What do you do with a person who makes your life miserable on purpose, a spiteful boss, an ex-spouse, a neighbour you can barely stand? Paying them back in kind is the easiest response, but in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5) Jesus moves the boundary of the old law of retaliation straight into the human heart. The sermon traces where an eye for an eye came from, why loving your enemies is not naivety, and recalls people who actually walked that road, from Martin Luther King to a mother who faced her son’s killer in court. Listen if you are carrying a wound and do not know what to do with it.
Discussion questions
For your small group or for personal reflection after the sermon.
- Jesus says "You have heard that it was said," not "you have read." According to the sermon, what did "an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth" mean, and why did God give it to stop revenge beyond measure?
- How do you understand the commands in Matthew 5:39-42 about turning the other cheek and going the second mile, if they are hyperbole rather than literal rules?
- The sermon says God loved us when we wanted nothing to do with Him. How does this truth change the way you see people who hurt you?
- The Greek word teleios points to maturity and moving toward a goal. What does "be perfect as your Father is perfect" mean for you in dealing with a difficult person?
- The stories of Pastor Miller and the mother who forgave her son's killer show love for an enemy that leads them toward God. What in these examples moves you most, or makes you resist?
- Think of a specific difficult person at work, in your family, or online. What one step, such as praying for them or giving up retaliation, can you take this week?
