(Matthew 5: 38-48)

38"You have heard that it was said, 'Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.' 39But I tell you, Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. 40And if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. 41If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. 42Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.

43"You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' 44But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. 46If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? 47And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? 48Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

Jesus admits that there are such a thing in life as enemies--people who work against us, who don't like us, who avoid us when they see us approaching and who talk us down to others. Jesus does not ask us to recognize such people for anything less than they are, he just asks us to work at loving even them.

He does this by correcting lazy and misinformed habits of interpretation that had grown up around some familiar and well known pieces of scripture. The first is the wrong interpretation of the so-called "Law of Retaliation" and the second well-known law of "Love Your Neighbour"

Lex talionis (The law (lex) of retaliation)

The lex talionis is a law of equal and direct retribution: in the words of the Hebrew Scriptures, "an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, an arm for an arm, a life for a life." The idea of proportionate retribution was not given as a justification for revenge or personal vendettas; it was given as a limit for punishment under civil justice. It is not an excuse for personal revenge. This bashed out of shape caricature of an understanding is how people still appear to understand the saying today - a conversation that I had in the week was about the legitimacy of a policeman 'truncheon'ing a football fan on the basis that he had attacked an innocent citizen (an eye for an eye). The phrase means 'do not do more than' rather than 'you have got the right to do equal to'.

The lex talionis, as a law of equal and direct retribution, is the basis for 'Just War Theory' which is at the heart of any debate over the legitimacy or otherwise of a country going to war. - Your actions must be proportional to your combat objectives, and they must produce more good than evil for both sides - for example, if you need to bomb a bridge to prevent enemy troop movements, you must use the smallest and most accurate bomb for that purpose, and you must minimize casualties on both sides. You must discriminate between soldiers and non-combatants. You cannot randomly bomb a civilian population to terrorize them no matter what the purpose. You cannot shoot medics.

Love Your Neighbour

The second correction made by Jesus comes with the idea of loving your neighbour and hating your enemy. The first part, "You shall love your neighbour", is scripture, from Leviticus 19:18. The second part, "and hate your enemy", is not scripture. Jesus is correcting people's lazy interpretation by putting enemies on equal ground with neighbours. He associates loving one's enemies with praying for one's enemies.

Take a minute, right now, to think of someone you don't like. You know, the type of person that causes all your defences to go up when you are talking to them. The person you try hard to avoid when they enter a room. Maybe there is a co-worker who you can't stand. Maybe you struggle to get along with one or more of your in-laws. Everyone should, by now, have someone in mind. Here's the experiment: resolve to pray for that person this week. Pray for two things. Pray for your attitude towards this person and pray to give thanks to God for this person's good qualities. It has been my experience that when you faithfully pray for someone, you begin to love them. Sometimes, you can't help but love them. It comes as no surprise then, that Jesus talks about loving one's enemy in the same breath as praying for them.

Not only should we avoid insisting on our rights, but Jesus says that "if someone wants to sue you and take your shirt, let him have your coat as well. If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles"(v.40, 41). Jesus tells his disciples not to hit back when attacked (Matthew 5:38). Jesus' genius lies in the science of human behaviour. If someone is angry with you, then why should you make it your problem and get angry in return? Instead of this, live generously and play the long game. If you do not retaliate then you leave the other person with the responsibility their own behaviour because they then need to deal with their own anger. Holding yourself in check and not needing to get your own back is not an indication of weakness but a sign of strength - 'power is nothing without control'.

"Turning the other cheek", "giving our shirt away", or "going the extra mile" (doormats for Christ) is not a call for us to be passive if our neighbours are being harmed. You can't turn someone else's cheek for them--maybe you should not even order someone else to turn their own cheek. If you see your neighbour being harmed or abused or cheated, the Bible calls for you to intervene Good Samaritan-style to protect that person.

Jesus' basic call is to be what Dietrich Bonhoeffer once called "surprising people." --we should startle people by doing what we can to lend a helping hand even to those who frankly don't like us. In the midst of a world full of jagged edges and crooked people Jesus is trying to mould a certain kind of heart.But in a world of clutching egos, rampant crime, legitimate hurt feelings, genuine enemies, and clueless folks who can mess up our lives, we need all the help we can get.