Matt 5.38-41. If someone strikes you on the cheek, turn the other also

Is it a rule or a lifestyle governed by the free grace of God?

outside the citadel in Prejmer, Romania

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Matthew 5.38-41

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 coat, give your cloak as well; and if anyone forces you to go one mile, go also the second mile.

Hagner, page 131

Jesus again expounds the ethics of the kingdom. What he presents is ethics directed more to conduct at the personal, rather than the societal, level. These directives are for the recipients of the kingdom, not for governmental legislation.

We can agree that these directives are not for governmental legislation—if we assume that by “governmental” he means the State rather than the Church, or in Jesus’s day, the people of Israel rather than the Roman authorities. And we also assume that Hagner mentions it more as an aside than a precaution, for Jesus was speaking to Israel, the people of God, not to the Gentiles, and today he gives instructions to Christians, not to people who care nothing for him. Insisting that people obey who, by definition, are unable to understand (1 Cor 1.18, 23) is not only silly, but bound to backfire (Matt 7.6). The Bride obeys because she is the bride. Insisting that the woman next door obey is rather ludicrous.

But, there is no reason for Hagner to say the ethics are not societal, for Israel—and the Jewish race, and the Church—are societies and all of them have a government. True, each individual must respond individually (duh), but to say that Jesus is not directing his message to Israel as a society (or the Jews as a race or the Church as a people) is bizarre.

Hagner, pages 131-132

Rather than demanding strict justice, or allowing for retaliation of any kind, the disciple of the kingdom defers to others. The disciple does not insist on personal rights. Furthermore, the true disciple does more than is expected. He or she is free from society’s low standards of expectation, being subject only to the will of the Father.

This explanation is disconnected from reality and is therefore not only confusing, but impossible to do. There is a reason that Jesus says we are not to resist the evildoer, that we are to turn the other cheek and go the extra mile, and that we are to give to anyone who asks. Without the reason, any explanation falls flat.

How does Hagner expect the Christian to not resist evil? I heard of a seminary professor who told his students he would not resist someone who broke into his house, even if his wife was raped. That’s not obeying Christ; that’s making yourself despicable. And what’s the point of turning the other cheek if they’ll just slap it too? Or of going the extra mile if you’re simply being used as a pack mule? Does anyone truly think George McFly was right to laugh at being slapped and do the homework for the high-school bully? And truly: does anyone really think the Christian must give to anyone who asks for anything?

Hagner doesn’t explain these things because he doesn’t know. He simply says the disciple does more than expected. If Jesus meant that the disciple was to do more than expected, couldn’t he have said so? Are there no words in Greek for “the true disciple must do more than is expected” if that is what Jesus wanted to say? Why do commentators make Christ out to be so linguistically challenged? He can’t ever find the words to say what he means. He’s always overstating for effect, understating for finesse, spiritualizing, using metaphors... Why can’t he ever just use words we can understand?

He is. It’s Hagner who is making it confusing. Jesus cold not say “Why do you call me Lord and not do what I say” if he knew he was using words that masked the truth. But his words are simple and pure, and changing them to say something different is a serious matter. He expects us to obey, not rephrase.

Imagine you are a servant of a king and he charges you with the responsibility of taking an important message to one of his generals on the battlefield. The king tells you sternly: don’t stop for anything, don’t tell anyone where you’re going or what you’re doing, protect the document with your life. You have a reason to act a certain way. But if you disconnect the action from the reason, you’re actions are strange, for refusing to tell anyone what you’re doing or where you’re going, refusing to stop to rest or eat, and protecting an empty case with your life is insane.

There is no reason to turn the other cheek unless you have a reason to. There is no reason to go the extra mile unless you have a reason to. There is no reason to give to anyone who asks unless you have a reason to. Doing it for no reason is silly.

Living in the world, following the course of the world, leaves you with no reason to do anything like what Jesus is saying. In fact, doing what he says is strange. And pointless. And impossible.

But if God has charged you with a mission and you stop because someone insults you, then you have abandoned your mission. If you give up because a thug slaps you, or a policeman or a border guard interrogates you, or even arrests you, you have abandoned your mission. If you give up because someone steals your money or takes you to court, you have abandoned your mission. If you can keep going by giving in, then give in. You can give up everything, but you can never give up.

The reason Jesus tells us to do all these things is because, on balance, they’re not as important as the thing we have been told to do, and stopping for no reason is betraying your trust.

But, if you’re not doing anything so important, then stopping for something more important is strange. Keep on. Why lose it all for nothing?

Hagner, page 132

The conduct of the disciple is filled with surprise for those who experience it. This element of surprise relates closely to and reflects the grace that is central to the gospel. It is the unworthy who have experienced the good things of the kingdom; and as they have experienced the surprise of unexpected grace, so they act in a similar manner toward the undeserving among them (cf. Luke 6:34-35).

Hagner’s remark that “The conduct of the disciple is filled with surprise for those who experience it” is awkward. Is he saying the disciple is surprised? Onlookers are surprised? The disciple’s conduct is surprisingly unexpected?

You’re doing some shopping and see a friend walking towards. He’s dressed in a hard hat, reflective yellow vest, and steel-toed shoes. You ask him if he’s working at a construction site. He says no: why? You say because he’s dressed for work. He says no, his brother dresses like this so he does the same thing. You look at him and struggle for something to say. You have no idea how you fell down this rabbit hole, but you want out.

Hagner, who has never done the work, nevertheless tells us to act a certain way because Christ says to. He doesn’t know why, but it is an expectation so it must be done. He can’t tell us the reason, so he says it is a surprise. Yes, it would be. People seeing Christians acting strangely for no reason would be a surprise.

It’s impossible to know the will of God without doing the will of God. It’s impossible to know the work of God without doing the work of God. Acting for no reason makes you look silly. Telling others to act a certain way, when you don’t know why and can’t explain why they must do it, asks them to look silly too.

A person in the military dresses and acts a certain way, and not doing so results in punishment. But someone not in the military shaving their head, wearing a helmet, and sleeping outside in a tent makes us want to stay away, because something is wrong. Seeing a group of firefighters at a fire is expected, but seeing a group of people who are not firefighters at a fire is suspicious. A pilot wears a uniform to let people know he is trained and has authority. A person who is not a pilot walking on board in a pilot’s uniform possibly deserves a call for security people to find out what is going on.

There’s a reason people dress and act and talk a certain way. But people who act and dress that way for no reason is strange. Hagner calls them surprising. No, they’re just strange.

Hagner, page 132

Jesus himself provides the supreme example of the fulfillment of this ethic (cf. passion narratives and 1 Pet 2:23), and the disciples are called to follow in his path. Kingdom ethics demands not mechanical compliance to rules but a lifestyle governed by the free grace of God.

What is the difference between a rule and "a lifestyle governed by the free grace of God"? Simple: a rule is God telling us what we must do; "a lifestyle governed by the free grace of God" is us telling God what we will do.

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similar to give to everyone who asks. If you do it, you're taken advantage of. If you don't do it, you stand your ground--but not Christ's.

Giving to everyone who asks is not because they deserve your charity, and it is not so there will be social equity. It's because you need to get rid of your wealth. So long as you are in it's grip, you cannot move where God needs you, and you cannot do the things God needs of you.

Here, Jesus acknowledges the other person is an evildoer. They deserve justice. But Jesus says, forget what they deserve.