Key Verse: This is what the Lord almighty says:
"Administer true justice; show mercy and compassion to one another.
Zechariah 7:9
Here again, Jesus is finding another way to tell His
listeners that it's all about grace. He is still referring to the law that they
are all too familiar with, but helping them to see what His intent was when He
gave it to Moses so many years ago. Even the original, "eye for an
eye," was a command of grace, though that may seem hard for us to believe
today. God's original call was for His people to practice self-control by
limiting themselves and not giving in to the desire to vent full fury upon
another. God was setting limits on His people. He especially called for
restraint against the poor for whom He has a special ear.
Now, Jesus calls His disciples to not only exercise
restraint, but practice grace, as He would one day extend to them through the
cross. Don't just suffer, find a way to bless. Go the extra mile. Turn the
other cheek. You're better than that! Don't let "THEM," define who
you are. Don't respond like an animal, as your sinful, human nature would
naturally call for. Behave as one created in the image of the creator, above
the fray, to their shame and God's glory.
Even in our Old Testament readings, we see God's call for
compassion. If you need to take another person's cloak in pledge for repayment,
return it to him at night so that he won't get cold. Our human nature would
respond to the poor man’s plight something like, "Well, that's his tough
luck! He's just suffering the consequences of the fact that he hasn't paid me
back yet so that I can return it to him permanently.” No, God calls for compassion
and mercy to keep the indebted man from suffering cold while he sleeps.
In going the extra mile: it was common in Jesus' day for a
Roman soldier to grab a non-Roman person, in this case a Jew, and demand that
he carry the soldier's pack up to a mile for him. It was the Romans' way of
reminding the common people of just who was boss. Jesus says, “Carry it two
miles, with a good attitude, to let the soldier see grace and dignity.”
It is all about grace and attitude. It is about compelling
others, through compassion, to Christ. Not because we have to, but because we
want to because the love of Christ within us compels us to do so. It's a whole
new way of living that is impossible without Him.
Hymn: Depths of Mercy
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