Breaking the Cycle of Retaliation: Jesus, Honor, and the Subversive Power of Love (Sermon on the Mount Series)

Voxology

Religion & Spirituality, Philosophy, Society & Culture

4.7 • 1K Ratings

🗓️ 28 September 2020

⏱️ 53 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Discover how Jesus dismantles the ancient law of revenge and invites us into a countercultural way of living rooted in honor, humility, and creative nonviolence. In the seventh installment of the Exile Series, Mike Erre and Tim Stafford explore Jesus’s teaching in Matthew 5:38–42, diving deep into the cultural context of “eye for an eye,” unpacking how the Kingdom of God turns the law of reciprocity upside down.

Using vivid biblical examples—from Samson and the endless cycles of vengeance in Judges to Roman occupation and public humiliation—Mike and Tim reveal how Jesus wasn’t calling us to passivity, but to a bold, subversive love that exposes evil without perpetuating it. Whether it’s turning the other cheek, giving your cloak, or going the extra mile, each of Jesus’s examples ignites dignity, disrupts cycles of retaliation, and models how we can live out a new kind of justice in the here and now.

Key Takeaways:
• Resisting Evil Without Retaliation – How Jesus redefines resistance by refusing to escalate harm and instead calling us toward honorable nonviolence.
• The Power of Subversive Acts – What turning the other cheek, handing over your cloak, and going the second mile meant in honor-shame culture—and how they unmask the oppressor’s injustice.
• Reciprocity Replaced by Grace – Why Jesus calls us to abandon “getting even” and embrace creative, loving responses to persecution and insult.
• Personal Application – How these teachings reshape everyday interactions: from social media spats to marriage conflicts and road rage moments.
• The Political Reality of the Kingdom – Why Jesus's teachings were far more than personal morality—they were a radical vision for a transformed society.

Resources Mentioned:
• Matthew 5:38–42 – Read on Bible Gateway
• Judges 15 – The story of Samson’s escalating revenge
• Leviticus 24:19–20; Exodus 21:23–25; Deuteronomy 19:21 – Old Testament sources of “eye for an eye”
• Dallas Willard’s concept of Joyful Non-Compliance

Join us as we continue this challenging but eye-opening journey through Jesus's Exile teachings. Subscribe, leave a review, and follow Voxology Podcast to be part of an evolving community seeking the radical, redemptive heart of Jesus.

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Music in this episode by Timothy John Stafford
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Music in this episode by Timothy John Stafford

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Hey everybody, welcome to the Vox podcast, Mike Erie, Timothy Stafford, and our Palestinian friend, Jesus of Nazareth.
0:13.1	I want to welcome you to our little recording, our little show, if you will.
0:20.1	Thank you for giving us some time today,
0:22.9	whatever it is you're in the midst of. If you're trying to sleep, you've picked a great
0:27.3	episode because I think we will lull you very quickly into a deep slumber. We got to jump right in
0:36.9	because we've got, I mean, Jesus just, he just doesn't let up.
0:42.6	He just doesn't let up at all.
0:44.2	So today we're going to his most, one of his most famous sayings.
0:51.0	It's a saying that's been very shockingly misunderstood and has let us down all sorts of
0:57.6	false rabbit trails. But it is particularly relevant. We're recording this the week of the
1:04.6	announcement of Brianna Taylor and the lack of indictments about that you know, that and another just instance of a world splitting,
1:15.6	our culture dividing. It is, it is, it is, it is so tumultuous. I've never, in my 30-something years
1:25.6	of life, plus a few, I've never seen anything like it.
1:30.6	And you pile COVID and economics. And I mean, it's, I don't know, I just feels like a whole heck of a lot.
1:41.3	Yeah. And so we've been trying to center ourselves on the politics of this social entity called
1:49.0	the kingdom of God. Those politics are exemplified in the way of Jesus, how he conducted
1:56.0	himself, what he did, how he did it. Paul just invites us to imitate Jesus in these ways as part of the local expressions of this polis called the churches.
2:08.6	But it's just these are social gatherings ordered by the teachings and example of Jesus of Nazareth.
2:14.6	That's what we're doing. So we've got a lot to practice today,
2:18.6	as we'll see. Our friend Sarah is going to read this text for us, and so we'll take, well,
2:28.1	well, she'll take it away. Sarah, take it away.
2:44.6	You have heard that it was said,
	...

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