Matthew 5: 38-48

            "An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth," is one of the oldest laws for governing society. People seem to misconstrue it in two ways. First of all, they believe it is barbaric. What else can you say about a law that talks about cutting off a hand, or knocking out a tooth?

            The other way the law is misconstrued is to forget this morning's scripture lesson. Advocates of capital punishment have been known to say something along the lines of, "Well, the Bible says, 'An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth,' so anyone who commits cold-blooded murder deserves to die." It says so right in the Bible.

            Yes, it does. If we want to live by ancient Near Eastern law, we can find it in the Old Testament. But shouldn't we prefer to live by what Jesus taught instead? As we have seen again and again in our reading of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus took the ancient law and carried it in a totally different direction. You have heard that it was taught, An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, but I say, Don't live for retaliation; instead, turn the other cheek; walk the second mile; love your enemies. That's the new way Jesus is talking about.

            And let's be honest: we don't want to hear it. Revenge is sweet, and harboring a good grudge against someone who has done you wrong seems like a lot more fun than 'turning the other cheek.' That doesn't seem like fun at all. And over the course of time, people have dismissed this teaching of Jesus on a couple grounds: some have said it is impractical. You can't run a world based on these principles. What would happen, for example, to a nation that allowed itself to be attacked, and didn't retaliate with force? What would happen to a society that turned the other cheek when crimes were committed? Jesus said if someone takes your coat, give them your cloak as well. What would happen to a person who lived that way? They'd have nothing left.

            Others dismiss the teaching of Jesus because they say it's unhealthy. They equate 'turn the other cheek' with being a doormat - letting people walk allover you. Many people have put up with very abusive situations believing they were doing what Jesus wanted them to do -love their enemy, go the second mile. That's not healthy. Some have interpreted these verses as Jesus saying we should be passive against violence, and resigned to our fate if we are oppressed. That's not healthy.

            For these reasons and others, the teachings of Jesus about loving our enemies and turning the other cheek have been dismissed. They are too naive for this world. Jesus either didn't really mean them, or he didn't understand what real life was all about.that puts followers of Christ in a difficult position. The fact is, Jesus not only said these words, but he also lived them. If you read through the story of his arrest, and trial, and crucifixion - it is pretty much about turning the other cheek, loving his enemies, and praying for those who persecuted him. If you throw out these teachings of Jesus, for whatever reason, you really have to throw out his life; and it's pretty hard to claim Christian faith if we dismiss the life of Christ as impractical and unhealthy. .

            So what do we do? I think we look a little closer. There is no way to ignore these teachings, but there are some points to remember that help us to apply them in practical and healthy ways.

            First of all, we should remember that the Sermon on the Mount is an advanced course in Christian life. It is not the beginners' course. We know this because the sermon begins like this: "When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. Then he began to speak, and taught them,..." In the great movies about Jesus, the Sermon on the Mount is given in front of huge crowds. But in the Bible, it is just the opposite: Jesus went up on the mountain to separate from the crowds, and to speak specifically to his closest disciples. What he taught in this sermon was not Christianity 101, for the general public. It was the Advanced Course, for people who were ready to go the next steps.

            What does that mean? That Jesus didn't intend for everybody to live by these words? I don't believe that. But it may mean that Jesus knew that these words could not be applied literally in every situation of life. Soldiers doing battle cannot 'turn the other cheek.' Nobody should just passively accept oppression or abuse. Jesus was telling his disciples how they could act to be salt and light in a world that was far from perfect. They may not always be able to apply every teaching exactly, but they could always bring the spirit of Jesus into each situation.

            For example, it is certainly right to strive to bring Osama bin Laden to justice for 9-11, but that doesn't mean we have to hate other people and attack them. We know we must defend our borders, but that doesn't mean we have to stereotype people. We don't have to agree with one another on issues of death with dignity, but that doesn't mean we resort to death threats, or political threats. If we are disciples of Jesus, even when we can't apply a teaching perfectly, we still strive for the spirit of Jesus; and to be perfect, as God is perfect.

            A second point to remember is that Jesus is not talking about surrendering our dignity, and being doormats. 'Turn the other cheek' has been used by many to convince people that they should stay in abusive situations, and never stand up against oppression or tyranny. It has been equated with weakness. In fact, Jesus is talking about just the opposite. To get the jist of that, we need to notice one word in particular: Jesus is very specific: he says, ".. .if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other cheek." Why did he say, specifically, the right cheek? Because that would give his listeners a clear signal about just what Jesus meant.

            What you need to know is this: in those times, Jewish men generally tried to keep their left hand covered. The left hand was used for personal hygiene, and was kept covered up as much as possible, as a matter of modesty. So if you are going to strike somebody, it is going to be with your right hand, and you can do it one of two ways. .. If you slap them with a forehand, you will hit them on the left cheek - that's the one you can reach. In order to strike them on the right cheek, which is what Jesus is talking about, it would have to be a backhand. A backhand slap was the way a man would strike someone who was inferior - your slave, a woman (sorry, those were very sexist times), or a pet. To strike someone on the right cheek is to say that you have absolute scorn for them - they are beneath you.

            But what did Jesus teach? He taught that when someone does that to you, you don't attack back - you turn the other cheek. And that is your way of saying, "I may not be able to stop you from striking me; but if you are going to strike me, it will not be on my right cheek by the back of your hand, as if I'm some kind of animal. You're going to have to strike me on the left cheek, face to face, as an equal." Certainly that is a different interpretation than is traditionally used for this verse, but it is hard to explain otherwise why Jesus specifically talked about the right cheek.

            That whole interpretation of turning the other cheek to assert your dignity fits in with the rest of these verses, which are all about getting back the power over your life. A Roman soldier could walk up to you at any time and compel you to carry his pack for a mile. Doesn't matter what you were doing, or where you are going. There is simply nothing you can do about it. Jesus says, Wrong. Take the power back. If he wants you to walk with him one mile, you walk with him two. Now you're calling the shots. If someone sues you and wins your outer garment, let him have your second garment as well. Again, it's taking the power back; it's asserting your dignity.

            By the way, the great American humorist Will Rogers had another take on this. He said to never, ever slap the cheek of a man who is chewing tobacco! One more way of saying it could come right back at you.

            The third point to remember is that Jesus was not just a passive peacenik. There were times he got plenty mad about the injustices and abuses around him, and he took action - sometimes aggressive action - against those injustices. To say that we will go the extra mile, and pray for our enemies, by no means says that we just roll over and don't attack the wrongs in our world.

            But it does mean that we base everything on love. That is the test of all we do; and it's not a test we pass easily in this world. In the ordinary world, any sinner - as Jesus says, the tax collectors and Gentiles - any sinner will be good to his own. Take care of his family, help out the next door neighbor, get along at work. But a follower of Jesus goes way beyond that. A follower of Jesus loves his enemies. That's the difference between Jesus' way and the usual way.

            Occasionally we see that kind of love in the world, and it shocks us. Pope John Paul II will be known for many things, but the scene of him sitting in a prison cell to pray forgiveness upon his would-be assassin is a scene most of us will never forget. Martin Luther King, Jr., accomplished great things in his short life on this world, and he did it without once advocating anything short of pure Christ-like love -- for the people who hated King and everything he stood for. Nelson Mandela was unjustly kept in prison for over twenty years -lost precious time with his family and loved ones; then came out of prison to extend a hand of love to his jailers.

            We need peacemakers like that today. Who will extend a hand across this divided nation? I believe that the next great president of the US will not be the one who succeeds in bringing a conservative or liberal agenda, but rather the one who succeeds in unifying our nation. Who will reach out and take the hand of challenge and partnership that has been offered by the Onondaga Nation for the healing of the earth? The offer is now met with distrust and anger - is there a better way for the peoples to relate? Who will offer a different path?

            And what about you and me - how will we put these things into practice in the everyday lives we share in the malls and the offices, the schools and the kitchens, the playgrounds and the highways? Somebody said that the Bible teaches us to love our neighbors, and also to love our enemies; probably because they are often the same people. And it's true - many people complain about the violence and turmoil in the world, but make no effort to resolve the disagreement in their own back yard.

            For Christians, it always comes back to the cross, doesn't it? The cross is the perfect symbol of out-of-this-world love - a love that prays for its enemies, that turns the other cheek on violence and oppression. If we're going to wear the cross, profess that we believe in the cross, worship the Savior of the cross - then we best be ready to live by a new code of love - one that substitutes out-of -this-world love for vengeance, violence, and earthly power.

            Anything else may satisfy the ways of this world, may even satisfy some of the Old Testament laws - but will not satisfy way of Jesus. That is a higher standard.

            And if we're going to use his name, we should at least try to live his way.