave to.
If you were to ask Jesus about how he feels, what would he say.
“You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ But I say to you, do not show opposition against an evil person; but whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other toward him also.
Now the code that Jesus is quoting from is not a 10 commandment itself but is one of the “civil laws” of the books of Moses. They were laws to help the young nation to know how to live together.
This group of slaves had to learn how to be a nation.
And if anyone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak also.
Tunic is like a shirt. The cloak was an outer garmet that you would sleep in if you were on the road. It legally was not supposed to be taken from you in court. It was more valuable than the tunic.
And Jesus is saying to give both.
Because God is going to take care of you.
Whoever forces you to go one mile, go with him two.
“Jesus is a teacher who doesn’t just inform our intellect but forms our very loves. He isn’t content to simply deposit new ideas into your mind; he is after nothing less than your wants, your loves, your longings.” - James K. A Smith
What are the things that we learn from Jesus in the sermon on the mount so far?
Jesus is looking for changed hearts not minds.
God’s faithfulness and goodness are experienced as generosity, continuity, and regularity.
Walter Brueggemann
The kingdom that Jesus preached and lived was all about a glorious, uproarious, absurd generosity. Think of the best thing you can do for the worst person, and go ahead and do it. Think of what you’d really like someone to do for you, and do it for them. Think of the people to whom you are tempted to be nasty, and lavish generosity on them instead.
N. T. Wright
The picture here is that of a roman soldier from the word
aggareusei | ἀγγαρεύω : requisition.
As in being conscripted by a Roman soldier to do something.
Give to him who asks of you, and do not turn away from him who wants to borrow from you.
Justice is for the courts that God has put in place, not for ourselves to bring.
When we are trying to bring Justice it is actually retaliation.
When we retaliate we make ourselves just as guilty as the other.
Choose Non Retaliation
Choose Non Retaliation
You shall not take vengeance, nor hold any grudge against the sons of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself; I am the Lord.
Do not say, “I will repay evil”; Wait for the Lord, and He will save you.
We do not seek vengeance, because God repays evil.
When we do this, we are being Christlike.
I gave My back to those who strike Me, And My cheeks to those who pull out My beard; I did not hide My face from insults and spitting.
Our first response to evil should not be retaliation, but to hold onto good.
Love must be free of hypocrisy. Detest what is evil; cling to what is good.
So why is this so hard?
“Great faith, like great strength in general, is revealed by the ease of its workings. Most of what we think we see as the struggle OF faith is really the struggle to act as IF we had faith when in fact we do not.” Dallas Willard
We choose nonretaliation because we do not need to retaliate.
We choose nonretaliation because we do not need to retaliate.
The Reason that Jesus did not need to defend himself is he know that he was in the father’s hands.
We often make a character of Jesus that is a monk, but what if instead of being a monk, he was just secure.
Jesus is often seen upset and even scared in the garden.
Therefore I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in distresses, in persecutions, in difficulties, in behalf of Christ; for when I am weak, then I am strong.
Christ is strong. We dont need to be. 0
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