You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’But I say to you, offer no resistance to one who is evil. When someone strikes you on [your] right cheek, turn the other one to him as well. If anyone wants to go to law with you over your tunic, hand him your cloak as well. Should anyone press you into service for one mile,* go with him for two miles. Give to the one who asks of you, and do not turn your back on one who wants to borrow.

Retaliation is often built into our legal systems and the way we think. “You do this, and you’ll get that.”  “An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.” 

Jesus asks for something more than getting back at someone. God is merciful. He turns the other cheek, he walks more than a mile with us, he opens the door when beggars like us knock. 

Jesus offered an example of this when he suffered and died at the hands of others. “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” 

I have Tissot’s picture of Jesus teaching on most of the blogs these days. Those listening to him are not a picked group; everybody’s represented there. Some are still coming to hear him. Jesus does not wait for the perfect moment or the perfect audience. He teaches, continually. The Sower scatters seeds, even on uncertain ground.