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FBC POWELL, 6-3-07 PM
“KINGDOM CITIZENS, TRUTH TELLING, AND RETALIATION”
MATTHEW 5:33-42
(#18 in Series, “Verse by Verse through Matthew”)
We live in a battle zone here on planet earth. There are two rival kingdoms that are
constantly at war. A kingdom is not necessarily geographical in nature. A kingdom is a
group of people who are ruled by a king. When you receive Jesus Christ by faith, you
become a part of the Kingdom of God. Colossians 1:13 (ESV) “He has delivered us from
the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son”. There is
also the kingdom of Satan called “the world” in Scripture. John 12:31 (NKJV) “Now is
the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world [Satan] will be cast out.” When you
become a citizen of God’s kingdom, you are left to live here in the Kingdom of Satan as a
pilgrim and a alien. John 17:11 (NKJV) “Now I am no longer in the world, but these are
in the world, and I come to You. Holy Father, keep through Your name those whom You
have given Me, that they may be one as We are.” John 17:15-18 (NKJV) “15 I do not pray
that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil
one. 16 They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. 17 Sanctify them by Your
truth. Your word is truth. 18 As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the
world.” Do you get the picture? We are citizens of God’s kingdom through faith in Jesus
Christ left here in the realm of Satan’s kingdom. The Sermon on the Mount is Jesus’
instructions on how kingdom of God citizens are to think, behave, and be motivated in the
midst of the world (Satan’s kingdom). At the present time, Luke 17:21 tells us that the
Kingdom of God is within us. There is coming a day when Jesus Christ is coming again
(called “the blessed hope” in Titus 2:13) and at that time the Bible tells us in a passage
quoted in Handel’s “Messiah” what will happen. Revelation 11:15b (ESV) "The kingdom
of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign
forever and ever." Until that time those of us who are in God’s Kingdom are to lead such
different lives from those in the world that there will be the double response of those in the
world of persecution and attraction. 2 Timothy 3:12 (NKJV) says, “Yes, and all who
desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.” In addition to that response,
some will be attracted to Christ’s life in us and will respond as 1 Peter 3:15 (NKJV) says,
“But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to
everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear”. We
are in a section on the Sermon on the Mount where Jesus is correcting the teaching of the
Scribes and the Pharisees (the spiritual leaders of that day) and giving us the true intention
of God’s law. The religious leaders said that murder is simply taking another person’s
physical life; Jesus said that hating another without cause is murder in God’s eyes. The
religious leaders said that adultery is just the physical act; Jesus said that lust is adultery in
God’s eyes. The religious leaders said that divorce is just a matter of getting the paper
work right and is acceptable for almost any cause; Jesus said divorce was never in God’s
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plan for marriage and the only time divorce is ever permitted is when an intruder violates
the one flesh union between husband and wife through sexual immorality. In today’s text,
we see two more areas where Jesus corrects the false teaching of the religious leaders of
His day.
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Kingdom Citizens and Truth Telling (V33-37)
Satan is called by Jesus in John 8:44 “the father of lies”. It should not be surprising that in
his domain or kingdom, lying is the norm. We see that all around us – in politics, business,
sports, and in every area of the world system. That ought not to surprise us; that is the
world just acting like the world and the god of the world who is the father of lies. The
tragedy is when citizens of God’s kingdom are conformed to the world and lie just like
those in Satan’s kingdom. The specific form of lying that Jesus was confronting was built
around an abuse of oaths. What is an oath in the Biblical context? An oath is a
confirmation of things doubtful by calling God to be a witness of truth and a
revenger of falsehood (Arthur Pink).
A. What Did the Law Say about Oaths? (V33)
This is not a direct quote from any one verse is the Old Testament but a summary of
several verses. Leviticus 19:12 (NKJV) “And you shall not swear by My name falsely, nor
shall you profane the name of your God: I am the Lord.” Numbers 30:2 (NKJV) “If a man
makes a vow to the Lord, or swears an oath to bind himself by some agreement, he shall
not break his word; he shall do according to all that proceeds out of his mouth.”
Deuteronomy 6:13 (NKJV) “You shall fear the Lord your God and serve Him, and shall
take oaths in His name.” There are many more verses that deal with oaths and even some
New Testament examples where Paul calls God as his witness of the truth of what he is
saying. The Greek word for oath means to bind or strengthen. An oath was to strengthen
what is being said by calling in God as a witness to its truth. When we summarize what the
Old Testament says about oaths, we find that two things characterize oaths:
1. They are for special times and circumstances and not to be used in everyday speech.
2. They brought in the Lord’s name as a witness to the truth of the statements. A common
way to put would be, “As the Lord lives”. There are few times that oaths or vows were
required, but when given, they had to be followed. This explains why Peter’s denial of
knowing the Lord was such a serious matter. In Matthew 26:71-72 (NKJV) “71 And when
he had gone out to the gateway, another girl saw him and said to those who were there,
‘This fellow also was with Jesus of Nazareth.’ 72 But again he denied with an oath, ‘I do
not know the Man!’” He brought in God’s name to strengthen the impression of truth on
what was a lie.
B. How Had the Religious Leaders Perverted the Law?
They perverted the law primarily in two ways:
1. They Used Oaths Frivolously – They used oaths in everyday conversation. That in
itself is an abuse of the whole concept of oaths.
2. They Took God’s Name in Vain, Thus Breaking the Third Commandment – They had
developed an elaborate system of which oaths were binding and which oaths were not. It
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actually reminds you of little children saying, “I had my fingers crossed so I don’t have to
do what I said.” They were playing games with the truth. What they had done was to make
up an elaborate system of lying. In some of their writings we have today a whole section
was given over to distinguishing which oaths had to be kept and which ones do not. For
example, one Rabbi said that if you swear by Jerusalem, you are not bound, but if you
swear toward Jerusalem you are bound to keep the oath. Truth was lost in word games. We
certainly see the equivalent of that today [Illustration from World Magazine]. One of the
reasons that we have a whole sub language that we call “legalese” is because people have
played games with the truth and redefined words and thus have excused lying.
C. What Did Jesus Say About Oaths and Truth Telling? (V34-37)
Before we dig into these verses, let me make clear something Jesus is not saying. He is not
saying that all oaths are wrong. Formal oaths such as when you join the military, testify in
court, or take an office are not what is being dealt with here. God Himself swore or took an
oath in Hebrews 6:13 and 7:21. Paul took an oath in 2 Corinthians 1:23. Jesus answered
under oath to the Sanhedrin in Matthew 26:63-64 (NKJV) “63 But Jesus kept silent. And
the high priest answered and said to Him, ‘I put You under oath by the living God: Tell us
if You are the Christ, the Son of God!’ 64 Jesus said to him, ‘It is as you said. Nevertheless,
I say to you, hereafter you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Power,
and coming on the clouds of heaven.’" Oaths are necessary in the world system because
lying is so common there. What Jesus was forbidding was the frivolous use of oaths. He
was saying, “Stop your games and just tell the truth.” The religious leaders were saying
that as long as you don’t use God’s name, it’s not a binding oath. Jesus said every oath is
related to God. To swear by anything is to swear by God, because God in some way stands
behind everything (summarize verses 34-36). You can’t pull things out and separate them
from God. Kingdom citizens should have such honesty and integrity that our yes means
yes and our no means no and any kind of “strengthening” language is unnecessary. At bare
minimum, we ought to be people who are known for telling the truth – whether we are
under an oath or not. Let me go a step farther. If you truly are in Christ, you cannot live a
lifestyle of lying. I am not saying that you can’t be saved and tell a lie; I am saying that is
you have savingly believed in Christ you will have to repent and confess the lie. Those
who have lives characterized by lying are not saved and we are told their destiny in
Revelation 21:8 (NKJV) “But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually
immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns
with fire and brimstone, which is the second death."
II. Kingdom Citizens and Retaliation (V38-42)
This is an area where we have tremendous opportunity to shine forth in light in the midst
of a dark world. We live in a world system that is obsessed with individual rights. In fact
there is within each of us an innate sense of and desire for justice when we are wronged. I
like westerns. One of the common themes is that the hero is wronged by the bad guys and
the movie shows him getting retaliation (example “Hang Um High”). God is a God of
justice and ultimately evil doers don’t get by with their evil deeds. Here on the earth God
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has two agencies that He has delegated authority to deal with wrongdoing. First, there is
the government. In Romans 13:4 tells us that the government is God’s minister for our
good. He has given the government the responsibility to execute justice on evildoers. The
second agency for dealing with evil deeds is for those who at least profess to be His
kingdom citizens. God has given the church the responsibility of church discipline when a
member is involved in unrepentant behavior that is harming the reputation of God in the
world and bringing reproach on the name of Christ. For a Kingdom of God citizen,
personal retaliation against those who have wronged us is not an option.
A. What Did the Law Say? (V38)
This admonition is given in three places in the Old Testament (Exodus 21:21-23; Leviticus
24:19-20; Deuteronomy 19:21). It is a part of the Mosaic civil law and was never intended
to allow personal, individual vengeance. It was instruction for government to limit
punishment based on the seriousness of the crime. This is the foundation for governmental
justice today – the punishment should be proportionate to the crime. It was actually
restrictive in eliminating blood feuds and excessive punishment. An example of excessive
retribution was Lamech in Genesis 4:24 (NKJV) “If Cain shall be avenged sevenfold, then
Lamech seventy-sevenfold." Again this law was never intended to be discharged by
individuals for personal retaliation but by the governmental judicial system. There was a
time in Israel that the justice did involve the relatives of a murdered person but those
relatives were working under the authority of the government. This principle is just as
valid for government today as it was in Moses’ time. The government has the
responsibility as God’s minister to administer justice that fits the crime.
B. How Had the Religious Leaders Perverted the Law?
It had been taken from the realm of the courts and put in the hands of individuals to
procure their own justice. Civil justice had been perverted to personal vengeance. The
religious leaders perverted this principle for government to be a mandate for what it was
meant to prevent – personal retaliation.
C. What Did Jesus Say about Retaliation? (V39-42)
As with oaths, let me share with you what Jesus was not saying. He was not forbidding
self defense, teaching pacifism, or commanding us to give to con-artists just because they
ask us for money. He was giving instruction about personal vengeance and retaliation.
Jesus Himself is the ultimate example of this. When Peter refers to Jesus on the cross he
said in 1 Peter 2:23 (NKJV) “who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He
suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously”.
Jesus here in the Sermon on the Mount was referring to personal insults and the retaliation
of the individual insulted. He is not dealing with governmental distribution of justice as
God’s agent. There are several areas that Jesus uses as an example.
1. When We Are Insulted (V39)
The word “resist” means to stand against. The phrase “evil person” is speaking of the one
who has insulted you. It is not speaking of those doing evil in general. For example, if you
saw a thief accosting a senior adult to steal her purse, you ought to stop him. The sense
here is “don’t stand against in vengeance and retaliation those who personally insult you.”
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Where do we see that this is referring to an insult? Since most people are right handed, to
stand face to face with someone and slap them on the right cheek would involve a backhand slap. This was not necessarily an attempt to harm someone as much as it was an
insult. When a kingdom citizen is insulted, he just tells God on them and doesn’t retaliate.
The apostle Paul said basically the same thing and added some details in Romans 12:1921 (NKJV) “19 Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is
written, ‘Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,’ says the Lord. 20 Therefore ‘If your enemy is
hungry, feed him; If he is thirsty, give him a drink; For in so doing you will heap coals of
fire on his head.’ 21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” This is not
forbidding physical self defense. A fist to the left cheek would evoke an entirely different
response from a slap to the right cheek.
2. When We Are Sued (V40)
The tunic was an inner garment and the cloak was the outer garment that also served as a
blanket at night. Most common, poor people owned a couple of tunics and only one cloak.
It was common in that day that when there was a judgment against someone with no
money that the settlement could be paid with clothing. According to Mosaic Law, if
someone was awarded a cloak, they had to give it back by nightfall (Exodus 22:26-27).
Jesus is not speaking here of robbery, but of a legitimate claim against you. When a legal
judgment is made against us, we are to give even more than required to show regret for
any wrong and to give evidence that there is no bitterness and spirit of retaliation.
3. When Our Liberties Are Violated (V41)
Roman law (modeled after the Persians) said that a soldier when ordered so had to carry a
soldier’s pack for a mile. This was a way for the Romans to humiliate the Jews. The Jews
despised having to do this. Most every Jew would know exactly how far a mile was so that
they didn’t have to carry it a foot more than was required. Jesus said that instead of hatred,
and a desire for retaliation kingdom citizens should go a second mile. This was quite
revolutionary. We could apply this principle to any umber of situations today. For
example, you are told to do something by a boss at work that should be someone else’s job
and you do it cheerfully and even add to it something he didn’t ask you to do.
4. When Our Possessions Are Requested (V42)
The implication and context would suggest that this is someone with a legitimate need. It
is not a command to give to shysters, con artists, or people who will likely use the money
for alcohol or drugs. It is a command to lay aside the rights to our own possessions when
faced with a genuine need that God has allowed us to be brought in contact with.
CONCLUSION
This is all about laying aside our “rights” as kingdom citizens living in hostile enemy
territory. We give up our right to personal retaliation and vengeance when our right to
dignity is taken away, our right to financial security, our right to liberty, and our right to
use our own property for our own desires. Kingdom citizens are wiling to give up their
rights, to die to them for the sake of the kingdom. When it comes to this matter of rights,
does your life look any different from those in the world?
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INVITATION (3072)