Episode 07 | Matt 5:38-48 | Dave Miles | 15/06/2026

Dave continues the series on the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5–7), focusing on Matthew 5:38–42 where Jesus corrects the misuse of “eye for eye, tooth for tooth,” explaining it was a restrictive, judicial principle for courts, not a mandate for personal revenge.

“Do not resist an evil person” is presented as addressing personal retaliation, not pacifism, national defense, or criminal justice, with reference to Romans 13 and 1 Peter 2 on government punishing evildoers.

Jesus’ four illustrative examples describe a posture of surrendering personal rights: responding to insults without retaliation (turn the other cheek), yielding possessions in disputes (give coat also), going beyond forced demands (go the extra mile), and adopting generosity toward those who ask or borrow, using wisdom in modern contexts.

The message culminates in Jesus’ own example at the cross and closes with stories of overcoming evil with good, including forgiving witness after persecution.