THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 1
Scripture: Matthew 5:38-42

Matthew 5:38-42 is where Jesus began to prepare both the Twelve and the Seventy for a dramatic transition in the law that they had grown up under. He told them that He wanted them to conduct themselves in an entirely different manner to facilitate the message they were carrying. They were going out with an evangelistic message as a preparation for people to hear the Savior. Consequently He told them in verse 39, “But I tell you not to resist an evil person. But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also.” This initial dimension of passivity has been appropriated as characteristic by the church and ministered as the core foundation of what it means to be a Christian. Jesus is much more than an evangelist. Jesus represents the fullness of the Godhead. His love killed Herod. Jesus’ directive to “turn-the-other-cheek” must be balanced with His directives in other places what He did in different circumstances. We have to deal with the Jesus of Revelation. Jesus is alive and in Revelations, He kills a lot more than He saves, especially when leaders call evil good and good evil. It was only because of the evangelistic nature of their assignment that Jesus taught the Twelve to “turn-the-other-cheek”. Unfortunately for today’s church, “turn-the-other-cheek” has been taken out of context and is almost defined as the gold standard for the love of God. The church’s understanding of love is so imbalanced that it has effectively neutered most believers. It is time to grow up and look at the fullness of God’s love. Nations need the fullness of Jesus!