“You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’
But I tell you not to resist an evil person. But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also.
If anyone wants to sue you and take away your tunic, let him have your cloak also.
And whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two.
Give to him who asks you, and from him who wants to borrow from you do not turn away.
“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the tax collectors do so? Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.
Matthew 5:38-48
The above words of Jesus in His Sermon on the Mount are one of the hardest, if not the hardest, commands to follow. Anyone who has been through life will know that there are always people who will hurt you, abuse you, cheat you, mistreat you and spitefully use you, just as Jesus said. And our natural response is to feel angry and try to take revenge. How, in the face of evil, do we turn the other cheek?
I have struggled with this for a long time and held bitterness and resentment in my heart against various people who have hurt me in my life. A turning point came when I read these words written by a fellow VCFer- "let ourselves be vessels of God's love". What does it mean to be a vessel of God's love?
My experiences have taught me one thing, that our own human love is never enough. Never enough to totally forgive the grievances that others have caused us. But to be a vessel of God's love means to not rely on our own human love, but to allow God's love to course through us to others. To be an instrument of His love, an instrument of His peace, as St. Francis wrote.
And to do that, instead of thinking, "what should I do to this person, now that he has done this to me?" Because invariably our natural response will be to get angry, to curse, to take revenge. Instead, we should ask, "What would God do to this person?" For if we are going to be an instrument of His love, then we must surely act as He would! And what would God do?
1) He would forgive.
2) He would desire the good of the person.
3) He would have compassion on the person and his circumstances
4) He would be kind.
The list can go on and on. In essence, we should forgive just as God forgives, we should always work for the good of the other person. We should seek to understand others, and why they act in a certain way. Perhaps they are suffering themselves? Perhaps they are depressed, lonely, helpless? They need God!
Lest we should think that their sins are too great to be forgiven by God, Jesus told a parable in Matthew 18: 21-35 about a servant who owed his king a great debt of ten thousand talents. In those days, a talent was the equivalent of a 15 years' wages of a labourer. The king one day decided settle accounts and, on discovering the servant's debt, ordered that he be sold, together with his wife and children and all he had. The servant fells on his knees and prayed for patience, and the king, moved with compassion, forgave him the debt. That same servant, once he left, met a fellow servant who owed him a hundred denarii. A denarii was the equivalent of one day's wages. The other servant was unable to pay and begged for patience, but the servant would not and threw him into jail. On finding out, the king was enraged and delivered him to the torturers.
Ten thousand talents versus one hundred denarii. 150 thousand years of wages versus a hundred days. Jesus deliberately picked those numbers. How can we not forgive our brothers, when we ourselves have been forgiven so, so much more?
Lest we also should think that God should desire to punish such people for their evil, Paul makes it clear in the Bible too-
"Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody.
If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.
Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: "It is mine to avenge; I will repay," says the Lord.
On the contrary:
"If your enemy is hungry, feed him;
if he is thirsty, give him something to drink.
In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head."
Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good" Romans 12: 17-21
"It is mine to avenge, I will repay" says the Lord. Vengeance belongs to Him and Him alone. We are commanded to leave that to him, and simply to do good. As it is said, He makes his sun to rise on both the evil and the good, and his rain to fall on both the just and the unjust.
The more I think about it, the more I realise that in contrast to human love, the love of God has nothing to do with the recipient. God loves somone not because he deserves it in any way, but because He is love. You could take the most wretched sinner in the world, and God still loves him. Hates the sin, but loves him. There are no conditions.
It is this sort of agape love that enabled our Lord Jesus, while He was being brutally nailed to the Cross, to say "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do." In the face of evil, so may we I pray. So may we.
"Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect."
But I tell you not to resist an evil person. But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also.
If anyone wants to sue you and take away your tunic, let him have your cloak also.
And whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two.
Give to him who asks you, and from him who wants to borrow from you do not turn away.
“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the tax collectors do so? Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.
Matthew 5:38-48
The above words of Jesus in His Sermon on the Mount are one of the hardest, if not the hardest, commands to follow. Anyone who has been through life will know that there are always people who will hurt you, abuse you, cheat you, mistreat you and spitefully use you, just as Jesus said. And our natural response is to feel angry and try to take revenge. How, in the face of evil, do we turn the other cheek?
I have struggled with this for a long time and held bitterness and resentment in my heart against various people who have hurt me in my life. A turning point came when I read these words written by a fellow VCFer- "let ourselves be vessels of God's love". What does it mean to be a vessel of God's love?
My experiences have taught me one thing, that our own human love is never enough. Never enough to totally forgive the grievances that others have caused us. But to be a vessel of God's love means to not rely on our own human love, but to allow God's love to course through us to others. To be an instrument of His love, an instrument of His peace, as St. Francis wrote.
And to do that, instead of thinking, "what should I do to this person, now that he has done this to me?" Because invariably our natural response will be to get angry, to curse, to take revenge. Instead, we should ask, "What would God do to this person?" For if we are going to be an instrument of His love, then we must surely act as He would! And what would God do?
1) He would forgive.
2) He would desire the good of the person.
3) He would have compassion on the person and his circumstances
4) He would be kind.
The list can go on and on. In essence, we should forgive just as God forgives, we should always work for the good of the other person. We should seek to understand others, and why they act in a certain way. Perhaps they are suffering themselves? Perhaps they are depressed, lonely, helpless? They need God!
Lest we should think that their sins are too great to be forgiven by God, Jesus told a parable in Matthew 18: 21-35 about a servant who owed his king a great debt of ten thousand talents. In those days, a talent was the equivalent of a 15 years' wages of a labourer. The king one day decided settle accounts and, on discovering the servant's debt, ordered that he be sold, together with his wife and children and all he had. The servant fells on his knees and prayed for patience, and the king, moved with compassion, forgave him the debt. That same servant, once he left, met a fellow servant who owed him a hundred denarii. A denarii was the equivalent of one day's wages. The other servant was unable to pay and begged for patience, but the servant would not and threw him into jail. On finding out, the king was enraged and delivered him to the torturers.
Ten thousand talents versus one hundred denarii. 150 thousand years of wages versus a hundred days. Jesus deliberately picked those numbers. How can we not forgive our brothers, when we ourselves have been forgiven so, so much more?
Lest we also should think that God should desire to punish such people for their evil, Paul makes it clear in the Bible too-
"Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody.
If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.
Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: "It is mine to avenge; I will repay," says the Lord.
On the contrary:
"If your enemy is hungry, feed him;
if he is thirsty, give him something to drink.
In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head."
Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good" Romans 12: 17-21
"It is mine to avenge, I will repay" says the Lord. Vengeance belongs to Him and Him alone. We are commanded to leave that to him, and simply to do good. As it is said, He makes his sun to rise on both the evil and the good, and his rain to fall on both the just and the unjust.
The more I think about it, the more I realise that in contrast to human love, the love of God has nothing to do with the recipient. God loves somone not because he deserves it in any way, but because He is love. You could take the most wretched sinner in the world, and God still loves him. Hates the sin, but loves him. There are no conditions.
It is this sort of agape love that enabled our Lord Jesus, while He was being brutally nailed to the Cross, to say "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do." In the face of evil, so may we I pray. So may we.
"Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect."
