マタイによる福音書5:38-42 Matthew 5:38-42,

Have you heard the saying, “An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth”? It is said this phrase appears in the laws made by King Hammurabi, who lived about 1800 years before Jesus was born into this world. It is a rule stating: “If you injure another’s eye, your own eye shall be injured,” “If you injure another’s tooth, your own tooth shall be injured.” In other words, it means that if you cause harm to another, you yourself must suffer the same harm.

In today’s Bible passage, Jesus himself says, “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’” Reading the Old Testament, this teaching of “an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth” appears three times (Exodus 21:24; Leviticus 24:20; Deuteronomy 19:21). Therefore, for people in Jesus’ time, it was a teaching that was almost common sense. And in Jesus’ time, it seems the injured party was not supposed to actually harm the offender, but rather receive monetary compensation. However, Jesus said, “But I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.” If a right-handed person were to strike the other’s right cheek, that person would have used the back of one’s own hand. And striking with the back of the hand was an act signifying contempt and insult. Therefore, “If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also,” means that even when insulted by another, do not resist, but deliberately endure further insult. It is not about a mere physical fight.

Then what does “if anyone would sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well” mean? In Jesus’ time, people wore a cloth wrapped around their waist, over which they wore a tunic-like garment covering them from the shoulders to around the knees. The “tunic” refers to this garment. And when the temperature dropped, they would wear a cloak-like overgarment over it. The “cloak” refers to this overgarment. This overgarment also served as a blanket to cover the body when sleeping. Without a blanket at night, one would freeze and fall ill. Therefore, from Old Testament times, it was decreed that even if one took a debtor’s “cloak” in pledge of money, it must be returned by sunset (Exodus 22:25-27; Deuteronomy 24:12-13). Yet Jesus deliberately said, “Let him have your cloak as well.”

What does “if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles” mean? This referred to situations where soldiers of the Roman Empire, which ruled over the land of Judea, made Jewish people carry their burdens. So, if a Roman soldier made someone carry a burden for one mile, the teaching was to carry it for twice that distance, two miles.

People in Jesus’ time, hearing these teachings, might have thought it was absurd and impossible. However, these teachings do not mean you should literally do this. They mean you should live with this kind of attitude. It does not mean you should simply let yourself be taken advantage of by others. It is about living a new life that bears witness to Jesus. We humans all try to live in a way that avoids personal loss. And when we suffer even the slightest loss, we feel resentful and come to hate the one who caused it. But consider this: Jesus was sinless, yet he died on the cross in our place, paying the penalty for our sins. Jesus truly lived the most self-sacrificing life in this world. By that very Jesus, we have been forgiven and saved. By suffering loss ourselves, we can live a new life that bears witness to Jesus.