“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 someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you” (Matthew 5:38-42, NIV).
If you had the chance, whom would you get even with?
The phrase “Don’t get mad - get even suggests we ought to aggressively match injury with injury. Maybe you’ve been trying to get even with someone. You’re more than angry; your anger thrives on action.
Consider this teaching of Jesus from the Sermon on the Mount regarding how His followers are to seek a righteousness exceeding that of the religious legalists of His day (and ours). It’s a righteousness that moves past outer actions into inner intents.
Jesus counsels against resisting an evil person. He tells us to turn the other cheek, to give our overcoat well as our shirt, to go a second mile and to lend to one who asks.
We must not take His statements out of context - including the one “Don’t resist an evil person.” Jesus here is not throwing away the power of the government to arrest, prosecute and convict felons. He himself resisted evil. He twice cleansed the temple, read the riot act to the hypocrites and prevented the stoning of a woman taken in adultery. The key in Jesus’ life was that He never allowed personal revenge or hatred to dwell in His heart.
By forbidding you to return an insulating blow, Jesus is not teaching, “Let criminals do whatever they want.” He’s talking to you about your heart. Will you return an insult with insult, or with love? Is your object to get even or win over the offender to Christ?
If you want to establish man’s cause, an eye for an eye is the answer. If you want to establish God’s clause, then reconciliation rather than revenge is the answer.
