Consider these verses from Matthew 5 in the Living Bible:
“The law of Moses says, ‘If a man gouges out another’s eye, he must pay with his own eye. If a tooth gets knocked out, knock out the tooth of the one who did it. But I say: Don’t resist violence! If you are slapped on one cheek, turn the other too. If you are ordered to court, and your shirt is taken from you, give your coat too. If the military demand that you carry their gear for a mile, carry it two. Give to those who ask, and don’t turn away from those who want to borrow."
All over the state of Georgia, in every one of the 159 counties, there is a courthouse. These buildings stand as the symbol of governmental authority and the seat of justice for that particular area. They are not there to just look pretty and for me to take pictures of, although I do like to do that, they are working buildings, or have been, and exist to give justice to all.
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Jesus does not say do away with justice, but He does speak about our attitudes as we live our lives.
Do we look for revenge for something done to us?
Do we look for ways to strike back?
Do we look for the easiest or least costly way to get out of an obligation?
Do we hold onto our stuff so tightly that we can't help?
Do we take our own personal "rights" so highly that we are aloof to everyone else?
Are we like the kid in the classroom who refused to sit down when the teacher asked all to take their places at their desks? When she threatened to call in the principal, he reluctantly did so, but still stated that although "he was sitting down, he was still standing on the inside".
Sure, I have "my rights", but the emphasis on the pronoun in this phrase speaks of the attitude of my heart toward those around me.
Perhaps "my" rights should be:
Right motives
Right attitudes
Right actions
Right living, as Jesus would have me do.
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