A Gift for an Eye, and a Hug for a Tooth!

The other day I had to get after my son, he was fighting with his sister because she had refused to help him when he needed it. After a long discussion on how he should treat his sister, I went on to the parents pat answer: “Son, it doesn’t matter what someone does to you; we should still treat them with love.” As adults, is that really something we practice in our own lives, when someone cuts us off in traffic to pray for their health? If someone sells us a lemon of a car, would we be eager to stop and help them change a tire on their car? When someone takes something we love, do we offer them something else? Perhaps we should.

As God often works with me, just hours after the discussion with my son, I sat down to work on my message for Sunday and what was the first verse I read, 1 Peter 3:9: “Not rendering evil for evil, or railing for railing: but contrariwise blessing; knowing that ye are thereunto called, that ye should inherit a blessing.” Now I will admit, this can be one of those passages that are tricky in the King James, so let’s take a look at it in the ESV:

9 Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless, for to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing.

Or in other words don’t repay evil with evil instead when someone does evil to you, give them blessings. Wow! This is such a radically different way than we are taught to do things. We often grow up with an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth mentality, when someone gets us we want to get even. The social media day and age has made it worse, just look at how many negative posts you see in twitter or on facebook. We are a get even and if possible get even quick culture. We want our revenge and we want it now, which makes what Peter teaches here the perfect, if not unattainable way to stand out.

Peter wasn’t the first to suggest this type of attitude either; he is only repeating what Jesus said in Matthew 5:

38 Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth:

39 But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.

40 And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloak also.

41 And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain.

42 Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away.

43 Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy.

44 But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;

We have grown up hearing these passages, but probably seldom put them into practice. It seems like one of those teachings that God is not really serious about. But He is! God wants His people to stand out in a crowd, he wants us to be different. We are told in the scriptures that; “They will know we are Christians by our love”. We should be different; we should stand out in a crowd.

Do we? Are we out seeking revenge when the world wrongs us? Or are we different do we live by the new adage: a gift for an eye, and a hug for a tooth!