Variety: Matthew 5v38-42
‘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 evildoer. But if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also, and if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, give your coat as well, and if anyone forces you to go one mile, go also the second mile. Give to the one who asks of you, and do not refuse anyone who wants to borrow from you.’ Matthew 5:38–42
Jesus sits close to his disciples, teaching them. Gathered around are hundreds, maybe thousands who’ve come from surrounding cities, eager to hear. Imagine what it feels like: busy, jostling, curious.
Jesus draws on a well-known principle in Scripture (Exodus 21:23–27) when he says, ‘You have heard that it was said, “An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.”’ But then he goes on to tell them, ‘Do not resist an evildoer. But if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also, and if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, give your coat as well.’ It’s an uncomfortable thing to say. Justice has to be done, doesn’t it? Who’s going to pay? Surely you should fight back?
Jesus’ teaching is radical, perhaps unexpectedly submissive: don’t slap back and perpetuate the violence. This is uncomfortable teaching for those subject to a hostile occupying power. He teaches his disciples to be counter-cultural, to carry the cost and not resist. To love their enemies.
He moves on to talk about material possessions, using as a visual demonstration the array of outfits around him, some probably ragged and worn, others more rich and comfortable, clothes that identified the wearers’ place in society. Don’t get too focused on your stuff, Jesus says – instead, give away generously. Don’t fall into the trap of being defined by what you have, by your own comfort and wealth – instead, be defined by a love that even lays itself down for others. This isn’t a comfy cosy teaching – it’s revolutionary and it should disrupt us every time we read it.
In our daily lives, we often jostle alongside people who want something from us. Some who will take it by guile, force, or a logical argument; a promotion, a deal, our time, that last Rolo. Jesus calls us to be people who give away the very coat off our back. That said, there’s also a place for following the example of Jesus in challenging injustice, speaking out and being people who make the world a better, kinder, fairer place. We live our lives in this tension between radically generous love and the call to live and work out God’s justice. Sometimes it feels like a tension and sometimes like perfect synergy.
As you look down at today’s outfit choice, whether it’s just something you pulled on quickly or something you’ve spent hours styling, remember that Jesus used clothes to inspire all of his followers to radical generosity and peacemaking.
Jo Trickey, London Institute for Contemporary Christianity