daily spiritual reflection - mar. 7

daily spiritual reflection

BIBLE READING FOR THE DAY: 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. 

(- Jesus)

- Matthew 5:38-42

THOUGHT: Jesus was a big fan of 'the third way.' In ancient Jewish law, the unlawful response to being offended by someone was to give them payback even greater than how they had offended you (i.e. they punch your eye, you punch both their eyes and kick them in the stomach). The lawful response was to return no more than what they had originally dealt you (hence the eye for eye or tooth for tooth). But in human hearts, this desire to reign in evil by limiting 'payback,' the sense of revenge and vengefulness still seemed to be ruling. So Jesus offered a third way, a completely unheard of response. If someone hits you in the face on one side, do not play their game. Instead, position yourself to be hit again, but this time, look them in the eye. Turn the other cheek.

Shane Claiborne writes, about this remarkable move: "In the orderly Jewish culture, a person would hit someone only with the right hand... In some Jewish communities, if you hit someone with the left hand, you could be banished for ten days. So a person would have to use a backslap to hit someone on the right cheek with the right hand. It's clear that Jesus described a backhand, like an abusive husband to his wife or a master to a slave. It was a slap to insult, degrade, and humiliate, a slap meant not for an equal, but for an inferior, to put someone in their place. But by turning the cheek, the person made the abuser look them in the eye, and the abuser could now only hit them with a fist, as an equal. By turning the cheek, the other person said, "I am a human being, made in the image of God, and you cannot destroy that." Do not cower and do not punch back. Make sure the person looks into your eyes and sees your sacred humanity, and it will become harder for that person to hurt you."

  Claiborne goes on to explain how the poor could be sued for their clothing, but by removing even more than asked, they would be exposing the greed of the repo man. And people were commonly required to accompany a soldier for a designated amount of time and carry their things-- but only that amount of time. Accompanying a soldier in friendship and love was unheard of-- plus, it was an infraction of military code. So go the extra mile, and you may find yourself -- instead of having lost the time and energy it took to fulfill your obligation--- rather having gained a new friendship.

  In other words, in your heart, do not challenge evil by trying to wield evil in return-- it won't work-- it'll only make evil grow more in the world. And do not simply submit to evil, letting it trample over all in its way. Instead, choose a 'third way.' Challenge evil with your humanity, with generosity, and with love.

CHALLENGE:  This week, watch out for places where you can choose 'the third way.' Where do you feel provoked to return evil for evil? How could you return love instead? What have you been asked to give that you could give generously? What inconvenience has been asked of you where you could 'go the extra mile'? Especially keep an eye out for potential relationships of equal humanity with the people society may want you to not speak to-- the people who serve your food & coffee, clean your buildings, fix your elevators, drive your taxis, handle your mail, etc. Try asking God to help you point out these people and situations to you, and try asking him to help reveal to you new ways to relate and respond.