Question: You look to the context always you say, so and if your can tell me the correct and true meaning of these three sayings, 1) Turn the other cheek 2) Go the extra mile 3)... If any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloak also.
Answer: Greetings in Jesus wonderful name!
Here are the verses you have discussed above, "38 “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ 39 But I tell you not to resist an evil person. But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also.40 If anyone wants to sue you and take away your tunic, let him have your cloak also. 41 And whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two. 42 Give to him who asks you, and from him who wants to borrow from you do not turn away." (Matt 5:38-42).
In the above verses, we see how the New Testament faith and grace that comes out of it which is grounded on the life, death and resurrection of Jesus is more powerful than the Old Testament law given by Moses that just established justice and equality among humans in the light of God's righteousness (John 1:17).
Jesus teaches a higher standard of living under the Sovereign hand of God, by which vengeance is left to him to take, and not by us or even the governments of the world that he has instituted to execute it on behalf of Him, of which they have failed consistently through bribe, favoritism and selfishness of all kind since the beginning of time (Rom 12:17-21; Deut 16:19; 1 Cor 6:1, 4-8).
1) Don't react and just act in faith (Heb 10:38).
2) Give what you have because God will give more than that miraculously as He owns everything (Psa 24:1-2).
3) All injustices will come back to the offender as God's vengeance, but to the one with faith it will come as double blessings both in an earthly and eternal way, so let go of the things of the earth when you are unjustly and deceptively used as a means to fulfill their end temporally (Job 42:10, 12)!
‘Don't resist an evildoer’ should therefore be read as something like ‘don't turn into the very thing you hate.’ By turning the other cheek, you are defiantly saying to the master, "I refuse to be humiliated by you any longer. I am a human being just like you. I am a child of God. You can't put me down even if you have me killed."’ (Matt 10:27-31).
So Jesus says in effect by calling the unjust and imperfect court of humans, ‘You’re not going to win, so make plain just how absurd and unjust this law is. Take off the little that you have left, and stand there naked in court.’
Carrying the bag for for more than a mile puts the ball of justice against the soldier who have made a person to carry his baggage for 1 mile which is the maximum allowed law to be enforced upon people of the land of Judah by Romans. When reported by the oppressed to the centurions who were commanders, they might take action against that soldier who has broken the law. Mahatma Gandhi once said, ‘Everyone in the world knows that Jesus and His teaching is non-violent, except Christians.’ In other words, if we realize that God defends for his own children, then we must choose not to react to the situations we face and respond in the same intensity that people come against us. If we choose to go an eye for a eye, the whole world will become blind, if we go for tooth for a tooth, the whole world of law will become toothless and ineffective!
Acting in faith means, we are choosing not to react in haste and violence, but let God take the right decision to respond in his time and in his way for His Glory.
GLORY TO GOD!
Much Love and Blessings...
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