“You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.”
Matthew 5:38–39
In this Sunday’s message, we are invited to confront our deep desire for retaliation not with pride or passivity, but with the radical humility, generosity, and service of Jesus. Pastor Brittany Smigielski unpacks Matthew 5:38–42, challenging us to lay down our instincts for payback and pick up the posture of a peacemaker. Through Christ’s example, we are called to respond to insult with dignity, to confront greed with open hands, and to carry burdens not because we have to but because Heaven is our true home, and His Kingdom is worth embodying.
Peacemakers Confront Hurt with Humility
- We don’t retaliate to defend our dignity we respond in holy strength because it’s already secure in Christ.
- In Matthew 5:39 was a challenge to confront insult and humiliation with Spirit-empowered restraint.
- In Jesus’ culture, a slap to the right cheek (typically backhanded) was a way of saying: you are beneath me. But when we turn the other cheek, we aren’t shrinking back we’re standing up in dignity, refusing to mirror the offense.
- This kind of response can only come when we’re rooted in identity. 1 Peter 2:23
- Even as He was being betrayed, insulted, and crucified He responded with, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” (Luke 23:34)
- We forgive because we’ve been forgiven. We turn the other cheek because Jesus turned His not to weakness, but to the will of God and it changed everything.
Peacemakers Confront Greed with Radical Generosity
- We confront retaliation not by demanding what’s owed, but by offering more than what’s required because we trust God to meet our needs.
- In the Kingdom, our integrity matters more than our inventory.
- Our love, if it’s real, will cost us something. That kind of generosity breaks power struggles, both around us and inside us. Romans 12:20–21
- This is the generosity of the cross, not because we deserved it, but because it’s who He is. If we’ve received that kind of grace, how can we justify withholding? John 3:16
- Radical generosity silences greed. It reminds us that our provision isn’t in our possessions it’s in our Provider.
Peacemakers Confront Oppression Through Generous Service
- We serve even when it’s unjust, even when it’s heavy not to earn favor but to reflect the One who carried it all
- Under Roman rule, soldiers could legally force civilians to carry their gear for a mile a humiliating, dehumanizing act. But Jesus flips the script: Don’t just comply transform it through service. Give what’s not required. Matthew 5:41
- This act reclaims your dignity and reflects the true authority of Heaven. Philippians 3:20
- Jesus carried more than one mile, He carried the weight of the world up Calvary’s hill. Philippians 2:8
- He served us in death. We now serve others in life not because they deserve it, but because we’ve been made new.
- The second mile is where oppression turns into witness and where generosity shifts power dynamics in the Spirit.
Discussion Questions
- What does it mean to be a 'peacemaker' in God's kingdom, and how can we actively create peace rather than just avoiding conflict?
- In what areas of your life might God be calling you to practice 'radical generosity', and what fears or hesitations do you have about this?
- What role does our identity in Christ play in our ability to respond to offenses with humility and grace rather than retaliation?
- In what ways does Jesus' teaching on non-retaliation and peacemaking conflict with societal norms, and how can we navigate these differences as followers of Christ?