Retaliation | Week 5 of You've Heard It Said

In his famous Sermon on the Mount, Jesus goes through six case studies of living life God’s way. For each case, he begins with “You have heard it said …” and then responds with “But I say …” The common wisdom that we often hear about how to do life helps us get by, but in these case studies, Jesus introduces a radical approach to living that frees us from the shortcomings and pitfalls of “the normal way.” How can we learn to live radically and to totally transform our approach to others?Week 5 of You've Heard It Said

Teacher: Megan StibrichIn Matthew 5:38-42, Jesus offers wisdom from the Torah about retaliation, justice, and nonviolent resistance to injustice. He references a series of laws in Exodus 21, Leviticus 24, and Deuteronomy 19, all of which contain the familiar language of “eye for eye, tooth for tooth.” Jesus reveals the surprising wisdom within these laws, using real-life scenarios that would have been familiar to oppressed Israelites living under Roman occupation: turning the other cheek, giving your cloak, and going the extra mile. In this message, we discuss how these actions can open up our imaginations for boldly standing against injustice in creative, nonviolent ways.