Be A Peacemaker

Matthew 5:40 says this, “If you are sued in court and your shirt is taken from you, give your coat, too.”

Ahh the red letters of Jesus. His greatest sermon ever preached... The Sermon on the Mount.

And the Message version says it like this, “If someone drags you into court and sues the shirt off your back, gift wrap your best coat and make a present of it.”

The notable theme of the sermon is going the extra mile, and the challenge for all of us is a way of living that is far greater than how we’re accustomed.

Here presents another aspect of the same type of forbearance. Because it’s not just acts of violence we have to be on the lookout for, but also in dealing with the petty litigation that disturbs our peace. Forbearance is a word I’ve been wrestling with for years and at the heart of it is the idea that it’s better to yield than to insist on rights.

The shirt and the coat. The shirt would be speaking here of the simple tunic worn regularly. However, the coat here represents the outer flowing mantle and the more costly garment of the two. So Jesus is saying... if you’re demanded your shirt, gift wrap your best garment and give that too.

1 Cor 6:7 says, “Even to have such lawsuits with one another is a defeat for you. Why not just accept the injustice and leave it at that? Why not let yourselves be cheated?” To sue a fellow believer reflects self interest rather than concern for welfare of others or the glory of God. Christians are called to follow the example of Christ self-sacrifice.

Most of all we are to be people who are against the spirit of revenge. Jesus tells us not to get involved with retaliation.

We must demand ourselves to be peacemakers.

In his book Unconditional, The Call of Jesus to Radical Forgiveness, Brian Zahnd says this about going the extra mile and grace... “Evil is only defeated when someone absorbs the blow and forgives, thus ending the cycle of evil. Absorbing the blow without retaliation by exercising the option to forgive is not weakness or acquiescence with and justices; it is taking up your cross and follow him Jesus.”

We must do just that - absorb the blow. Take up our cross and follow Him.