Jesus said, “And
as for the person who wants to take you to court to obtain your shirt, let them
have your cloak as well.”
—
Matthew 5:40
(USC)
Christian life is lived dead to our own needs so others may live having
their needs met. Such a life is about trusting God wholeheartedly for the
fulfilment of our needs. And God never, in the experience of mature Christians,
lets us down, though we will well be disappointed a great number of times.
Well, how do we
apply our Christian certitude when we have someone against us? Whether they are
right or wrong, we give them more than they would ever expect to get.
It’s a hard thing to
stomach – but that’s the whistle charge.
Our divine mandate
has been set. We win them over before we even arrive in court.
What is an example
of not just giving them our shirt, but our cloak as well?
By giving our jacket
away, and not just our under garment, we are saying we are willing to face the
elements before we betray God’s justice – that we may be found even minutely
wrong. We never see ourselves as being beyond reproach, and, in that way, we
often become beyond reproach. The
subtle difference is we are so careful not to betray justice we hardly ever do.
Our objective is to
respect justice and wilt to righteous at every turn, and only in humility can
we do that.
By walking around
bare-chested but free of conscience for the theft of anything, we gain
something the world could never give us; the peace of the ancients who strode
the Ancient Path of obedience.
Only God can give us
the peace that surpasses understanding and that defies all knowledge.
Even as the person
walks away, our shirt on their back and our jacket over their shoulder, we are
pleased that we rose to a heavenly standard for justice. And, if even the thought
crosses our mind of injustice, we are quickly admonished by the encouragement
of the Lord – “They need these things more than you do, for I supply you out of
My Abundance, and besides, My Kingdom is advanced for what you have done...
well done, good and faithful servant!”
***
QUESTIONS in REVIEW:
1. Consider the cost of climbing
resentment for the petty matters of conflict. Has life become so banal?
2. What blessings might be showered
on the selfish person who then knows not what to do? Could they possibly
respond in curiosity in their incredulity?
3. When we are willing to be found
out for being wrong we are found having an unusual integrity. How could this
possibly be an admirable attribute of character?
© 2015 S. J. Wickham.
Note: USC version is Under the Southern Cross, The New Testament in Australian English
(2014). This translation was painstakingly developed by Dr. Richard Moore, a NT
Greek scholar, over nearly thirty years.
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