What to Do When Sued Matthew 5:40

Matthew shared how Jesus told His disciples if their “righteousness” did not “exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees” they would, “in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.” Jesus then shared about “murder, adultery and swearing”, and He told His disciples, “Swear not at all; neither by heaven; for it is God's throne: Nor by the earth; for it is his footstool: neither by Jerusalem; for it is the city of the great King. Neither shall you swear by your head, because you cannot make one hair white or black. But let your communication be, Yes, yes; No, no: for whatsoever is more than these comes of evil.” Jesus went on to say, “You have heard that it has been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth. But I say unto you, That you resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite you on your right cheek, turn to him the other also”, and in chapter five and verse forty of his book, Matthew shared how Jesus told His disciples what to do,“if any man will sue you at the law” where we read:

And if any man will sue you at the law, and take away your coat, let him have your cloak also.

The verse reads, “And if any man will sue you at the law, ...” Matthew began with the words, “and if any man” which means “and whether any person whether male or female” “will sue you” which means “will pronounce judgment and subject the disciples to censure” “at the law” or “where they preside over with the power of giving judicial decisions and pass judgment”. Jesus referred to the time when His disciples would be “sued” in court.

The verse goes on to say, “... and take away your coat, let him have your cloak also.” Matthew continues with the words, “and take away” which means “and claim, procure and remove” “your coat“ or “the disciple's tunic, undergarment and a vestment usually worn next to the skin”, “let him have” which means “allow the person who sues the disciples to claim, procure and remove” “your cloak also” or “the disciple's upper or outer garment or tunic as well”. Jesus told His disciples to allow someone to take their “outer garment or tunic” if they sued them in court and won their “undergarment”.

When we think through Matthew's words in this verse, we may be stunned by this directive of Jesus to His disciples. Can we imagine someone suing us, taking one of our possessions and giving them even more? This is the challenge of the “Kingdom of Heaven”, and because this is such an unnatural charge to us, we find ourselves inwardly objecting to this command. God desires a relationship with every person through His Son Jesus, and since His ways are greater than our ways, we have need for a “Savior” to help us comply with His way when we are “sued”.

Next time Jesus tells His disciples what to do if any man, “compel you to go a mile”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow…there is more…

Look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms Volumes I and II" and the new novel "Elizabeth County" in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore.