WHY JUSTICE ISN'T GOOD ENOUGH (5 OF 5)
by Craig Smith
Scripture: Matthew 5:38-42
This content is part of a series.
Why Justice Isn't Good Enough (5 of 5)
Series: He Said What
Craig Smith
Matthew 5:38-42
I. Introduction
Several years ago there was a Harrison Ford movie called Air Force One. Anybody remember it? There was a line early in the movie that really resonated with me. The line was this: ''Peace is not just the absence of conflict...it is the presence of justice.'' That idea really grabbed me. In fact, I think about that line just about every time I hear about some injustice in the world. It not only seems like a good idea. It seems like a biblical idea, doesn't it?
And yet, in the passage we're looking at today, Jesus seems to say something very different. In fact, he seems to set aside justice is favor of something very different. If you have your Bible, why don't you grab it and join me in Matthew 5, starting in verse 38...
II. Main Body
A. Spirit of the Law
38 ''You have heard that it was said, 'Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.' 39 But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. (Matthew 5:38-39a)
As in all of these examples, Jesus starts off by quoting an Old Testament commandment. In this case, the commandment was that if someone damaged another person's eye, they lost their eye as punishment. If someone knocked out another person's tooth, they lost their tooth as punishment. Now, at first glance, this probably sounds it's justifying revenge, right? And a lot of people have taken it this way. You did X to me, so now I'm totally free to do X back to you.
But that's not what this is intended to do. There are two things to understand here.
1. First, when God gave this command - which is found three times in the Old Testament, starting in Exodus 21 - what He was doing was outlining a principle of justice. In the simplest terms, we might say it this way: the punishment must fit the crime. According to this principle, you can't send someone to the electric chair for going six miles an hour over the speed limit. On the other hand, you can' ...
Series: He Said What
Craig Smith
Matthew 5:38-42
I. Introduction
Several years ago there was a Harrison Ford movie called Air Force One. Anybody remember it? There was a line early in the movie that really resonated with me. The line was this: ''Peace is not just the absence of conflict...it is the presence of justice.'' That idea really grabbed me. In fact, I think about that line just about every time I hear about some injustice in the world. It not only seems like a good idea. It seems like a biblical idea, doesn't it?
And yet, in the passage we're looking at today, Jesus seems to say something very different. In fact, he seems to set aside justice is favor of something very different. If you have your Bible, why don't you grab it and join me in Matthew 5, starting in verse 38...
II. Main Body
A. Spirit of the Law
38 ''You have heard that it was said, 'Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.' 39 But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. (Matthew 5:38-39a)
As in all of these examples, Jesus starts off by quoting an Old Testament commandment. In this case, the commandment was that if someone damaged another person's eye, they lost their eye as punishment. If someone knocked out another person's tooth, they lost their tooth as punishment. Now, at first glance, this probably sounds it's justifying revenge, right? And a lot of people have taken it this way. You did X to me, so now I'm totally free to do X back to you.
But that's not what this is intended to do. There are two things to understand here.
1. First, when God gave this command - which is found three times in the Old Testament, starting in Exodus 21 - what He was doing was outlining a principle of justice. In the simplest terms, we might say it this way: the punishment must fit the crime. According to this principle, you can't send someone to the electric chair for going six miles an hour over the speed limit. On the other hand, you can' ...
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