Eye for Two Eyes, Tooth for Teeth

 "You have heard it was said, 'Eye for eye, 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 one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you."

                                                                                    Matthew 5:38-42

    Jesus loves to flip the tables on what was standard practice and the difference of a follower to himself. In a world full of evil and hatred, wanting nothing but revenge and a chance for retaliation, Jesus throws a smoke bomb into his teachings that completely reverse this. If anyone slaps your right cheek, give them the other as well, if someone demands you carry their load for a mile, go with them 2. If someone takes you to court for your shirt, give him your coat as a bonus. This section has always confused me. Why would I let someone take more than they should? Why should both sides of my face experience pain when one sounds painful enough? When a person is hellbent on Revenge for an injustice down to them, a spirit of anger and hate builds up around their heart, until they can think of nothing else but serving their penance. As Christians, we need to live a full of forgiveness and kindness. To do this, we have to let the retaliation happen, sometimes more than we feel necessary. We do this, I believe, to begin to break down the strongholds that this emotion has solidified in the individual. When someone attacks us out of anger, and instead of returning fire, through our actions, we choose to forgive them instead, the love and grace of God begins to be like a spiritual hammer that swings and puts cracks into the wall that has been constructed.    

    As long as we return evil with evil, it will always continue to escalate and grow worse, but when we return hate with love, only then will healing begin to take place. 

"Therefore "if your enemy is hungry, feed him; If he is thirsty, give him a drink. In doing this, you will reap coals of fire on his head." - Romans 12:20

Adam Semple- A Young Man on a Journey Through the Sermon on the Mount