Additional Sermon Notes

Date: 8 October 2006
Text: Matthew 5:38-48
Title: Where is your left cheek?
Speaker: Pastor Lai

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I. Our right (vv 38~42)

(1) Ibn Saud was the king of Saudi Arabia from 1932 to 1953. One day, a woman went to him and demanded the death of a man who killed her husband. The man had been picking fruit from a tree when he accidentally fell; he hit the woman’s husband and fatally injured him. Although the king tried to persuade the woman not to pursue her right because it was an accident, she still insisted. With no other option, the king said, “It’s your right to ask for this man’s life, but it is my right to decree how he shall die. I sentence you to take him to underneath a tree and then you climb up to the tree and throw yourself down upon him from that height. In that way you will take his life as he took your husband’s.” The woman quickly changed her mind.

(2) This passage seems illogical. Non-Christians often used this passage to tease our stupidity. And unfortunately, many Christians were found speechless because many don’t know what this passage is about. We have to admit that some passages in the Bible is difficult to understand, and seems impossible to implement. Many Christians looked at these verses and shook their heads and said, “This is not for me.” So they just kind of ignore them, skip over them or have nothing to do with them.

(3) In each of the illustrations in this passage, whether we were insulted, taken advantage of, unappreciated, or cheated, it would better to give up our right to retaliate. When you focus on retaliation, you become a miserable person in the process. Even if you caused the person who gave you pain misery, it wouldn’t make you a happier person. What usually ends up is having two miserable persons hating each other.

II. Our Father (vv 43~47)

(1) Ramon Narvaez was the prime minister of Spain in the 19^th century. A priest went to visit him when he’s dying and asked, “Does your excellency forgive all your enemies?” He replied, “I do not have to forgive my enemies. I had them all shot.” We often shoot down our enemies. It’s better to get to them before they get to us.

(2) One way to love our enemies is to pray for their better good. In doing that, we find that it is difficult that after going into the presence of God and praying in His will, we come out bearing anger and hostility towards that person. If we wait until we develop a warm, caring feeling before we pray for our enemy, we would probably die first! If we act with our mind to pray for our enemies regardless of how we feel, we may eventually come out with a different feeling toward our enemy.

(3) Saint Augustine said, “To love those who love you is human; to hate those who love you is demonic; but to love those who hate you is divine.” As children of God, we ought to learn from our Father. As we know what divine love (agape) is-an act of the will, independent of feeling, then we learn from our Father in heaven how He loves. His love is indiscriminatory.

III. Our Goal (v 48)

(1) God does not expect us to reach sinless perfection. The context here is that we should reflect the kind of perfect love our Father has toward all mankind. We are never more like God than when we act in love toward another person, even our enemy. We love our enemies because it reflects the image of God. If this were our motivation to love, we would not be affected by how people react to our love towards them.

(2) So lofty, yet so difficult! If you think you could just walk out of here today and determine from here on how to love your enemies, you will certainly fail. This verse should drive us back to the first verse of the Beatitude, “Blessed are the poor in spirit.” When you feel poor in spirit, you would want to keep going back to God. It is then and only then, you feel loved, and it is then and only then, you can reflect God’s love. “We love because He first loves us.” (1 John 4:19)

(3) You have two paper notes with different value. One is a 2-dollar note and the other is a 10-dollar note. What makes the value different? It is not that the 10-dollar note is made out of more expensive paper. The paper and its ink have the same value. The size is not much of a different. What makes one paper note higher in value is what is being printed on the note, its image (not our former president). The material used for any paper note is the same; the value is higher because its image is different. So should we, as a child of God. Let us strive to reach the top to reflect God’s true nature and image.