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Weimar University

Don Mackintosh

Exchanging Gifts Plus

Now back to our scripture reading text, if you could put that back up on the board.

You have heard that it has been said, an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, but I say to you that you resist not evil, but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.

Father in heaven, as we think about this text today, in the context of you revealing yourself, we ask that you would be with us.

Now, Perhaps you've heard at Christmas time of gift exchanges.

How many of you have ever been to a gift exchange where you take, and they say, look, when you go to this gift exchange, what do they say, what are the rules?

It's actually not a price limit, but it's a setting of the price so that when you give a gift, you will receive what?

That's why I entitled this message Gift Exchange Plus.

And in the Old Testament, Jesus was quoting in this verse, actually Exodus 21 verse 23 through 25, but if any harm follows then you shall give life for life, an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, a hand for a hand, a foot for a foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, stripe for stripe.

This was the rule of Lex, which means law.

Leviticus 2420, fracture for fracture, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, as he has caused disfigurement of men, so it shall be done for him.

And this law was actually throughout the Old Testament.

You could see it applied in the Old Testament.

You had Daniel who was thrown into the lion's den, but he had done nothing wrong before man and God, and so he was delivered from the lion's den.

And then what happened to the people that were gonna throw him in the lion's den?

Mordecai lived and Haman died on what gallows?

The very gallows that he had had for him.

They were ejected from the Garden of Eden.

Said, look, I'm going to eat whatever we want of our fruits.

And he said, you're not going to eat any fruits.

So they corrupted everything, so what did God do?

So some people have said when Jesus came in the New Testament, Matthew 5, 38 through 39, that he totally did away with the old.

They say look, look what he's saying in our scripture reading, which just was on the screen, but we can read it again You have heard that it was said an eye for an eye and a tooth for tooth But I say to you that you resist not evil, but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.

So someone suggested that when Jesus came, he did away with Mosaic law.

We now live in an area of grace, whereas in the Old Testament, it was law, but now grace.

Well, you know, before we jump on that bandwagon too quickly, you know, this is in Matthew.

Matthew was actually designed in 5 different, the first 5 sermons in Matthew are the same themes as the first 5 books of the Bible, the Pentateuch.

And Matthew is actually trying to make the case that Jesus is fulfilling the law, first 5 books of the Bible, right?

Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy.

The psalmist comes along and says, by the way, we need some hymns to go with that, and the psalmist is divided into 5 sections as well.

This whole idea was meant that in the New Testament and in even the song book was showing these these principles of the Torah the first 5 books of the Bible and Jesus came and he said, you know 1 greater than Jonah is here 1 greater than Solomon is here and then he even says most shockingly 1 greater than the temple is here.

Then on the Sermon on the Mount, he gives out divine legislation.

He actually takes the 10 Commandments and starts to even deepen them.

In fact, Martin Luther said that the Sermon on the Mount is the 10 Commandments times 50.

So, Jesus is now deepening this, and as he goes through the various commandments, He says, except your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and the Pharisees, you'll have no part.

And he starts to go through the commandments.

And he says, you have heard it said, you should do this, but I say to you, and he deepens it, you have said you should not kill, but I say who even hates somebody in his heart.

You heard it said, you shall not commit adultery, but I say if you even look at a woman with lust.

And then he says here, you have heard it said, eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth.

Someone slaps you on 1 cheek, turn the other cheek.

If someone asks you to take something 1 mile, take it 2 miles.

They were shocking statements because Christ was flipping the script.

He was saying, you know, there are certain things you deserve, lex talionis, there are certain things you deserve because of what you did.

I'm gonna show forbearance when it looks like there's no forbearance.

This dispensation in the Old Testament, he worked by law, the law of lex talionis, but in the New Testament he shifted.

Was there any grace in the story of Adam and Eve?

Yes, sure, they did what was wrong and they got kicked out of the garden, remember that, right?

He kept an angel at the entrance to provide a way back to the garden.

He gave a promise that there would be a child who would eventually come and they would have a way back to the Garden of Eden.

So there may be lex talionis, but there also was a way of escape.

You corrupted the world, you destroyed the world, I destroy all you.

In the midst of the Lex Talionis, there's a boat.

And you can get in the ark and you can find rest and by the way my prophet's name is Noah which means rest so though there is Lex Talionis there's that hint of grace not just a hint you might say a telegraphed building project for 120 years saying, accept my message of grace.

Lex Talionis plus, the surprising element that we see as a threat throughout the Old Testament.

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