May 11, 2017
We live in a world where getting even is seen as some kind of inalienable right. We somehow think that retaliation for a wrong done is guaranteed by the constitution. And the Jews of Jesus’ day had the same mentality. So, in today’s episode, based on Matthew 5, verses 38-42, we’ll see Jesus address the mistaken notion that retaliation was a God-given right, provided for in the law of Moses. Instead, He is going to present the life of self-sacrifice and love. He will encourage His listeners to give rather than choosing to get even. Like touching a live electrical wire, His message will jolt His audience, sending shockwaves of confusion and doubt into their brains. What He is asking them to do will sound illogical and impossible to their ears. What He recommends will come across as unprofitable as it is unappealing. But once again, Jesus was describing the life of those who are blessed or approved by God. He was revealing the radical new lifestyle that would mark those who place their faith in Him as their Savior and Lord. Their righteousness would surpass that of the scribes and Pharisees, allowing them to keep the law love as modeled in the life of Jesus Himself.