1 Corinthians 6:7-8, Suffer Yourselves to be Defrauded!
1 Corinthians 6:7-8 Now therefore there is utterly a fault among you, because ye go to law one with another. Why do ye not rather take wrong? why do ye not rather suffer yourselves to be defrauded? Nay, ye do wrong, and defraud, and that your brethren.
Hendrickson commented well, “Paul does not say that the Corinthians had lawsuits against one another, but against themselves. The entire Christian community, so to speak, becomes a defendant before Gentile judges. The result is that these lawsuits are devastating to the morale of the Christian fellowship.” In the words of Jesus in Matthew 5:39b-40 but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloke also. Also, in Luke 6:29-30 And unto him that smiteth thee on the one cheek offer also the other; and him that taketh away thy cloke forbid not to take thy coat also. Give to every man that asketh of thee; and of him that taketh away thy goods ask them not again.
Someone slapped you on the right, give him your left. What is Jesus saying here? Someone take thy outer coat, give him your inner coat. Almost insane reaction right? These are people punishing you. What is Jesus saying here? What does it mean? How do you explain this? What kind of life are you advocating we live? It is almost an insane life, Jesus Himself said it. When someone punish you, you are willing to bear even greater punishment. If you slap me, slapping in all cultures is the same, is most humiliating. And our natural reaction is that I will slap you back. What the Lord is saying here is this – you slap my face, instead of slapping you back, I have a heart within me that I am so changed by my God that I have a heart to think “Why did you slap me? You must be very angry, right, for you to slap me because this is one of the most humiliating act. I must have caused you big anger, it must be something tremendous. Then if I can appease your anger, I am willing to offer you the other cheek (side).
The Lord is saying the heart is so changed, you have so much love, that my reaction is not that you slapped me but to realise that I must have caused you a lot of hurt so much so that you slap me. If I can appease him, I will do it. It’s not that he is stupid. You take out my outer coat, again it is humiliating, have I offended you so much that you are so angry? If I can appease you, I will give you the garment. That is the essence of Jesus’s teaching. Are we willing? Are we more concerning with the other person’s feeling or concerned about ourselves. That’s why Jesus says, if you want to talk about the law, Jesus says “love thy neighbour as thyself”. How you love yourself, love your neighbour!
In this sense, the Apostle Paul is seeking restrain from God’s people from suing one another. May God’s peace prevail. Amen.