In today’s gospel Jesus speaks against the righteousness of the Jews. It is “an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth”. If someone has injured your right hand, the crime should be punished by injuring the right hand of the culprit. This type of punishment does not heal the injury, but rather doubles the injury. If the punishment is to do good deeds towards those affected, the result will be positive. The idea of justice, eye for eye and tooth for tooth, is no longer justice, but a wickedness that Jesus rejects. Jesus does not recommend wickedness against wickedness. Jesus recommends good works against evil.
“If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn him the other also. And if someone wants to take you to court to take away your shirt, let him have your cloak also.“
This teaching is difficult to understand and to practice. But Jesus does not say that we can convert evil people by dealing with them in such a virtuous way; but rather he compares such ways with the actions of Heavenly Father and invites us to be as perfect as Heavenly Father.The reward for such actions seems to exist only in heaven.
We may think, why the heavenly Father deal with good over evil? Why are we required to do good towards the evil ones? The reason may be simple. If we cannot change the evil ones, we naturally would begin to react evilly against any evil. In that case human life becomes difficult. The destruction of harmony is the outcome. Envy and malice will destroy people. Jesus’ instruction to do good and love our enemies means that we should never do evil and not respond to wickedness with malice so that we can maintain purity of heart before God the Father.
We could be of the conviction that anyone who is evil and acts evil will be destroyed by their own evil: there are enough cases that confirm this theory. Therefore, Jesus’ request is important for us Christians not only because of the divine instruction, but also because of the laws of nature.
Evil will never win, even if some get the feeling of winning for a while; Evil is usually destroyed by one’s own wickedness. As disciples of Jesus we should never do evil. We should determined to do allways good.
Fr. Joseph Pandiappallil MCBS