171st Post Jesus Said on Submission - Matthew 5:38 - 42

Matthew 5: 38 - 42; Luke 6: 29 - 30
You have heard that it was said, "An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth." But I tell you not to resist an evil person. But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also. If anyone wants to sue you and take away your tunic, let him have your cloak also. And whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two. Give to him who asks you, and from him who wants to borrow from you do not turn away.
This passage was spoken by Jesus in His Sermon on the Mount, about 1.1/2 years into His earthly ministry. This passage contains a lot of hard teachings, so it may take several postings to explain it.
First, an eye for an eye, this comes from the Old Testament from Moses, when he told the people about this, there was no limit of how far a person could go for retribution. If someone put out a person's eye, the wounded person could kill the other person without fear from the law. God, through Moses used this idea of the punishment must fit the crime. This was the start of civilized law. All people adopted similar laws based on this idea. Now Jesus takes this further by saying do not resist an evil person. An evil person does not live according to the laws of society, so the teaching of an eye for an eye, would not apply to him. Who has the most force is what this type of person understands. Jesus teaches us not to resist them. Continued next post.