We come now to the sixth and final of our Lord's, "You have heard it said...but I say to you," declarations, where He continues to address the erroneous teachings of the religious leaders, concerning the Law of God. Next time, Lord willing, we will move into the third portion of our Lord's Sermon on the Mount, where He will begin to address the corrupt and hypocritical actions of the religious leaders, as well.
Now, as we consider this text, you will find that it certainly relates to the previous declaration of our Lord's, which we considered last time. However, whereas verses 38-42 focus more on responding graciously to the specific actions and desires of those who might oppose us (turning the other cheek when slapped, giving up the cloak as well as the tunic when sued, going the extra mile when ordered, giving and lending whatever is asked for...etc), verses 43 and
following, go above and beyond this, compelling us to further look for ways beyond the stated and expressed desires of our opposers, to love them and do them good. In other words, it brings us to the point where we not only wait for our opposers and enemies to express their specific wants and desires, but rather, furthermore, we consciously look for ways to bless them and to do them good, beyond what is expressed by them. We labor unto positively serving them, for the sake of the Gospel, and not merely avoiding resisting them, when they press us in some way. |
