Listen to understand
Last Sunday (or the Sunday before, depending on when you read this), Pastor Steve spoke about how different passages in scripture confront and comfort us, depending on what we are “leaving behind” or “letting go of” in order to become more faithful followers of Jesus. As he was speaking, he mentioned one of my favorite scripture passages that still confronts me to this day because of the weight of what Jesus said.
Here is the passage:
“You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also. And if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, hand over your coat as well. If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles. Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.”
Matthew 5:38-42 NIV
I can’t exactly remember the first time I heard this teaching. What I do remember is thinking that anyone who got slapped or taken advantage of and didn’t fight back was weak—and deserved what they got! I was all about retaliation. In fact, I even struggled with the original teaching Jesus quoted from the Torah, “eye for eye,” because it felt like it limited what could be done to make things right. When I was hurt or wronged, I didn’t want equality or limits, and I certainly wasn’t about to “turn the other cheek!” I wanted to destroy the other person.
And somehow, I don’t think I was alone in that.
It wasn’t until years later that I began to understand what Jesus was really saying.
At that time, the Jews were living under Roman control. That meant whenever a Jew—or any non-Roman citizen, for that matter—stepped out of line, they became fair game. The Romans could pretty much do whatever they wanted, and they knew it! Now think about this: if you were Roman, and you knew you could treat any non-Roman however you wanted without fear of reprisal, what would you do? Especially if it was someone you couldn’t stand. All it took was “encouraging” them to step out of line, and you had free rein.
Needless to say, the Jews suffered greatly under Roman oppression, often because they had supposedly “stepped out of line.”
Now, imagine hearing Jesus say, “turn to them the other cheek.”
Believe it or not, Jesus’ words weren’t about weakness or surrender. They meant the exact opposite. In a simple but profound way, Jesus told His listeners to stand firm in the face of oppression and not back down. By refusing to retaliate and instead offering the other cheek, they denied the oppressor the reaction they wanted. Their efforts to insult, injure, or control would fall flat. In essence, Jesus was saying: you will not win by fighting fire with fire, but you also will not be defeated.
Instead of responding to insults, oppression, and injustice with either surrender or violence, Jesus called His followers to stand firm and respond with generosity.
He drove this teaching home with two practical examples—legal and militaristic.
The legal example: Jesus used clothing (basic needs and comfort) rather than physical harm to illustrate His point. If someone sued you, whether out of greed or injustice, He urged generosity. There are things far more important than possessions. Voluntarily giving, rather than being forced, shifts the power dynamic and de-escalates the conflict.
The military example: Romans often forced non-citizens to carry their loads for a set distance. Jesus’ teaching was shocking: don’t just carry it—go the extra mile. That unexpected response put the focus back on the oppressor, who suddenly lost control of the narrative.
From there, Jesus expanded the teaching even further: generosity shouldn’t just be how we respond to injustice—it should be our lifestyle.
In light of all that has been happening in our culture in recent years, I believe this passage has more relevance now than it has in a while. There is so much confusion and chaos happening and being created through social media, different organizations, politicians and many other venues. Honestly, it is overwhelming, frustrating, depressing, eye-opening and many other things. AND, if we aren’t very, very intentional, we end up falling into an echo chamber of information and only hear what we want to, not what we need to!
As followers of Jesus, who are we following?!
How are we responding to the injustices, insults and various ways we or others are being taken advantage of?
And, in the same vein, how are we causing injustice, insults and take advantage of others?
Remember, we belong to King Jesus and are part of His Kingdom!
We carry the same Spirit that moved Mordecai to call Esther into courage as her people faced genocide: “Who knows but that you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?”
The same Spirit that ignited Isaiah to call people to repentance: “Wash and make yourselves clean. Take your evil deeds out of my sight; stop doing wrong. Learn to do right; seek justice. Defend the oppressed. Take up the cause of the fatherless; plead the case of the widow.”
The same Spirit that fueled Jesus as He declared the arrival of God’s Kingdom: “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
And the same Spirit given to all of Jesus’ disciples: “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
As citizens of God’s Kingdom, empowered by His Spirit, we are called to face these chaotic times by standing firm with a posture of generosity!
How are we living?
Are we escalating situations—stirring up violence and chaos through our words and actions—or are we de-escalating and creating space for justice, healing, and forward movement through our generosity?
I love the challenge Pastor Steve gave us in his message: “Find someone you disagree with and sit down with them. Share a cup of coffee. Listen to them… The goal is not agreement; the goal is understanding.”
He went on to say, “If we want to be beacons of hope in the world, we’re going to have to live grace and love. We’ve got to be an outpost of grace in the world. We’ve got to be a place of compassion; we’ve got to be people of kindness and empathy.”
As followers of Jesus, may we stand firm and let our generosity overflow in these areas. And may we be the people willing to sit across the table from those we disagree with—not to argue or change them, but to listen, to understand, and to allow God to work in our midst.
Grace and Peace,
Pastor Justin