Reflection on Mt 5:38-39
And Jesus continues: 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.
The commandment “an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth” seems cruel to us; however, it was intended to establish basic justice and to prevent avalanche-like revenge. Man has a tendency to pluck out two eyes for one eye and to knock out all teeth for one tooth. But Jesus tells us to forgive, to respond to evil by doing good and to hatred by showing forgiveness.
The Epistle to the Romans reads in the spirit of this appeal: “Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men. Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to the wrath of God… If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him a drink; for in so doing you will heap burning coals of shame on his head. Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” To be able to put this principle into practice and to suppress hatred and revenge as the natural reaction to evil, the Lord’s words on forgiveness need to be rooted in us. Evil can deceive us very easily and the avalanche that follows is hard to stop. In a situation of civil war, as we could see it in the former Yugoslavia many years ago, revenge only stirred up evil, which resulted in more and more crimes. Everyone thought to be justified in feeling hard done by and there was no just solution to it any more. The only solution is the instruction given by Jesus. It may seem disadvantageous or even absurd, and yet this absurdity is true life wisdom. Moreover, man should be aware of his sins against God as well as of the fact that by forgiving he has an opportunity to show his gratitude to God and to follow Jesus. Dying on the cross, Jesus forgave His enemies, saying: “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.” And what is more, through forgiveness the evil-doer is granted a grace and can stop and reflect on his acts. If we pay him back justly, he will remain blind and unable to admit his guilt, and he will throw all the blame on us. Of course, as regards secular law the purpose of which is to regulate social relations and to protect the innocent sheep against criminals, this law must punish justly, as the Apostle Paul says: “For rulers do not bear the sword for no reason.” Just laws prevent the spread of crime and vice. Ultimately, it is God to whom belongs the just punishment. Let us put the principles of the Gospel into practice in our personal life. Certainly, the principle of forgiveness should also cease a series of acts of so-called just retaliation between two nations at war.
In the next two weeks, let us try to put the following words into practice in the Spirit of Christ: “But I say to you: Do not fight back when harm is done to you.”
Download: Reflection on Mt 5:38-39
