In this blog, learn the powerful and unusual lessons of Jesus Christ (Yahshua the Messiah). From loving your enemies to going the extra mile for others!
Story of having the right attitude
One day a businessman hopped in a taxi and they took off for the airport. They were driving in the right lane when suddenly a black car jumped out of a parking space right in front of them.
His taxi driver slammed on his brakes, skidded, and missed the other car by just inches! The driver of the other car whipped his head around and started yelling at them.
The taxi driver just smiled and waved at the guy. He was really friendly. So the businessman asked, ‘Why did you just do that? This guy almost ruined your car and sent us to the hospital!’
Then, the taxi driver answered with profound wisdom. He explained that many people are like garbage trucks. They run around full of garbage, full of frustration, full of anger, and full of disappointments. As their garbage piles up, they need a place to dump it and sometimes they’ll dump it on you. Don’t take it personally. Just smile, wave, wish them well, and move on. Don’t take their garbage and spread it to other people at work, at home, or on the streets. Life is much better when you refuse to take in the garbage and live a happier life.
Your reaction shows who you really are
This story is quite fascinating. I haven’t really thought of people like garbage trucks. However, the point of the story is clear, how we react to life’s situations reflects who we are as a person. If we are full of garbage on the inside, we will most likely dump it out sooner or later. It will only take one situation that will expose who we really are on the inside.
You see, reactions tell so much about you. When you react, it is not scripted. It is unplanned. It is spontaneous. So, it reveals the real person.
It’s easy to be nice and happy when things are going well. However, in moments when your patience is tested when you are placed in a difficult situation, when you can’t seem to get things right, how do you respond?
Today, brethren, this afternoon, I would like to discuss the importance of having the right response in various situations that could test our character as a child of Yahweh.
The difference between react and response
The words react and response may seem to have a similar meaning. However, in psychology, these two words have different meanings.
Reactions are done on impulse, without putting much thought into it or considering what the end result may be.
Response is more thoughtful and done with reasoning. People who respond put their thoughts ahead of their actions. On the other hand, people who react put their actions ahead of their thoughts.
It’s like what you often hear on social media nowadays as an advice on how we should behave online. They will often tell you, “Think before you click.” That’s responding. Click before you think. That’s reaction.
Because you need to think before you give a response, giving a response is slower compared to giving a reaction. What’s more, in most cases, reacting is almost working on instinct or out of impulse.
Going back to our story earlier, brethren, the black car driver is reacting to what happened while the taxi driver is responding.
Now, why am I discussing this with you? It is because as followers of Yahshua, we are called to respond, to think of what we are going to say, think or do, and to be conscious of the way we behave. To make this discussion easier for us to understand, brethren, when we react, we let our human nature take over. However, when we respond, we let the Holy Spirit take over.
How should we respond
With that, for the rest of this message, I would like to walk you through the different situations where we could let the Holy Spirit direct our response. To do that, let us learn the proper way to respond straight from the teachings of Yahshua.
Let’s go to Matthew 5:38:
“You have heard that it was said, An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’
We don’t even have to read this in the Bible. That’s just how the world works. Do to others what they did to you. That’s expected. That’s natural. People will not be surprised if a person hits another person after getting hit as well. Naturally, he will get even. You hurt my eye, I’ll take out your eye. You knocked out my tooth, I’ll knock out your tooth, too.
To better understand this verse, we need to go back to Exodus 21:22-25:
22 “If men fight, and hurt a woman with child, so that she gives birth prematurely, yet no harm follows, he shall surely be punished accordingly as the woman’s husband imposes on him; and he shall pay as the judges determine. 23 But if any harm follows, then you shall give life for life, 24 eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, 25 burn for burn, wound for wound, stripe for stripe.
A lot of people read this and say, “Whoo, the Old Testament is really cruel. How can you carry out this type of barbaric judgment?”
To set the record straight, let us be clear here. This passage is NOT generally meant to be a literal requirement of executing judgment. We don’t see any verse in the Bible that shows this principle to be literally carried out. Yes, a judge in Israel may demand a life for a life, stripes for stripes or wound for wound for certain crimes, but we don’t see any indication that the eye-for-eye and tooth-for-tooth principles have been carried out.
In fact, if we read in Exodus 21:26-27, we read that if a man struck the eye of his servant or knocked his tooth, that man should let go of this servant. We don’t see that a literal eye was paid for an eye or a tooth for a tooth.
The KEY to understanding this passage is to learn its INTENT. The eye-for-an-eye principle and other aspects of this verse were meant to ensure that the punishment would fit the crime and most especially to make sure that the penalty should NOT GO BEYOND the crime.
The natural tendency of people is not just to get even, but to never be cheated. If you cost me my hand, then you will pay your hand and foot for it. If you killed my brother, then I will kill your whole family. That’s just how human nature operates.
Now, in most cases, the judges don’t carry out these punishments literally, but rather they use it as a guide.
Here’s where the problem comes in. During the time of Yahshua, the Pharisees were teaching the Jews that it was acceptable to seek personal revenge. If someone punched you in the face, it is okay that you punched him back. If a person stole your property, then it is okay to take their property as well.
Remember, Yahshua came to magnify the law, to teach its spiritual intent. Because of the wrong understanding of the Jews and religious leaders of this eye for an eye principle, they feel justified to seek revenge when they get wronged!
But Yahshua, being the wise Teacher that He is, is going to teach us something that’s revolutionary — something that has never been taught properly before, something that goes against our natural reaction. He said:
Do not resist an evil person
38 “You have heard that it was said, An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ 39 But I tell you not to resist an evil person.
An eye for an eye, that’s easy. Getting revenge, that’s easy. That’s natural and it takes little to no effort. But not to resist an evil person, now that’s more difficult, but the result is more rewarding.
Now, before you get the wrong idea here, Yahshua is not telling us to be Christian doormats, that we allow other people to simply hurt us. That’s not what Yahshua is saying here.
Yahshua is teaching us not to pay evil for evil. When Yahshua said that we must not resist an evil person, He was basically telling us not to seek revenge but to let the judges and magistrates do their work. But on a personal level, we should not actively try to seek revenge.
The Apostle Paul expounded on this in Romans 12:17-21:
17 Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men. 18 If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men. 19 Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord.
Now, here’s something really interesting brethren, the act of not seeking revenge and letting God fight your battle is an act of faith. You are trusting God that His mercy and justice will prevail even though you don’t understand how that will happen.
Aside from that, when you let God handle the situation, you are giving God an opportunity to demonstrate His goodness, love, and wisdom instead of you taking things into your own hands.
20 Therefore
“If your enemy is hungry, feed him;
If he is thirsty, give him a drink;
For in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head.”21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
Turn the other cheek
Now, let’s continue what Yahshua said in Matthew Matthew 5:39
But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also.
What kind of teaching is this Yahshua? This is impractical today. In our society today, the nice guys finish last. You can’t simply survive in this type of environment letting others slap you.
However, what is Yahshua saying here? This statement can easily be misunderstood if you don’t know the historical context. The audience of Yahshua perfectly understood what He was saying. The act of slapping a person on the right cheek refers to someone insulting another person.
Normally, the dominant hand of a person is the right hand. You can’t slap another person’s right check with your right hand with an open palm. Instead, you’re going to slap him with the back of your hand.
Yahshua is telling us not to trade insults. If someone insults you, don’t react with another insult. That’s common in our society today. Turning the other cheek means yes, it will not end with just one insult, there could be more. However, our response should not be to escalate the situation, rather we need to diffuse the situation.
As followers of Yahshua, we must be willing to suffer wrong. We would rather be cheated than to make things even worse.
The Apostle Paul added in 1 Corinthians 6:7:
7 Now therefore, it is already an utter failure for you that you go to law against one another. Why do you not rather accept wrong? Why do you not rather let yourselves be cheated?
This command of Yahshua is especially important for us, His followers. Because of our belief, we are going to suffer persecution and sometimes, people will insult us. Once, a classmate of mine told me that we are a cult. When I was in High School, someone called me a lost sheep.
Online, when you post something about your belief, sooner or later, someone will insult you. There will be atheists who will ridicule you. There’s one religion that if you’re going to insult their prophet, they will kill you. But for Yahshua, we need to do our best to live peaceably with men as much as possible. We are not going to actively seek revenge.
The main concern of the eye for an eye principle is to limit revenge, but Yahshua, magnifying the law, doesn’t even have to do with limiting revenge, but avoiding revenge.
Can now see how revolutionary Christ’s teaching is? That’s just something that goes against the natural reaction.
Going the extra mile
Now, let’s continue once again:
If anyone wants to sue you and take away your tunic, let him have your cloak also.
Matthew 5:40
During the time of Yahshua, a tunic was a precious commodity. Yahshua offers the example of a lawsuit where you might be required to provide a security deposit. In our modern society, this would be like posting bail. In the Jewish culture this security deposit would often be an article of clothing (a very valuable item in those days).
Verse 40 and 41 are actually related and teach us the same important principle:
41 And whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two.
In those days a Roman soldier had a legal right to require a Jew to carry his backpack for a mile. As a resident in an area occupied by Rome it was part of your civic obligation.
In both these cases the principle is to act more generously than the law requires and to go above and beyond the minimum requirements to create peace with those who might otherwise be your enemies.
This tells us that we should have a willing heart to go the extra mile. We don’t simply stop at the minimum, but we go beyond that in order to create peace.
Now Yahshua describes a forced march, of sorts. This example was a clear reference to Israel’s Roman occupiers, who were often harsh and unfair in their treatment of the Jewish people. Apparently, Roman soldiers could grab any Jewish citizen they chose and force that person to carry luggage or other items for a standard mile. That kind of oppressive, invasive act would naturally inspire a hunger for revenge. Culturally, it would entice people to violently overthrow the Romans.
Some of Yahshua’s original audience thought His goal as Messiah was to overthrow the occupiers and drive them out of Israel. That would make His next command shocking: don’t refuse, and do even more than you were asked. Depending on how one translates this phrase, it might even mean “walk with them another two miles,” adding up to a total of three miles.
Taken out of context, and with cynicism, some hear appeasement and weakness in these words. Human nature jumps to the assumption that Jesus means weakly surrendering to bullies and invaders. Instead, Jesus is describing a person strong enough to take control—strong enough to give to an enemy more than they asked for. In Romans 12:21, the apostle Paul will say it this way, “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”
Jesus does not tell His followers to shrink and wither, even to the slap or the lawsuit or the abuse of authority. He tells them to demonstrate strength by freely giving away more than an enemy can take. This is a demonstration of power in the guise of submission. This kind of response makes it possible for God to demonstrate His goodness even in the face of those with the most evil intent.
Such a response is literally invincible: it entirely refuses to allow the evil person to control the situation. It shouts, in clear terms, that their abuse and insults can’t overcome the power and influence of Christ in our life.
Give more than what is asked
42 Give to him who asks you, and from him who wants to borrow from you do not turn away.
Matthew 5:42
In the previous scenarios, Yahshua was talking about submitting to a higher authority like the Roman government or someone trying to bring you to court. However, in this instance, Yahshua is saying that even to the people who belong to the lower class, you should also help them out.
When the disciples heard this teaching, I can just imagine their faces. These are difficult commands from Yahshua. Give to him who asks? If anyone wants to borrow from, don’t turn away? Giving is not the natural response of people. We want to keep as much as possible for ourselves. Yet, Yahshua here is saying that we should be willing to do good to others. It is not enough to simply not do evil, but we must do good.
However, lest you misunderstand, Yahshua is not teaching us here to be naive or gullible. In Matthew 10:16 we read:
16 “Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves.
Matthew 10:16
We must be discerning to identify those who are really in need and when we have identified them, we must be willing to help trusting Yahweh that He will continue to bless us even though we are giving up something that we could have used for ourselves.
In 2 Thessalonians 3:10, we read:
For even when we were with you, we commanded you this: If anyone will not work, neither shall he eat.
Now, Yahshua doesn’t stop there. He went on to say in verse 43:
43 “You have heard that it was said, You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’
Notice, Yahshua was saying, you have heard this. The first part of the sentence is correct, but the second one is wrong. The Jews in Yahshua’s day made an assumption that we are only to love our neighbor. It didn’t say, love your enemies.
God never commands hate for other people. Leviticus 19:18 commands love for one’s neighbor, but there’s no Scripture where Jesus’ listeners would have been told to hate their enemies. It’s possible that Israel’s religious leaders seized on the “neighbor” concept, claiming that those who were not their “neighbors” were not to be loved. Religious leaders might have taught, since God hates evil, that hatred toward the wicked enemies of God was not only justified, but required.
44 But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you,
Matthew 5:44
Again, what a powerful teaching in a world full of hate, indifference, and strife. Let’s face it, we don’t even regularly pray for most people we like and now, we are also going to pray for those who hate us? Christ was saying, I want you to add this to your prayer list. Not only that, but we are going to pray for the people who spitefully use us and persecute us.
I don’t know about you but this is completely radical, especially for the first-century Jews who live under Roman rule. They constantly feel the need to defeat their enemy, overthrow them, and even kill them if needed. Yet, Yahshua is telling them you need to pray for them. You need supernatural strength to do that.
We are to be a child of God
In the long discourse, Yahshua finally gives us a reason why we are supposed to respond this way:
that you may be sons of your Father in heaven Matthew 5:45
So, what’s the point of all this? So that we become children of our Heavenly Father. If you do all these things, you’ll become a child of God. Yahshua is telling us people should see a glimpse of Yahweh in every response that we give. People should see a resemblance to God in us. We must reflect His character in the way we respond!
Maybe, you have heard this from other people, “Hey, it’s undeniable, you’re the son of Mr. so and so because you just looked like him.”
for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.
Matthew 5:45
God’s extends His goodness to everyone. Whether they are good or evil, they still see the sun, they still experience the rain. That’s just how God is and that is supposed what we should be. We should not be just nice to a select group of people. Remember, Yahshua died not just for the few, but for all men.
Do you realize this brethren, Yahshua is actually separating the hearers from the doers. A lot of people know the radical teachings of Yahshua, but only a few actually follow His teachings.
In Romans 5:8, we read:
8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Did you see that brethren, Yahshua died for us not when we are righteous, not when we are following His commandments, not when we already know His teachings and commandments? Christ did not wait for us to change, but rather, He died for us right there and then.
Now, Yahshua is asking us to do the same to others. We need to extend the same grace, the same mercy, and the same goodness that God has bestowed on us.
Why should you forgive others? Because God has forgiven you. Why should you love your enemies, because we were once enemies of God and even then, Christ died for us. We must be willing to be patient to others as much as God is patient to us.
If other people insult us, remember, people have also insulted Yahshua. Did He strike back, no. If other people cheated us, remember, people have also cheated Yahshua. All these things, they have done to our Savior and Christ have set us the example not to react based on what’s natural, but to respond based on the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
What reward do you have?
Yahshua further gave us an example:
46 For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? 47 And if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the tax collectors do so?
Matthew 5:46-47
Being nice to those who are nice to us, loving those who love us, doing good to those who do good to us, those are easy. What reward do you get from doing that? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? That’s how the world operates. There’s nothing especially about that.
Who among you would say, “Oh, look at the person, he loves his parents. He loves his friends. He loves his siblings.” That’s expected. That’s something you should do. That’s the bare minimum. No one’s going to stop and consider what you’re doing. Yet, if you’re going to love your enemies, if you’re going to return good for evil, if you’re going to return a blessing for insults, if you’re going to go the extra mile, if you’re going to be so generous, giving more than what is asked, that’s when people would stop and say, hey look at this guy, he is doing what is not expected, what is unnatural. Who is he, He is a child of the Most High.
People start to see God in us. People start to see who we are as a child of Yahweh. We are bringing glory and honor to God’s name.
Be perfect
Now, if you’re going to look into this teaching of Yahshua, it’s going to be difficult. In fact, it’s going to take a lifetime for you to get it right. That’s why, the last statement from Matthew 5 is really crucial:
48 Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.
Matthew 5:48
Our ultimate aim in following the teaching of Yahshua is to be perfect just like our Father in perfect. Now, we can’t be perfect as long as we are human beings. We will sin. We will commit mistakes. We will say and do the wrong things. Yet, that’s the standard we should aim for. We must aim for perfection. It’s not enough to be good enough. It’s not enough to simply do the bare minimum. It’s not enough to simply do what is asked of us. Christianity is actually not for the weak. Christianity is not for the faint-hearted. Christianity is for those who are willing to do their best in striving for perfection.
This tells us one thing: we can’t do it on our own. Perfection is impossible through human effort. It takes supernatural help from Yahweh.
Because we want to be perfect, we do our best to be blameless. When people think of us, they can’t think evil about us. There’s nothing they can bring against us.
I remember the story of Daniel, when they tried to find fault in Daniel, they couldn’t find anything to the point that they had to invent something to accuse Daniel.
Brethren, as you can see, we are the children of Yahweh and therefore, we should act like one. When we are confronted by stressful situations, we must not react, but rather, we must respond. We respond in such a way that people will see God in our lives.
Through our actions and examples, we plant the seed in people’s lives that one day, when the right time comes, God will also open their eyes to the truth and they will turn to Him.
Show video
To end this message, I want to show you a video that serves as a living testimony of how effective it is to follow the teachings of Yahshua. Of course, please remember that this man, though a Christian, doesn’t know the whole truth from God. So, when you hear him saying that God spoke to Him, it could be that God spoke to Him through the Bible.
So, let’s watch the video: