Someone once said that an eye for an eye makes the whole world blind, and another person added that at least the last one standing will still have one eye. The joke shows how tempting it is to think that if I pay back just this once, I will be the last one left on the field. This story opens a sermon on the Sermon on the Mount, where Jesus uncovers the heart of the law and leads us from the cheek, the tunic, and the extra mile all the way to loving our enemies (Matt 5). Repaying evil is a burden we cannot carry, and the road to loving enemies begins with praying for them and looking to Jesus on the cross. Listen if you want to see who really needs to change when you think of the person who hurt you.
Discussion questions
For your small group or for personal reflection after the sermon.
- How do you understand the words "an eye for an eye" in their original purpose, and how do we often use them? According to Jesus, what is the heart of this law?
- Which of the three images (the cheek, the tunic and cloak, the extra mile) speaks to you most, and why?
- According to the sermon, how is turning the other cheek different from submitting to harm? How does this fit with setting healthy boundaries?
- Why might God ask us to love our enemies? What changes in you when you think that God takes care of justice?
- How can praying for the person who hurt you change the way you see them and change your heart?
- Who can you start supporting in prayer this week, and what concrete step of kindness can you take toward them?
