Daily Scripture: Matthew 5:38 “You have heard that our fathers were told, ‘Eye for eye and tooth for tooth.’[a] 39 But I tell you not to stand up against someone who does you wrong. On the contrary, if someone hits you on the right cheek, let him hit you on the left cheek too! 40 If someone wants to sue you for your shirt, let him have your coat as well! 41 And if a soldier forces you to carry his pack for one mile, carry it for two! 42 When someone asks you for something, give it to him; when someone wants to borrow something from you, lend it to him.
43 “You have heard that our fathers were told, ‘Love your neighbor[b] — and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I tell you, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! 45 Then you will become children of your Father in heaven. For he makes his sun shine on good and bad people alike, and he sends rain to the righteous and the unrighteous alike.[Footnotes:
Matthew 5:38 Exodus 21:24; Leviticus 24:20; Deuteronomy 19:21
Matthew 5:43 Leviticus 19:18]
Reflection Questions
Jesus lived in an occupied land. He didn't explicitly use the word "soldiers" in these verses, but none of his hearers would have doubted who he was mainly talking about. Roman soldiers could legally slap you, take your shirt or force you to carry a load. They were the "enemy." Yet he taught his disciples to love, not hate, even them. This, he said, is how God works, and how we are to live. "No more tit-for-tat stuff. Live generously." (The Message)
- Jesus set aside the model of proportional revenge set out in Exodus 21:24, Leviticus 24:20 and Deuteronomy 19:21. He called his people to "love their neighbors" in bigger ways than anyone had dreamed of before. What ways of acting and thinking in our culture do we likely take for granted until Jesus' teaching calls us beyond them? When you feel like "getting even," how can you become more like Jesus instead?
- Our natural tendency as believers is to feel entitled to some extra privileges, a dose of blessing that those who don't follow God don't get. But Jesus' said God "makes the sun rise on both the evil and the good and sends rain on both the righteous and the unrighteous" (verse 45). Is it right for God to be so evenhandedly generous? How might you live more generously toward the "unrighteous" people you know?
Today's Prayer
Lord Jesus, you were generous and inclusive. I want to keep learning to love all people as you loved them, regardless of gender, race, nationality or religion. Amen.
Insights from Donna Karlen Donna Karlen serves in Communications at The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection.
I tried googling the number of times some form of the word ‘forgive’ appears in the Bible. Depending on the version, the answers varied from 40 to 115. But those
I looked up some other passages related to forgiveness that don’t necessarily use the actual word and found these gems:
“Delight to show mercy.” Those words practically burst with how much God loves us!
God shows us mercy and grace because he first forgives us. Just as he wants us to forgive others. Mark 11:25 says “When you are praying, first forgive anyone you are holding a grudge against.”
It’s not
The thing is we don’t have to do it alone. We can ask God for a forgiving spirit and he will work on our hearts – “so that we may be children of our Father in heaven.” And God so wants that to happen that “he sent his only son …” which brings us back to forgiveness.
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