Daily Devotional
November 17, 2025
“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. And if anyone would sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. And if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. Give to the one who begs from you, and do not refuse the one who would borrow from you.”
This reading from Matthew 5:38-42 is not an easy one. Does Jesus tell us if we are assaulted we are to allow ourselves to be beaten? Are we to stand by and allow evil to do as it will? Are we to allow others to take all we have and enslave us? If at the end of it all anything is left, do we give it away when someone comes asking for it? No exactly.
Jesus is using exaggeration to emphasize a point. He wants us to examine ourselves regarding how we interact with others. Are we only doing the bare minimum? Are we following the human heart rather than the Godly good? We can always find a reason to strike back, to do the bare minimum, or to withhold charity. Jesus calls us to something different. He calls us to have Gospel hearts rather than legal hearts, as the Pharisees had, as they taught the people to have. What He calls us to is GRACE. As God has been gracious, so should we.
Prayer: Lord God, as you have been gracious to me move me to be gracious toward others regardless of whether they deserve my love and compassion or not. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.