The Sermon on the Mount

“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 an evildoer. But if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also.” (Mt. 5:38f) In order to understand this text correctly, it is important that we grasp clearly that the Old Testament principle of “an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth” (Ex. 21:24; Lev. 24:20; Dtn. 19:21) in no way sanctions an attitude of vindictiveness. On the contrary, it seeks to replace the rule of vindictiveness with the rule of law. The logic of the sons of Cain was (and is!): “If Cain is avenged sevenfold, truly Lamech seventy-sevenfold.” In opposition to this, “an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth” lays down the law of proportionality: There must be a reasonable relationship between the crime committed and the punishment meted out: indeed, the relationship might even be described in terms of an equilibrium. The rule of law must be maintained but must never spiral into vindictiveness.

Der Berg der Seligpreisungen ist eine Erhebung am Nordrand des See Genezareth in Nordisrael. Laut Überlieferung handelt es sich dabei um den Ort, an dem Jesus die Bergpredigt gehalten hat, die mit den Seligpreisungen beginnt. Heute befinden sich auf der Erhebung ein Kloster und eine Kirche; letztere hat nach der Zahl der Seligpreisungen einen achteckigen Grundriss. Von Touristen und Pilgern wird die 1937 nach den Plänen von Antonio Barluzzi gebaute Kirche auch wegen der Aussicht über den See besucht.

The Sermon on the Mount The Mount of Beatitudes is a hill on the northern shore of the Sea of Galilee in northern Israel. According to tradition, this is the place where Jesus delivered the Sermon on the Mount, which begins with the Beatitudes. Today the hill is home to a monastery and a church.

Jesus does not in any way contradict this fundamental juridical principle of proportionality between crime and punishment. He does, however, seek to open up for us a new dimension of this dynamic. Law practised in an absolutised – even isolated – fashion, will inevitably lead to a cycle of retribution. Through his attitude to us, God shows us a way of breaking out of such a negative cycle. We stand unjustified before God, fallen into the net of death and destruction by virtue of our turning away from God and seeking our own glory. God, however, does not insist on the just punishment for our crime. Instead he offers us something else: Healing through our repentance and a new acceptance of the truth about ourselves. In order to bring about such a transformation, God himself anticipates the process and assumes the pain involved in this transformation.

The cross of Christ is the practical application of the words “Not an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth”, but actual transformation through the power of love. Jesus embodies these words completely, from the Incarnation to the cross, in his entire human existence. Our “No” is blown to pieces by his far more powerful “Yes”. This “Yes” is revealed to us by the cross, and only by the cross. However, united with Jesus, this “Yes” becomes a real possibility for us in our lives.

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