The Mark – 15, Roll Over in Court

The commands of Jesus are the Mark, the target for the perfect life. To aim for and to hit the Mark is to conform to the image and likeness of God. To ignore, neglect, or miss the Mark is to sin. The commands provide stepping stones through earthly life, upon which the child of God survives tempests and deflects the boomeranging darts of pride. Adhering to the Mark aspiring immortals gain victory.

 

“…and if anyone wants to sue you and take your coat, give him your cloak as well.”

Matthew 5:40

Another in the series that forbids retaliation, this command pushes us a little farther out on the limb by telling us to give the thief even more than He is grabbing. It is the step that follows the command not to try to recover anything stolen from us.

Give your opponent even more than what (s)he demands!

In short, avoid court. It is a horrible place to be. Don’t just settle with resentment in your heart. Be willing to look like you lost, like you were guilty. Be willing to disrobe, to be cold!

If you want to abide in the land of God and His angels, then you must rise above human nature. You must focus on nothing more than becoming Christ-like through obedience. Nothing on earth is worth more than this lesson. No warmth on a cold day. No material good, no clinging to the notion of earthly justice, no decadent sense of pride compares to the abundance in store for those who practice letting go for God’s sake.

Invest yourself in God and watch the return increase your net worth.

Demonstrate your devotion; don’t just sing it.

After the sting, see how well this works. You won’t know how much suffering this approach saved you, but giving more than the disputed coat directly hits the target which releases pure joy into your core. Be like him who said,

Psalm 40: “I delight to do your will, O my God; your law is within my heart.”