Matthew 5:31-48
The One who is speaking here – let us not forget – is the Messiah, the King of Israel. His teaching has been called the charter of the kingdom, for it sets out the conditions which should govern those who will become His subjects. But what a difference between that and the constitution and laws of the nations of this world, which are based on the rights of individuals and on the selfish rule, "each for himself". By contrast, the teaching of the Lord Jesus establishes not only the principles of non-violence, but of love, of humility and of self-denial, all absolutely foreign to the spirit of this world. Some people think that such precepts are inapplicable on the earth where we now live. Would not Christians who followed them literally be helpless victims at the mercy of any abuse imaginable? We may be sure God knows how to protect them in such circumstances. Moreover such an attitude constitutes a powerful witness, capable of confounding those who would wish to harm the believer, and might even lead to their conversion. These vv. 38 to 48 both humiliate and reprove us. How far we are from the One we are told about in 1 Peter 2:22-23; James 5:6 and so many other passages!