Author: Charlie Garrett

Sunday, 15 December 2024

If anyone wants to sue you and take away your tunic, let him have your cloak also. Matthew 5:40

Note: You can listen to today’s commentary courtesy of our friends at “Bible in Ten” podcast. (Click Here to listen).

You can also read this commentary, scrolling with music, courtesy of our friends at “Discern the Bible” on YouTube. (Click Here to listen), or at Rumble (Click Here to listen).

“And the ‘determining to sue you’ and your tunic to take, you send him also the cloak” (CG).

In the previous verse, Jesus told the disciples that when someone slaps one of them on the right cheek, he should turn the other to him also. He continues now in a similar line of thinking with, “And the ‘determining to sue you.’”

It is a way of describing a person who has determined to sue another. In such a case, Jesus adds, “and your tunic to take.”

The tunic or chitón, is the Greek form of the Hebrew word k’thoneth. That, in turn, comes from a root signifying to cover. Thus, it signifies a particular type of garment, such as a coat, garment, or robe worn next to the skin.

In this case, the person’s tunic is either the object of the suit or the penalty levied upon him which is to be handed over to the one suing. Either way, when the suit is brought forth, and the tunic is the object of the matter, Jesus says to go a step further, saying, “you send him also the cloak.”

This is the Greek word himation. It is an outer garment worn over the chitón. It would be the more expensive of the two garments. The judgment is for the tunic alone, and yet, Jesus says to go the extra mile and hand him your more expensive outer garment as well. This would leave the person without any garment at all. Despite that, it is what He says to do in order to demonstrate the gracious nature that God displays.

Life application: Jesus knew that someday He would be charged with offenses He did not commit and be crucified for the sins of others. When this came about, the Psalms already said that His garments would be taken from Him –

“They divide My garments among them,
And for My clothing they cast lots.” Psalm 22:18

Despite depictions that are made for modesty’s sake, it is generally accepted that Jesus would have hung naked on the cross. It was a way of demeaning those who were crucified, stripping any dignity from them. This was intended to be an object lesson for those who saw, instructing them that a similar fate would come upon them if they broke the laws of Rome.

Jesus was willing to accept the shame of the cross in order to reconcile us to God. His words in this verse are given as instruction on how to find reconciliation with others. If one were to send both his garments to his foe when only one was levied as a fine, the foe would – hopefully – see the error of his unjust actions and return both garments.

Of course, many see the cross of Jesus and ignore it or speak against it, but He was willing to die for them as well. It may be that they will have a change of heart and turn from their stubbornness, calling out for forgiveness. Until one’s last breath, it is never too late.

The point of Jesus’s words is that if God is willing to go to such lengths to reconcile us to Himself, we should be willing to go beyond what is expected to do so as well. Paul speaks in a similar manner in his first letter to the Corinthians –

“Now therefore, it is already an utter failure for you that you go to law against one another. Why do you not rather accept wrong? Why do you not rather let yourselves be cheated?” 1 Corinthians 6:7

How wonderful it is, O God, to know Jesus and to be accepted by You because of what He has done. We are the ones who stand opposed to You. And yet, You have made the offer of reconciliation. Help us to have this same attitude and to bring You the glory You are due in the eyes of others as we live out our lives. Amen.

Saturday, 14 December 2024

But I tell you not to resist an evil person. But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also. Matthew 5:39

Note: You can listen to today’s commentary courtesy of our friends at “Bible in Ten” podcast. (Click Here to listen)

You can also read this commentary, scrolling with music, courtesy of our friends at “Discern the Bible” on YouTube. (Click Here to listen), or at Rumble (Click Here to listen).

“And I, I say to you, not resist the evil. But whoever, you, he shall slap unto your right cheek, and you turn to him the other” (CG).

Jesus just cited the law concerning an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. Again, as before, He now gives God’s perspective on how to respond when personally offended by another. He begins His words with, “And I, I say to you.”

As before, and contrary to almost all translations of these words, this is not a contrast to what the Lord said when giving the law, as if the law was defective (But now I say…). Rather, the law was given to keep society in check. It is proper, good, and holy. However, the words stated now by Jesus provide for how things should ideally be handled to avoid escalation of a matter (And I, I say…). Understanding this, He next says, “not resist the evil.”

Someone has committed evil against another. How should that person respond to be like God in his conduct? The answer is to not resist. One can see this throughout Scripture. Israel offended the Lord in ten thousand ways in the pages of the Bible. And yet, the Lord remained gracious to them, forgiving their transgressions and keeping covenant faithfulness with them.

He was merciful to Nineveh in the book of Jonah –

“So the people of Nineveh believed God, proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest to the least of them. ⁶ Then word came to the king of Nineveh; and he arose from his throne and laid aside his robe, covered himself with sackcloth and sat in ashes. ⁷ And he caused it to be proclaimed and published throughout Nineveh by the decree of the king and his nobles, saying,
Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste anything; do not let them eat, or drink water. ⁸ But let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and cry mightily to God; yes, let every one turn from his evil way and from the violence that is in his hands. ⁹ Who can tell if God will turn and relent, and turn away from His fierce anger, so that we may not perish?
¹⁰ Then God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God relented from the disaster that He had said He would bring upon them, and He did not do it.” Jonah 5:5-10

This is also how the Lord has treated each person who has offended Him and yet later came to Jesus. There is forgiveness and restoration. And so, Jesus continues with, “But whoever, you, he shall slap unto your right cheek, and you turn to him the other.”

The word translated as slap, rhapizó, is rare, being found only here and in Matthew 26:27. In this verse, it is also spelled differently in some texts, rhapisó. It signifies to strike someone with the palm of the hand.

Jesus says that when being slapped on the right cheek, a person should then strephó, turn, and offer the other cheek. The word signifies a dynamic change from one direction to another. In other words, the turn should be obvious in order to catch the attention of the one who slapped the right cheek.

The obvious signification of such an act is to quell the temper of the person who slapped. It can even lead to shaming him for doing something that was obviously uncalled for. To offer the other cheek in such a manner means that the first slap was out of line. How much more would another slap be?

Life application: Jesus will continue this line of thought and the reasons for it until the end of the chapter. However, Jesus does not say that His people are punching bags that have to simply take abuse without responding.

This is too often the thought presented in sermons, and by people who overly focus on these words to the exclusion of other things said by both Jesus and the apostles. In His parables, Jesus speaks of taking matters to the judges, He speaks of the retribution of God upon those who will not reconsider their state before Him, and so forth.

This is true with the words of the apostles as well. Nothing in Scripture justifies letting legal matters go, refusing to be in the military, not getting justice when harmed by others, etc. We live in this world, and we have every right to take the same actions as others.

Jesus’ words here speak of conduct between those who develop a state of enmity that can be handled differently than one might otherwise contemplate, but they do not limit taking necessary actions to safeguard oneself, one’s family, or participate in protecting the nation in which a Christian lives.

Glorious Lord God, Your word asks us to consider our state before You and in relation to others we interact with. How can we handle offenses differently than would normally be the case? How do we properly interact with others, including those we are at enmity with? We do it by considering You and Your ways toward us. When we do, we will know how to properly act in such matters. Thank You for giving us Your word that shows us such things so that we can act rightly in Your presence. Amen.

Friday, 13 December 2024

“You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ Matthew 5:38

Note: You can listen to today’s commentary courtesy of our friends at “Bible in Ten” podcast. (Click Here to listen)

You can also read this commentary, scrolling with music, courtesy of our friends at “Discern the Bible” on YouTube. (Click Here to listen), or at Rumble (Click Here to listen).

“You heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye and tooth for tooth’” (CG).

In the previous verse, Jesus noted that one’s Yes should be yes and his No should be no. Anything beyond that is out of evil. He now starts a new thought, saying, “You heard that it was said.”

He again turns to that which was heard and understood by all. It is a precept out of the law itself, but He will provide additional insights into what God expects. The precept is found first in Exodus 21:24. It is then repeated in Leviticus and Deuteronomy, “Eye for eye and tooth for tooth.”

The original precept said –

“If men fight, and hurt a woman with child, so that she gives birth prematurely, yet no harm follows, he shall surely be punished accordingly as the woman’s husband imposes on him; and he shall pay as the judges determine. ²³ But if any harm follows, then you shall give life for life, ²⁴ eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, ²⁵ burn for burn, wound for wound, stripe for stripe.” Exodus 21:22-25

This law is known as the Lex Talionis, the law of retaliation. The punishment is given to resemble the offense in both kind and degree of severity. It is a right standard for keeping people in check. If someone knows that he will have his eye plucked out for plucking out someone else’s eye, the chances are that he will restrain from doing that.

This goes for pretty much every action that will be repaid in kind. When one understands that his actions against someone will lead to like punishment, he will normally use wisdom and restrain himself.

This type of punishment was certainly to be evaluated and meted out in a judicial setting. It was not something that people were to do on their own. Whether this was something people did – without judicial approval or not – may be a part of how society in general acted, but it is certain that this was not expected to be what one would normally carry out on his own.

Jesus will next clarify what people should do in such cases of offense.

Life application: Exodus 21, cited above, specifically deals with the murder of an unborn child. The obvious point is that there is a child in the womb considered a human being. This is to be taken as an axiom, and yet it is as common as pages in a book for people to intentionally destroy their unborn children through abortion.

If you want to know if the Lord, who gave us the words of the Bible, finds aborting a child acceptable, one read through Scripture, while taking notes concerning the unborn, will reveal the truth. It is a great sin against human morality, and it is something that can never be condoned when placed in the light of Scripture.

Use wisdom in how you evaluate such moral matters. What is legal does not necessarily equate to what is right. The same people who find it acceptable to abort children because it is legal will claim that past policies concerning slavery cannot be condoned, even though it was legal. The thinking is awry. We must use Scripture as our standard for understanding what is morally acceptable or not.

Lord God, we live in a world of confused thinking, especially over moral precepts. Society cannot be the standard for our moral choices. That has failed throughout history. Where can we go to determine such things? To Scripture! Help us to use Your word to solidify our morals. Surely, in this, we will be doing what is right in Your eyes. Amen.

Thursday, 12 December 2024

But let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No.’ For whatever is more than these is from the evil one. Matthew 5:37

Note: You can listen to today’s commentary courtesy of our friends at “Bible in Ten” podcast. (Click Here to listen)

You can also read this commentary, scrolling with music, courtesy of our friends at “Discern the Bible” on YouTube. (Click Here to listen), or at Rumble (Click Here to listen).

“And let it be, your word, ‘Yes, yes.’ ‘No, no.’ And the surplus of these, it is out of evil” (CG).

The previous verse noted that Jesus said not to swear by our heads because we cannot make one hair white or black. Now, He tells His disciples how their words should be spoken, saying, “And let it be, your word, ‘Yes, yes.’ ‘No, no.’”

The meaning is that instead of swearing about a matter to elevate one’s supposed sincerity concerning it, a person’s simple Yes should mean yes, and a person’s No should mean no. There should be no need for a person to swear an oath because he is to be known for always keeping his word.

The thought is, “That Mike, you can always take him at his word. If he said ‘Yes,’ then he will do what he said.” Likewise, “I don’t know about you, but if Joey said ‘No,’ she didn’t do it. That settles it with me. She is the straightest shooter I have ever worked with.”

The precept is referred to by Paul in 2 Corinthians 1 –

“Therefore, when I was planning this, did I do it lightly? Or the things I plan, do I plan according to the flesh, that with me there should be Yes, Yes, and No, No? ¹⁸ But as God is faithful, our word to you was not Yes and No. ¹⁹ For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was preached among you by us—by me, Silvanus, and Timothy—was not Yes and No, but in Him was Yes. ²⁰ For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us. ²¹ Now He who establishes us with you in Christ and has anointed us is God, ²² who also has sealed us and given us the Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee.” 2 Corinthians 1:17-22

Likewise, James mentions it in the same context as Jesus in his epistle –

“But above all, my brethren, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or with any other oath. But let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No,’ lest you fall into judgment.” James 5:12

Of this need for sincerity of speech, Jesus next says, “And the surplus of these, it is out of evil.”

The word perissos, surplus, signifies that which is abundant, exceeding, more than, etc. In this case, the meaning is that the need to swear in order to affirm one’s veracity comes from an evil disposition, it stems from an evil purpose, or it is derived from the “evil one,” meaning the devil. No matter which, evil is ultimately derived from the devil. He got the whole ball rolling, and it has continued in hearts of wickedness ever since.

Life application: If you have watched people carefully over the years, you will see that Jesus’ words are borne out in those who constantly swear in order to affirm what they say is true. They will take advantage of the swearing, maybe not lying every time, but using it as a tool of deception when it is convenient.

When they are challenged on their falsities, they will often get angry, belligerent, or act as if they are offended because their integrity has been challenged. It is the people who simply state a matter and follow through with it that are held as people of true integrity.

There is no need for extra ruffles and flourishes in one’s speech when it comes to telling the truth. Just speak what is true in the simplest form, follow through with your words, and people will look at you as a person who is reliable and filled with integrity.

Glorious God, may we be obedient to the precepts laid out for us in Your word concerning our speech and conduct. You created us, and so the manual You have given us for proper living will guide us rightly. We know this, and so help us to remember it as we go forth in the world. To Your glory, we pray. Amen.

Wednesday, 11 December 2024

Nor shall you swear by your head, because you cannot make one hair white or black. Matthew 5:36

Note: You can listen to today’s commentary courtesy of our friends at “Bible in Ten” podcast. (Click Here to listen)

You can also read this commentary, scrolling with music, courtesy of our friends at “Discern the Bible” on YouTube. (Click Here to listen), or at Rumble (Click Here to listen).

“Nor in your head shall you swear, for not you are able one hair – white or black – to make” (CG).

In the previous verses, Jesus told His disciples not to swear at all. He then said not to do so in heaven, nor in the earth, nor unto Jerusalem. Now, He finishes this immediate thought, saying, “Nor in your head shall you swear.”

Some scholars have noted that swearing by one’s head was a practice held by those in the past, both in Jewish society and among the Gentiles. But other than being able to think about God and pondering His ways, such a vow has no relationship to Him at all.

The head is a part of the body, and the body of man was fashioned by God. To swear by one’s own head is its own special form of idolatry. First, it raises the head in general to a level of importance comparable to one’s view of God.

Second, it elevates one’s own head to a level that calls out for acknowledgment that it is so. In other words, it is comparable to saying, “I swear by my head. As this is the epitome of importance, you can trust that my vow has all the binding authority of God Himself.”

When thought through, it is an arrogant display of self-exaltation. But humans often say things without thinking the substance of their words through. Quite often this is unintentional, but our words are what define us. As a reason for not swearing by one’s head, Jesus next says, “for not you are able one hair – white or black – to make.”

The Greek word is poieó, to do or to make. The Berean Strong’s Lexicon says it is a word “encompassing a wide range of actions from creating and producing to performing and executing. It is often used to describe God’s creative acts, human actions, and the fulfillment of commands or duties.”

Most interpreters consider these words to mean that we are unable to change the color of even a single hair. That seems unlikely, though, because we actually can change the color of our hair. Bengel attempts to get around this, saying –

“The dye of human art is not real whiteness or blackness. Not merely is a single hair, but even the colour of a single hair, beyond the power of man.”

In other words, his thoughts are that when we dye our white hair black, it is still actually white. This is a possible explanation, but other than the person who does the dyeing, no one else may even know this, and so it somewhat defeats the intent of the thought that is being conveyed. What is probably the meaning is how the Lamsa Bible paraphrases these words –

“Neither shall you swear by your own head, because you cannot create in it a single black or white hair.”

This seems more likely. It aligns with Bengel’s intent, but it avoids the thought of dyeing the hair completely. Humans cannot create anything, even a single hair that is the color of our choosing. If we do not have the ability to create a single hair, either black or white, then we have no right to affirm an oath by swearing upon our heads.

Life application: As noted above, we often quote things without thinking through what we are actually saying. Rather, we simply repeat something that sounded bold, extravagant, or funny without considering how ridiculous the words actually are.

People will often say things like, “Oh my, this kitchen is to die for,” meaning that it is a really beautiful or well-laid-out kitchen. But if someone were willing to die to have a similar kitchen, then he or she would be dead. A dead person having a kitchen is quite pointless.

Likewise, people often say, “He has more money than God.” It sounds funny at first, but it is demeaning of God while being a completely ridiculous claim. God possesses all things, including the money that we make. To say such a thing elevates money above God.

We should consider the clichés we pick up and repeat. Even if they are intended to make a particular point about the subject that is bold or funny, the substance behind them may be foolish, ridiculous, or even blasphemous. As such, we should be careful what things we convey with our lips.

Lord God, give us wisdom in how we communicate our thoughts, knowing that even our words are being evaluated by You. We often speak before we think. From there, our words become ingrained in our conversations and we repeat things that we should not. Help us in this. May what we say always be glorifying of You. Amen.