Newburg Christian Church

09-28-2008 Sermon

Turn the Other Cheek? Whatever.

Matthew 5:38-42

Jesus says some hard things in the Bible. I mean, when you look at his ministry and all the things that are printed in “red,” he said a lot. Some of it was confusing to the people who heard it and it’s still confusing to many of us today. Some of the things he said were simple to understand and to accept, then there were those “red letter” teachings that make us think he couldn’t have been serious. We hear a difficult teaching of Jesus and we say, “Whatever. Come on, get real Jesus. You may have been able to do that but not me I’m just human.”

Jesus taught, “You have heard it said, ‘Do not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” This is a hard teaching for men and women. It’s hard for men because every one of us knows how quickly our eyes can cause our minds to wander, even for just a few seconds. It’s also hard for wives and mothers and daughters because they also know just how easily men can be lead astray.

Jesus teaches we are to reconcile with those who have something against us before we offer our gifts to the church. He says not everyone who says ‘Lord, Lord’ will enter the kingdom of heaven. He says if we are going to follow Him, we must deny ourselves. If we want to save our life we must lose it…those who lose their lives will find them. These are hard. After giving a hard teaching in the gospel of John the people respond, “This teaching is difficult, who can accept it.” I really like the translation in the New English Bible of this verse, “This is more than we can stomach. Why listen to such talk?”

That’s where we stand when we read the teachings of Jesus and just say I can’t do that Jesus…I’m not even going to try. When I was teaching Sunday School at another church we were talking about one of the hard sayings of Jesus when one class member said, “Jesus’ teachings are too hard to understand.” Another class member responded before I could by saying, “I don’t think they are difficult to understand, I’m not sure I want to do them.” That gets to the real heart of the matter when we hear Jesus speak the words we heard in Matthew. “If anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also; and if anyone wants to sue you and take your coat, give your cloak as well; and if anyone forces you to go one mile, go also the second mile.”


I understand exactly what Jesus is saying here. You understand very clearly what Jesus is saying. It’s not so much understanding what Jesus said, we know what he said and what He means. Jesus meant what He said and said what He meant. He meant it so much that He was willing to give His life for it. He lived what He said and He was killed for living it. If Jesus was killed for living His teachings how can we turn out back to them, how can we just disregard them, how can we act like they were never said? He was killed for them…He sacrificed Himself so we could learn a better way. But we choose to turn from Jesus instead of turning a cheek. We turn our back on the cross when we turn our back on Jesus’ teachings. We are also turning our backs on the One who died for our sins.

So what did Jesus mean when He said, “Turn the other cheek?” He meant don’t return a hurt for a hurt. He meant two wrongs don’t make a right. He meant when someone hurts you, you must get past the urge to get them back. But what are the teachings we quote to ourselves and to others when someone has hurt us… “I don’t get back, I get even.” You’ve probably said, “I may forgive but I’m not about to forget.” We’ve heard that revenge is sweet. This is not a part of a Christian lifestyle. That’s not who we claim to be. Can you claim to be Christian and keep revenge in your heart? If resentment, revenge and retaliation move into your heart then Jesus is moved out.

Resentment, revenge, and retaliation are evil. They represent the work of the kingdom governed by evil and is in opposition to God. Evil celebrates every time you retaliate while the kingdom of God mourns your actions. I must confess to you this morning that the kingdom has mourned the fact that retaliation has lived in my heart. In my corporate life a number of years ago I felt I had been wronged by someone, he made me look bad in front of my bosses. I resented what he did and it burned in my heart.

I wanted revenge. I waited; I waited patiently for the day to come when I could retaliate for what he had done. When good things happened in the office I couldn’t enjoy them as much because he was a part of them. Darkness filled my heart. I would have my revenge. Turning the other cheek was not part of my plan. I was never able to extract my revenge. God called me here. I am thankful that I was brought out of a situation that would lead me further down a dark path. The darkness has since cleared and I’m thankful I was never able to retaliate. I don’t know where that road would have led me.

Jesus tells us to “turn the other cheek” for a reason. The more you allow revenge and retaliation to live in your heart the darker your life will become. Revenge and retaliation are emotions that allow evil to creep into your heart, evil in the form of your desire to “make someone pay.” We just don’t realize that getting revenge has no end. It stops a cycle of revenge and retaliation. Where does it stop? It stops when someone finally realizes the pain caused by revenge never ends.

We are fast approaching the two year anniversary a terrible, terrible day in Pennsylvania. It was October 2006 when Carl Roberts left home for work. His job was driving a milk truck in the little town of Bart Township in Lancaster County. At some point he stopped driving his truck, got a gun and entered the Nickel Mine Schoolhouse and shot ten Amish schoolgirls, killing five of them. Then he took his own life. It was a horrible and tragic scene that was on nearly every television station nationwide.

What struck me were the stories that immediately started coming out of that tragedy. On the day of the shooting a grandfather of one of the dead girls said, “We must not think evil of this man.” We learned later that a group of Amish went to the Roberts home and grieved with his wife and family. A few days later more than 30 of the Amish attended Roberts’ funeral. Then it wasn’t long before we learned the Amish had established a charitable fund to help the family.

How can people live like that? What sort of twisted faith allows them that much compassion?

As I reviewed the story this week I read where some people were criticizing the Amish claiming the quick response to forgive was wrong, that it was inappropriate since the gunman had not expressed any remorse. Then I read a comment from someone who understood the Amish. He said the Amish willingness to forgo vengeance does not undo the tragedy or pardon the wrong, but it constitutes a first step toward a future that is more hopeful.

How can people live like that? They can live like that when they are intentional about breaking the cycle before it begins. That’s what happens when we “turn the other cheek.” That’s what happens when we give up our cloak as well as our coat. That’s what happens when we go the second mile. We start to break the cycle of revenge that raises its head in our lives.

Jesus says, “Turn the other cheek.” Do you say, “Whatever?” Is this just something you plan to ignore? Are you willing to turn the other cheek and surrender the feelings of revenge and retaliation in your heart? I want you to have that opportunity right now. I want you to pray along with me. Bow your heads as we pray. With your head bowed, if you are harboring feelings of resentment, revenge and retaliation in your heart this morning I want you to raise your hand and let Jesus know you are releasing them and you are ready for the light to take away the darkness.

“Jesus, I’ve moved you out of my heart and allowed the darkness of resentment, revenge and retaliation to live there. I now know those feelings are evil and are not Your way. I want you to have the full run of my heart. But, I may not be ready to lay down the resentment, revenge, and retaliation that live in me because evil is a strong force and doesn’t want to leave. Holy Spirit, enter my heart and remove the dark feelings that oppress me. Release me from those strongholds. I open my heart to you now Lord Jesus. Come live in my heart; let your light shine in my life, in my home, and in this community. When those feelings surface again, give me strength to turn my back on them instead of You and Your cross.”

Amen.

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