Retaliation?

I have been reflecting on the sermon I heard today, not only because it was a good sermon, but also because the message is so counter to our culture, yet so vital to true Christian living.  

The sermon was about Jesus' teaching on retaliation in Matthew 5:38-42.  This passage is one that really speaks to me because it reminds me that living for Christ isn't just about following rules--it's about following a person.  Jesus was a great example of this teaching, as He was for all of His teachings.  To live for Christ is to love Him--and that means not just reading His teachings, but also living them.

This passage is further proof of Jesus' words in Matthew 5:17 that He "did not come to abolish [the law] but to fulfill it."  He recognized how pious Jews had twisted the law to fit their own personal likings.  He wasn't changing the law, He was simply explaining the actual meaning and intentions of the law.  So, what does it mean for us?  It means the same thing that it did back then; in matters of personal retaliation, vengeance should be left to God.  Paul wrote about this in Romans 12:19, "Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, 'Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,' says the Lord."

There is so much to be said and thought about with this passage of Scripture, so I encourage you to look it up and see how it applies in your life.  Do you have a grudge you're hanging on to?  Are you holding out for some sort of revenge, great or small?  Heed the words of Jesus.  In this world where we are saturated with secular ideas and relative "truth", we need THE Truth more than ever!