LESSON 1, INTRODUCTION:
I am probably
very "unbalanced" in my treatment of Jesus' Sermon on the Mount.
By that I mean I've not preached it enough. I lean too much in
other directions, Scripturally speaking.
For the next few
days I want to help remedy that fact. We're going to study
Matthew 5:38-42. It's as "Sermon-on-the-Mount" as you can get!
"Ye
have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a
tooth for a tooth: but I say unto you, That ye resist not evil:
but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him
the other also. And if any man will sue thee at the law, and
take away thy coat, let him have thy cloke also. And
whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain.
Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of
thee turn not thou away." Matthew 5:38-42
A key word in the
study of this Text is "balance." In fact "balance" is critical
to the study of any Passage of Scripture. One part of God's Word
can never contradict another part! Bible Texts must be
interpreted in harmony with each other. God never changes!
I once heard an
old Preacher say, "Blessed are the balanced." That's a fact we
must remember as we approach these five verses.
First, the Lord
is not contradicting Mosaic Law. He is merely sharing the Spirit
that rests behind the Law. Behind Moses' writing.
The religious
experts of Jesus' day, mostly hypocrites too, had taken Mosaic
Legislation, the first five Books of the Bible, and perverted
them. They had misapplied them. They had overextended them. They
had made the Word of God serve their own purposes!
Jesus here is
simply straightening out their mistakes!
Our Lord is
"rightly dividing" the Word of Truth!
He does nothing
to belittle the opening tenth of Scripture, but only enhances
and strengthens it!
After all, Jesus
is the greatest Teacher Who ever stepped foot on earth!
"The
officers answered, Never man spake like this man." John
7:46
And Matthew 7:29,
from a Sermon on the Mount Chapter too! "For
he taught them as one having authority, and not as the
scribes."
Beginning
tomorrow, Lord willing, we are going to examine Jesus' Sermon
here. We shall start with
"An eye for an eye,
and a tooth for a tooth,"
quoted word for word form the Old Testament. It's there three
times, in fact.
Then we will
watch Jesus skillfully and perfectly "balance" this precept with
God's marvelous Grace!
Preachers and
Bible students, this is a good example of how to
interpret the Bible, too!
The Son of God
and His Bible!
He knew it better
than anyone!
After all, He
wrote it!
Anytime you can
learn about a book from its very author, I'd say you have
reached the pinnacle of information on that subject.
"Ye
have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a
tooth for a tooth: but I say unto you, That ye resist not evil:
but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him
the other also. And if any man will sue thee at the law, and
take away thy coat, let him have thy cloke also. And
whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain.
Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of
thee turn not thou away." Matthew 5:38-42
I am excited!
Lord, we pray the
Psalm 119:18 prayer for us in reference to this great Text.
"Open
thou our eyes, that we may behold wondrous things out of thy
law."
Amen!
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
LESSON 2, AN EYE FOR AN
EYE:
We've heard it
again and again, three times in the Old Testament alone.
"An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a
tooth."
Moses received
these words from God Himself. But Jesus, in His great Sermon on
the Mount, may not be directly quoting His Father in Heaven, or
Moses on earth, but the Bible-twisting Pharisees around Him
at that time.
Notice the way
Christ frames His opening statement to our Text, Matthew
5:38-42. "Ye
have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and
a tooth for a tooth." He did not say "Ye have read
that it hath been said."
These words, when
considered as being straight from God, are right and proper and
binding on human government. But that's the point, God gave them
to help rule mankind, for the use of judges and magistrates and
other civic leaders!
They are not for
daily personal use!
In each instance,
Exodus 21:24 and Leviticus 24:20 and Deuteronomy 19:21, this
precept is directed to the government, not to individuals. For
example, the Exodus verse appears in this context,
"Now
these are the judgments which thou shalt set
before them." Exodus 24:1
Judges are to
enforce this law, not the common man on the street!
If a man somehow
kills an ox, and his wronged neighbor sues him at court, the
perpetrator must replace the dead animal with an ox of his own.
Hence, "an ox for an ox," in this case.
That's the way
the statue was meant to function.
And this is not a
hard law, either.
Don't view it
that way, not negatively!
It's a positive
law!
Think of it as a
way of keeping matters from getting out of hand! "A man killed
my ox, my favorite ox. I am going to kill him!"
No!
You can't do
that, God forbids "a human life for an ox." Just an "ox for an
ox!" If a man knocks our your tooth, you cannot cut off his
head!
That's too much!
You can demand
one of his teeth, however! In front of the judge. You cannot
take matters in your own hands and go knock one of his teeth out
of his head, in some rage of vindictive anger!
Jesus said
"Ye have heard ...," maybe from
some recent religious teacher, take the law into your own hands
and go "make things even!"
But, Jesus
quickly adds, "I say unto you ...."
Then our Lord balances the truth of strict retribution, "eye for
eye and tooth for tooth," government business, with His "go the
second mile" advice! But on a personal level!
A Christian
cannot live his or her life based solely on retribution!
Based on "I'll
get even" as a motto!
Based on the old
"She will pay" philosophy!
We must learn to
love and accept those who have wronged us. To some degree
anyway! Even Paul said, "If
it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all
men." Romans 12:18
Wow!
If a person
defrauds and steals from you, in your business now, your
livelihood, you can to take him to court. Press charges. Seek
restitution. That's permissible. And the law, once properly
having investigated and discerned the truth, can require "proper
measures" of action.
Repay the money.
Or years in jail.
Or some
combination of both.
But the law is
not allowed, under Moses' Law, to put the petty thief to death.
It's just this
far, "Eye
for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burning
for burning, wound for wound, stripe for stripe." But no
further! Exodus 21:24-25.
The Pharisees had
so misapplied and twisted this commandment that they were
allowing all kinds of misbehavior. People personally "taking the
law into their own hands," becoming "accuser and judge and jury
and jailor all at once," things forbidden by God!
Read this
precept, "An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth," but just
that!
Further read it,
"And the judges and officers of the court must decide these
things," not you or me in our haste and anger and passion!
Somebody had been
interpreting this sentence wrongly, or Jesus would not have had
to continue as He did. "Ye
have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a
tooth for a tooth: but I say unto you, That whosoever shall
smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also."
Matthew 5:38-39
Courtroom rules
and living room rules are different!
What the Judge
says and what Mom or Dad say can be different. With all
three still being right.
Have I made any
sense this morning?
If you burn the
toast this morning, no one in the family is entitled to make you
eat the burned toast. That's misappropriating Moses' words!
However, if you
burn the toast every morning, maybe consider buying a new
toaster! In the long run, it will save you money, grocery money!
Apply the
Decalogue, the Law, publicly.
But not
personally!
When it comes to
individual face-to-face relationships, other suggestions apply.
And Jesus begins to tell us some of them, tomorrow morning, Lord
willing.
And even they, as
I will show you, have limitations!
These
instructions all have Bible mandated exceptions!
"Resist
not evil."
"Whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the
other also."
"If
any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let
him have thy cloke also."
"Whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain."
"Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of
thee turn not thou away."
Each of the
preceding quotes is taken from the verses immediately ahead of
us! We'll study them
one by one, Lord willing.
But again, there
are exceptions to these words of Jesus.
Even He says so!
I'll show you.
Still, they
generally are the way to live, as Christians, for maximum peace
and joy and fulfillment! Even that "second mile" business!
Wow!
The Sermon on the
Mount.
Maybe we don't
study and preach it more ... because it is so upsetting to our
current lifestyles!
"Help us, Lord,
as we study these words of Thine, this Sermon you preached one
day long ago, to your followers."
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
LESSON 3, RESIST NOT
EVIL, TURN THE OTHER CHEEK:
Today's Text is
difficult, in some ways.
Short, but hard
to fully understand.
I heard a
Preacher say that if our interpretation of a Passage of
Scripture makes the Word of God look "silly," then our view of
that Scripture is wrong! He's correct, I think.
Jesus once said,
"Resist not evil."
Matthew 5:39
gives us His words: "But
I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall
smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also."
Wow!
At first I was
just going to discuss with you the "Resist not evil" part of our
Clause, but the "Turn the other cheek" part of the Verse
actually explains the "Resist not" part.
Again, like I
said yesterday, these words are written to individuals.
Born-again ones at that! Lost people could never live
like this! It's hard enough for a Believer to do so!
The verb "resist"
is spelled "antistemi," our word "antihistamine" actually! It
means "to stand up against" something or someone.
Again let me
emphasize the "personal" aspect of this Verse. Governments and
Courtrooms and Police Stations cannot operate on this principle!
If they did, murderers would go free. Robbers would be allowed
to continue stealing and rapists would threaten all womanhood.
These officers of the Law just cannot overlook such "evil."
In my life as a
single person, however, under some circumstances, I can overlook
evil. I can resist it not.
Another
exception. I cannot overlook approaching harm, the idea behind
"evil" or "poneros," if it is about to attack someone I love! A
parent that lets someone hurt his child is really a coward, not
a good Christian! A husband who lets an intruder into his home
to do all kinds of damage is not much of a man, either!
We do not
tolerate "evil" when it threatens a loved one!
But, all that
said, still, Jesus' words still stand!
Resist not evil!
"But
I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall
smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also."
The verb "smite"
is "rapizo," meaning "to hit hard." The verb "rep," kin to our
verb "rap," means "let fall" a blow on someone, a hard knock!
For example, "to slap" someone with a hand!
And look at this.
To hit a person on the right cheek, if the perpetrator is
right-handed anyway, one would of necessity back-hand that
person! A sure sign of contempt and hatred.
Jesus is actually
suggesting, it appears, that if someone wants to "hurt" you,
especially as in "insulting" you, do not resist it!
Peter gives us an
example. "For
even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for
us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow His steps: Who
did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth:
Who, when He was
reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he
threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth
righteously." 1st Peter 2:21-23
Also David,
fleeing Saul, allowed that wicked Monarch to do all kinds of
"evil" things to him. Refusing to oppose or even "touch" God's
anointed King! That's resisting not evil! That's turning the
other cheek!
That's suffering
wrong ... for some higher principle.
Here's a man,
Shimei, "cursing" David, after he had become King even! When
David was running from his rebellious son Absalom, fleeing for
his life again! "And
when king David came to Bahurim, behold, thence came out a man
of the family of the house of Saul, whose name was
Shimei, the son of Gera: he came forth, and cursed still as
he came. And he cast stones at David, and at all the servants of
king David: and all the people and all the mighty men were
on his right hand and on his left. And thus said Shimei when
he cursed, Come out, come out, thou bloody man, and thou man of
Belial: The LORD hath returned upon thee all the blood of the
house of Saul, in whose stead thou hast reigned; and the LORD
hath delivered the kingdom into the hand of Absalom thy son:
and, behold, thou art taken in thy mischief, because thou
art a bloody man. Then said Abishai the son of Zeruiah
unto the king, Why should this dead dog curse my lord the king?
Let me go over, I pray thee, and take off his head. And the king
said, So let him curse, because the
LORD hath said unto him, Curse David. Who shall then say,
Wherefore hast thou done so? And David said to Abishai, and to
all his servants, Behold, my son Absalom, which came forth of my
bowels, seeketh my life: how much more now may this
Benjamite do it? Let him alone, and
let him curse; for the LORD hath bidden
him. It may be that the
LORD will look on mine affliction, and that the LORD will
requite me good for his cursing this day. And as David
and his men went by the way, Shimei went along on the hill's
side over against him, and cursed as he went, and threw stones
at him, and cast dust." David clearly "resisted not evil"
here! 2nd Samuel 16:5-13."Let this evil come my way," David
reasons. "It may be that God will bless me for the wrong I am
enduring!" Also, "I deserve such a thing!" Probably because of
his past sins, he thinks.
Wow!
Back to Jesus.
"But
I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall
smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also."
There will be
times when we must do the same thing!
Just take the
"evil" that comes our way.
Enduring it!
Believing that
such meekness, such passivity, will help me grow in the Lord.
Living like my Savior did much of the time.
Listen to Paul in
1st Corinthians 6:7. He is telling the Believers in that Church
that's it's really better not to sue a fellow Christian
in a court of law. If possible, anyway. Listen to him.
"Now
therefore there is utterly a fault among you, because ye go to
law one with another.
Why do ye not rather take wrong? why do ye not rather
suffer yourselves to be defrauded?"
Wow!
He says it's
better "to suffer the wrong, to endure the loss" than to hurt
the cause of Christ in front of a bunch of heathen judges and
juries!
Back to Jesus,
again! "But
I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall
smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also."
This is a tough
concept to follow.
But you folks
have the same Holy Spirit I do.
He can help us
know when to apply these words and when not do apply them. Not
when a loved one is threatened, for sure. Not when you have just
observed a crime, either!
But when we,
personally, individually, are involved.
Sometimes it's
just best to endure it!
Reaping all kinds
of spiritual dividends thereby!
Apparently so.
If someone says
something ugly about you today, in certain cases anyway, do not
try to say twice as much about them in return, ugly things
anyway.
Take the "hit."
Ask God to
thereby help you grow in the Lord.
Learn humility.
Learn to love
your enemy.
Learn to trust
Jesus for protection.
Learn what else?
Only God knows.
Jesus is wiser
than me, infinitely so!
"But
I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall
smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also."
Amen, Lord.
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
Well,
I've thought of
every exception to this rule that I can! When all those are
exhausted, I guess we must obey! Jesus lived this way.
Well, most of the
time. That day He saw moneychangers polluting His Father's
House, the Temple, He did not turn the other cheek! He scared
the daylights out of that crowd, scattering them with his
scourge of small cords, John 2:13-17.
Brother Bagwell,
enough for today.
Folks have to go
to work.
"But
I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall
smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also."
So said Jesus.
LESSON 4, THE COAT AND
THE CLOKE TOO:
Today we continue
our study of Jesus' Sermon on the Mount, a part of it anyway.
Matthew 5:38-42, just this one paragraph, contains several
dynamic statements.
For example,
"And
if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let
him have thy cloke also." Matthew 5:40
What a thought!
If taken all by
itself, not considering other Scripture, a Christian would never
be able to use the court system! Just let the aggressor have it
all, everything! Roll over and play dead! Be a wet washcloth,
with no stamina and strength at all!
But that is
not what Jesus is teaching us here!
He's not
advocating total passivism! He is not condemning all
assertiveness either!
Here's an
exception to Jesus' rule here. Taught by our Lord, too,
elsewhere in Matthew! "Moreover
if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his
fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou
hast gained thy brother. But if he will not hear thee, then
take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or
three witnesses every word may be established. And if he shall
neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church: but if he
neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as an heathen
man and a publican." Matthew 18:15-17
That's hardly
"turning the other cheek!" If your Christian Brother trespasses
against you, do something about it!
Don't roll over
and play dead!
And here's a time
when Paul "called the law" to a situation.
"And
the keeper of the prison told this saying to Paul, The
magistrates have sent to let you go: now therefore depart, and
go in peace. But Paul said unto them, They have beaten us openly
uncondemned, being Romans, and have cast us into prison;
and now do they thrust us out privily? nay verily; but let them
come themselves and fetch us out. And the serjeants told these
words unto the magistrates: and they feared, when they heard
that they were Romans." Acts 16:36-38
The authorities
had illegally beaten Paul and Silas, now let these men "face"
the error of their deeds! That's hardly giving away your coat
along with your shirt!
I think what
Jesus is saying here; "and
if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let
him have thy cloke also,"
is that we need not defend ourselves over the finer
points of the law.
Do not litigate
over non-essential issues!
If a man
threatens your house, your job, your very
welfare, all such critical things, fight him
with all your might!
But if he simply
wants a pair of your shoes or one of your shirts, let him have
it! God can provide you with another one. Better than the last
one, too!
Do not insist
upon your own rights in every issue!
Still, Jesus said
it. "And
if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let
him have thy cloke also."
And we must deal with His words. We
cannot dodge them!
The verbs "sue at
law" translate "krino" in Greek, meaning "to take someone before
a judge." To expose them to the legal system, in a
confrontational way!
The verb "will"
is important, too, in this verse anyway. It's "thelo," meaning
"to wish, to desire, to want" to do something.
The suit has not
yet been filed!
You have just
heard of the man's intent.
He plans to "get"
your "coat," your "chiton" in Greek, your "undershirt"
literally! That which is usually worn next to the skin!
Well, prevent the
lawsuit, Jesus seems to be saying.
Settle, in this
case, out of court!
Give him the
silly undershirt!
Add your "cloke"
to the mix, as well! This noun, "imation," means an outer
garment, one's visible clothing!
Give him more
than he's asking, as long as it's in the area of trivia.
Who knows, Jesus
well might be thinking, by so doing you may turn this enemy into
a friend!
And let me add
this today. Sometimes over small things, when lawsuits are
involved, hiring a lawyer and arguing the case may cost more
than the item in question is worth!
Court costs alone
may have exceeded the worth of a garment or two!
Jesus may be
suggesting practicality and common sense here, too.
He is certainly
suggesting meekness and humility when it comes to personal
possessions!
Maybe the Lord is
also teaching us that a person's "rule over our his or her own
spirit" is more valuable than any single "coat" or "cloke" one
may possess!
He is not
forbidding any use of the court system!
He is,
apparently, discouraging lawsuits over little things!
Does this make
any sense this morning? My comments, I mean?
After all, one's
Christian testimony is certainly worth a whole lot more than a
shirt or two!
"And
if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let
him have thy cloke also."
A man or woman
who can do this, without bitterness in the heart, already has
his or her eyes on Heaven!
She's already
living the life described like this. He has obeyed completely.
"If
ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above,
where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your
affection on things above, not on things on the earth. For ye
are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. When Christ,
who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear
with him in glory." Colossians 3:1-4
There, in those
heavenly realms, "coats" don't matter!
Only Jesus does!
Wow!
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
LESSON 5, THE SECOND
MILE:
The most quoted
clause of our whole Text, Matthew 5:38-42, is today's focus.
Jesus said, "And
whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain."
It seems that in
those first century days, in Israel anyway, any representative
of the government, of Rome in other words, could "require" an
able bodied citizen, a Jew, to help carry a load of supplies, up
to a mile in distance.
A man could
literally be "drafted" or "conscripted" to such duty!
By a soldier of
the occupational army, by a despised Roman!
An example of
this law at work might be the man, Simon of Cyrene, who was
requisitioned to carry Jesus' Cross up Golgotha's Hill! See Mark
15:21. "And
they compel one Simon a Cyrenian, who passed by, coming out of
the country, the father of Alexander and Rufus, to bear his
cross."
Talk about
inconvenience!
Not to mention
physically exhausting!
Walking side by
side with an enemy of one's Country!
An intruder!
Yet Jesus'
command is clear. "And
whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain."
And the verb "go"
is an imperative, an absolute requirement. Both of the Roman
government and now, of the Lord Jesus Christ! "Hupago" means "to
go one's way," but here it's the way someone else decides! "Ago"
usually means "I lead," except in this case someone else is
leading, and the lowly Jew is following, with a load on his
back!
"Go with him,"
Jesus says!
The verb "shall
compel" translates "aggareuo," meaning "to press into public
service." Or "to employ a courier, a messenger," but here "a
load bearer!" Jesus expresses this verb as a future tense,
indicative mood, active voice, third person singular. It, this
scenario, will happen. The Lord is sure of it!
Sometime in the days ahead!
Get ready!
And when that
Roman demands your time, your energy, your attention, followers
of Jesus, give it to him!
Obey their
custom!
Follow their Law,
though it's not a Jewish Law!
And get this,
Jesus seems to want this man, this intruding soldier, to be
obeyed without complaint! "And
whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him."
Not room for any
bickering or hatefulness or hesitancy there!
"Go with him."
But Lord, this
man has invaded our Nation!
"Go with him."
He has come
uninvited, too!
Still Jesus,
"Go with
him."
We hate this
crowd!
"Go with him."
Rid us of this
scourge, Lord!
Still,
"Go with him."
Wow!
But what if my
boss asks me to do something unpleasant?
Probably Jesus
would have the same answer!
"Do it!"
Or the Congress
asks for more of my money?
"Give it!"
Or my husband or
wife demands more time?
You know the
answer already!
Though it
involves the loss of some of my personal space?
"Go with him."
Though my
"rights" are being violated?
Let's include the
ladies now. "Go with her!"
She is your
authority, your superior, do what she says, without grumbling!
Carry that
baggage, heavy as it is, for this soldier.
But Lord, he has
a bad attitude. He's demanding my services! Let me just slap him
and be gone.
No!
"And
whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him."
All right, Lord.
You have made Yourself quite clear!
I'll obey.
Then Jesus adds
that one word, that last word in the verse! You will see what I
mean, instantly!
"And
whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain."
"And
whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him
twain."
Twain?
Spelled "duo,"
this little adjective means "two!"
Go two
miles, just adding one for extra measure!
Astounding!
Shocking!
Jesus, it's hard
enough to take this stuff one mile! I'm in a hurry! Let somebody
else have his or her turn!
No!
It's still a
command!
"And
whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain."
The whole idea is
to do more than asked!
This whole Clause
has given birth to the centuries-old adage "Going the second
mile."
Jesus' point is,
I think, the first mile will help you overcome any anger or
bitterness or resentment.
And the second
mile?
Might help the
load bearer reap a little joy, joy in obeying His Lord!
Might teach us a
valuable lesson, doing more than is required!
Might even help
one make a friend, a new friend, that foreign soldier walking
behind you!
Resentment, Jesus
condemns!
Giving lavishly,
even under adverse circumstances, our Lord here recommends!
Demands, really!
"And
whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain."
"She, my Wife,
wants me to go to that reunion this weekend!"
"Do it Sir,"
Jesus enjoins!
And while you're
at it, fix that leaky faucet she's been asking about for a month
now. Add that to the list, and get it done before the reunion!
"And
whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain."
Or something like
that!
I once heard a
preacher say this. "Walk with him, this soldier, the first mile
and you have obeyed the law. That's all. But go the second mile,
unrequired, and you just might have gained a
friend!"
Somebody try it
today!
Lay aside your
"rights" and help someone who needs it, really help them! Maybe
even someone undeserving!
Wow!
What a challenge!
I know of a
Christian company that right now is encouraging its employees
"to go the second mile" until doing so "becomes second nature!"
Now that's
customer service!
Jesus style!
What would happen
in our churches, our families, our individual lives if we
adopted and lived this command every day?
Always doing
more, cheerfully and gladly, than is required!
He asked me to
cook!
Busy as I am!
Wait a minute!
That "second"
mile thing!
I will
cook!
That turkey, just
the way he loves it too!
And I'm also
going to make him that pie he likes!
And the dressing,
seasoned to his liking, not to mine!
I'll do it!
Bur Preacher
Bagwell, my husband is not grateful for these things.
He expects them.
Almost demands
them!
Well.
"And
whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain."
See if this
doesn't help your attitude!
And if not that,
it may help improve his!
What words!
What a concept!
Only Jesus would
have said it!
"And
whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain."
Yes, Lord.
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
This Lesson ...
It somehow got a
little long! This "second mile" business is that way though! It
might take you going "the second mile" to read it all! Much less
to practice it!
LESSON 6, A GIVING
SPIRIT:
The Lesson for
today is nearly self-explanatory.
Jesus preached,
"Give
to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee
turn not thou away." Matthew 5:42
Our Lord always
practiced such generosity, too!
He certainly
would have us be unselfish.
The verb "give,"
in Greek "didomi," means "to grant, to bestow, to supply." And
Jesus here has framed it as an imperative verb,
expressing a direct command.
And the second
verb, equally as important, "turn (not) away," translates "apostrepho,"
sort of a "reversing directions" kind of word. Do not send the
borrower away empty-handed!
Jesus never
refused a person in need! Not in real need! Or at least He did
not commonly do so. He practiced what He preached!
Every miracle!
Every time He fed
the hungry!
Or raised the
dead!
And sometimes
Jesus "gave" without people even asking!
That's really
practicing our Text! "Give
to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee
turn not thou away."
But let me ask
you this.
If a man should
come to you, heavily intoxicated, down-right drunk, asking for
fifty dollars, would you give him the cash?
Would Jesus have
done so?
I don't think so!
Of course I've
given you an "exception" to the general rule. But still, there
are cases in which our Text might not apply.
Here's another
one. Paul wrote this. "For
even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any
would not work, neither should he eat." Here in 2nd
Thessalonians 3:10 the Apostle is saying that if a lazy man,
healthy but slothful, comes to you and asks for money or food,
or just wants to borrow something, you are not under
obligation to continue helping that person! Let him go
get a job! And after he has worked a while, guess what? He will
have some money! And can go buy his own food, being wiser and
healthier thereby!
To give and give
and give to that particular person only promotes more lethargy
and indolence!
Just keep these
things in mind please.
Still, the Bible
is clear.
And most
Christians I know practice this command of our Lord's. Maybe
more so than all the others in our Text. Perhaps more than
resisting evil and going the second mile and resisting evil!
Listen to the
Apostle John, who was so close to Jesus year after year.
"But
whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his brother have need,
and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how
dwelleth the love of God in him? My little children, let us not
love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth."
1st John 3:17-18
Clear enough.
And while I'm on
this subject, it being Thanksgiving day as well, let Brother
Bagwell express heart felt gratitude to each of you who has been
so good to me this past year.
Since Sister
Bagwell died particularly, January 21, just over ten months ago.
Thank you for
your kindness.
And prayers.
And everything
else.
You are "living
sermons" in reference to Jesus' words today. In your
generosity I mean.
Oh, it's true
that I have asked for nothing. You will not read of a single
"need" Brother Bagwell has, not on these pages.
But still, you
all have been so generous!
So much so that I
have no doubt that you, whenever the situation arises, obey this
great injunction. "Give
to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee
turn not thou away."
I love you all in
the Lord.
Again, Happy
Thanksgiving!
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
Oh, Jesus said
this too.
He is always so
very consistent. "Give,
and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and
shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your
bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be
measured to you again." Luke 6:38
LESSON 7, CONCLUSION:
There are many
who say that our Text, Matthew 5:38-42, does not apply in the
day in which we live.
They suspect that
it best fits into an age yet to come, the "Millennium" by name.
And while it is
true that Jesus is coming again, back to this earth, literally.
And that He will reign for a thousand glorious years, from the
Throne of David in Jerusalem. And that time will be absolutely
amazing, lions and lambs no longer fighting for instance.
And it's also a
fact that world government will then rest in Jesus' Hands, King
Jesus' hands! No more war, swords having been beaten into
plowshares!
Still, I believe
that our Verses will "work" today, just as they will when Jesus
literally reigns, supremely so.
"Ye
have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a
tooth for a tooth: but I say unto you, That ye resist not evil:
but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him
the other also. And if any man will sue thee at the law, and
take away thy coat, let him have thy cloke also. And
whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain.
Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of
thee turn not thou away." Matthew 5:38-42
We have studied
each of these nuggets!
One by one.
And while it is
obvious that just anybody cannot obey them,
God's people, with the help and touch of the Holy
Spirit, can do so!
I just hope that
in these Lessons I have not emphasized the exceptions
more than the rules!
To live like
this, as Jesus did, immediately demands that we yield our
"rights" to the Lord!
And we live in a
day of "rights!"
Civil rights!
Legal rights!
States' rights!
Ladies' rights!
Children's
rights!
My
rights!
Jesus in our Text
is asking us to lay them aside, these "rights," concentrating
instead on the Glory of God!
Such living
removes us from the throne, from ruling our own lives!
And places
Jesus there, in our place!
That can't be a
bad way to live!
Now I didn't say
anything about laying aside your husband's rights! Or you
wife's, if you're a man.
Or your
children's either.
Or your
neighbor's.
But a person can
voluntarily give us his or her own
rights!
And when that's
done, yielding everything to the Lord, one will live just like
Jesus just taught us.
Passively, under
the leadership of God the Holy Spirit!
I suspect the
Pastor where I preached last night said this three dozen times,
"If God wills."
In other words,
"the Lord willing."
Let's quit living
for ourselves and start concentrating on others!
Jesus first!
Family next!
Others too!
And, finally,
self last!
Such a lifestyle
certainly will have us going "the second mile" again and again!
And maybe even
"turning the other cheek" occasionally!
Even Proverbs
agrees. "A
soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up
anger."
Wow!
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
What Verses!
