It amazes me how many people who say that Jesus is Lord of their life do not obey this command. Sometimes they gossip about the person who hurt them, sometimes they go to your pastor, and sometimes they plan and carry out revenge against you. Let’s take a look at this command that seems to be so difficult for people…
It was 8:30 pm and over a hundred men and a few women were gathered in a park enjoying a delicious meal served to the poor and homeless in Sydney, Australia. One of my friends had finished his meal and was chatting away when a large, angry man walked up and punched him in the cheek.
Nick, my friend got over his shock and said, “Do you need to do that again?”
The bully hit him with another heavy blow and got the same response from Nick: “Do you need to do that again?”
The bully hit Nick, who was a black belt in his own right, four times and four times Nick asked the same question.
The bully’s heart broke at this and he began to cry. He said, “Why don’t you call the police and put me in jail?”
Nick realized that this man was having a hard time being in free society after being locked in the routines of jail for too many years. Nick put his arm around him and said, “Do you want to come with me and have some nice brewed coffee and have a good chat?”
In my life, I haven’t heard many stories like that. Could you do that, tough men reading this? Or you would have been in a very violent fight with this guy fresh out of prison.
In 1 Corinthians chapter 1, Paul speaks and says that the wisdom of God is foolishness to men.
Many of Jesus’ teachings seem like nonsense. This idea that people can hurt you, and you just forgive them and let them hurt you again, sounds pretty stupid. Many Christians don’t turn a cheek, they go to the police and arrest the person and send him back to jail.
I had a 20-year addiction to prostitute services, and I seriously wanted to break the habit, so when I saw my psychiatrist the next time, I asked if I could take the chemical castration pill they give pedophiles when they get out of jail. jail. This pill completely stops the production of sperm in the body and I knew that with this pill it would be released.
My psychiatrist said the only way I could get that pill was if I was a sex offender and they couldn’t prescribe it to me regardless of whether I had a prostitution addiction.
While walking out with my caseworker who was in the meeting with her, she said:
“Matthew, I wish you would stop that Christian crap you believe in. Why don’t you masturbate?”
I came out so angry with her. How dare you talk about my faith like that? I thought to myself that what she said must have been an ethics violation and seriously thought of reporting what she did to her superiors in a letter.
Jesus spoke to my heart when I had calmed down. “Of course you could turn the other cheek, Matthew!”
Yes, I could do that. It is difficult to do this lifestyle of obedience. So I didn’t report her and the next time we met I was still the same happy Matthew.
You will see readers, the commands of Jesus are not easy to do sometimes and you will be forced to contact Jesus and ask him to give you the strength to fulfill them. When you live a life under the continual help and power of the Holy Spirit, your life is a continual testimony to all those around you who are watching your life.
Here’s another example a father took with a rapist.
The daughter of an assistant pastor was raped and instead of reporting the man who did it, with the father’s permission he went and befriended the guy. He invited the young man to come live in his own house with the daughter he had raped.
The rapist was in for a real surprise when he arrived with his bags and was introduced to the daughter. At the dinner table the first night, the daughter told the rapist that her father knew it was him and that she invited him to come and learn how to be a kind and loving man.
Throughout the months with the new family, the orphaned man gave his life to Jesus and pushed hard and persecuted Jesus with great fervor. The daughter and he became very close, they were like a brother and sister. Years later, the rapist married the daughter of the senior pastor.
You’ll see:
Revenge would cause the pastor to have the bully beaten and killed. Justice would see the rapist arrested and jailed. But grace won out when she took the rapist in and showered him with love.
So many times we break the Father’s heart with our sin, but how many times does he forgive us and turn his cheek?
Something to ponder!
Perhaps you would like to email this to someone?
be blessed,
Matthew Robert Payne