ActivityPub Viewer

A small tool to view real-world ActivityPub objects as JSON! Enter a URL or username from Mastodon or a similar service below, and we'll send a request with the right Accept header to the server to view the underlying object.

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{ "@context": "https://www.w3.org/ns/activitystreams", "type": "OrderedCollectionPage", "orderedItems": [ { "type": "Create", "actor": "https://www.minds.com/api/activitypub/users/874332051619192833", "object": { "type": "Note", "id": "https://www.minds.com/api/activitypub/users/874332051619192833/entities/urn:activity:1754607511467466752", "attributedTo": "https://www.minds.com/api/activitypub/users/874332051619192833", "content": "In 2025 the New Covenant Passover service will be held Friday evening April 11 - the beginning of the 14th of Nisan/Aviv<br /><br />Messiah Our Healer and Shepherd<br />A Passover Message – Messiah Our Healer<br />In 1740 the Messiah oratorio was first performed. It was a tribute to the Passover season and the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. This was in keeping with the traditions of primitive Christianity and the observances of the first century Jerusalem church. So Jennens, the Messiah’s lyricist, hearkened back to the prophecy of the Messiah in the book of Isaiah. This passage, often subtitled the “suffering servant,” foretold a message of Christ’s first coming as the Messiah our healer. Isaiah wrote, “With his [Messiah’s] stripes we are healed.” The disciples of Christ’s day witnessed Jesus’ beating and scourging at the hands of Jews and Romans. They could understand these events and the crucifixion of Christ in light of Isaiah’s powerful prophecy. So what meaning do these scriptures hold for us today?<br /><a href=\"https://youtu.be/dlvULfIgAI8\" target=\"_blank\">https://youtu.be/dlvULfIgAI8</a>", "to": [ "https://www.w3.org/ns/activitystreams#Public" ], "cc": [ "https://www.minds.com/api/activitypub/users/874332051619192833/followers" ], "tag": [], "url": "https://www.minds.com/newsfeed/1754607511467466752", "published": "2025-04-03T19:03:49+00:00", "source": { "content": "In 2025 the New Covenant Passover service will be held Friday evening April 11 - the beginning of the 14th of Nisan/Aviv\n\nMessiah Our Healer and Shepherd\nA Passover Message – Messiah Our Healer\nIn 1740 the Messiah oratorio was first performed. It was a tribute to the Passover season and the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. This was in keeping with the traditions of primitive Christianity and the observances of the first century Jerusalem church. So Jennens, the Messiah’s lyricist, hearkened back to the prophecy of the Messiah in the book of Isaiah. This passage, often subtitled the “suffering servant,” foretold a message of Christ’s first coming as the Messiah our healer. Isaiah wrote, “With his [Messiah’s] stripes we are healed.” The disciples of Christ’s day witnessed Jesus’ beating and scourging at the hands of Jews and Romans. They could understand these events and the crucifixion of Christ in light of Isaiah’s powerful prophecy. So what meaning do these scriptures hold for us today?\nhttps://youtu.be/dlvULfIgAI8", "mediaType": "text/plain" } }, "id": "https://www.minds.com/api/activitypub/users/874332051619192833/entities/urn:activity:1754607511467466752/activity" }, { "type": "Create", "actor": "https://www.minds.com/api/activitypub/users/874332051619192833", "object": { "type": "Note", "id": "https://www.minds.com/api/activitypub/users/874332051619192833/entities/urn:activity:1754606312081068032", "attributedTo": "https://www.minds.com/api/activitypub/users/874332051619192833", "content": "In 2025 the New Covenant Passover service will be held Friday evening April 11 - the beginning of the 14th of Nisan/Aviv<br /><br />Messiah Our Healer and Shepherd<br />A Passover Message – Messiah Our Healer<br />In 1740 the Messiah oratorio was first performed. It was a tribute to the Passover season and the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. This was in keeping with the traditions of primitive Christianity and the observances of the first century Jerusalem church. So Jennens, the Messiah’s lyricist, hearkened back to the prophecy of the Messiah in the book of Isaiah. This passage, often subtitled the “suffering servant,” foretold a message of Christ’s first coming as the Messiah our healer. Isaiah wrote, “With his [Messiah’s] stripes we are healed.” The disciples of Christ’s day witnessed Jesus’ beating and scourging at the hands of Jews and Romans. They could understand these events and the crucifixion of Christ in light of Isaiah’s powerful prophecy. So what meaning do these scriptures hold for us today?<br /><a href=\"https://youtu.be/dlvULfIgAI8\" target=\"_blank\">https://youtu.be/dlvULfIgAI8</a>", "to": [ "https://www.w3.org/ns/activitystreams#Public" ], "cc": [ "https://www.minds.com/api/activitypub/users/874332051619192833/followers" ], "tag": [], "url": "https://www.minds.com/newsfeed/1754606312081068032", "published": "2025-04-03T18:59:03+00:00", "source": { "content": "In 2025 the New Covenant Passover service will be held Friday evening April 11 - the beginning of the 14th of Nisan/Aviv\n\nMessiah Our Healer and Shepherd\nA Passover Message – Messiah Our Healer\nIn 1740 the Messiah oratorio was first performed. It was a tribute to the Passover season and the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. This was in keeping with the traditions of primitive Christianity and the observances of the first century Jerusalem church. So Jennens, the Messiah’s lyricist, hearkened back to the prophecy of the Messiah in the book of Isaiah. This passage, often subtitled the “suffering servant,” foretold a message of Christ’s first coming as the Messiah our healer. Isaiah wrote, “With his [Messiah’s] stripes we are healed.” The disciples of Christ’s day witnessed Jesus’ beating and scourging at the hands of Jews and Romans. They could understand these events and the crucifixion of Christ in light of Isaiah’s powerful prophecy. So what meaning do these scriptures hold for us today?\nhttps://youtu.be/dlvULfIgAI8", "mediaType": "text/plain" } }, "id": "https://www.minds.com/api/activitypub/users/874332051619192833/entities/urn:activity:1754606312081068032/activity" }, { "type": "Create", "actor": "https://www.minds.com/api/activitypub/users/874332051619192833", "object": { "type": "Note", "id": "https://www.minds.com/api/activitypub/users/874332051619192833/entities/urn:activity:1754604912387297280", "attributedTo": "https://www.minds.com/api/activitypub/users/874332051619192833", "content": "In 2025 the New Covenant Passover service will be held Friday evening April 11 - the beginning of the 14th of Nisan/Aviv<br /><br />Messiah Our Healer and Shepherd<br />A Passover Message – Messiah Our Healer<br />In 1740 the Messiah oratorio was first performed. It was a tribute to the Passover season and the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. This was in keeping with the traditions of primitive Christianity and the observances of the first century Jerusalem church. So Jennens, the Messiah’s lyricist, hearkened back to the prophecy of the Messiah in the book of Isaiah. This passage, often subtitled the “suffering servant,” foretold a message of Christ’s first coming as the Messiah our healer. Isaiah wrote, “With his [Messiah’s] stripes we are healed.” The disciples of Christ’s day witnessed Jesus’ beating and scourging at the hands of Jews and Romans. They could understand these events and the crucifixion of Christ in light of Isaiah’s powerful prophecy. So what meaning do these scriptures hold for us today?<br /><a href=\"https://youtu.be/dlvULfIgAI8\" target=\"_blank\">https://youtu.be/dlvULfIgAI8</a>", "to": [ "https://www.w3.org/ns/activitystreams#Public" ], "cc": [ "https://www.minds.com/api/activitypub/users/874332051619192833/followers" ], "tag": [], "url": "https://www.minds.com/newsfeed/1754604912387297280", "published": "2025-04-03T18:53:30+00:00", "source": { "content": "In 2025 the New Covenant Passover service will be held Friday evening April 11 - the beginning of the 14th of Nisan/Aviv\n\nMessiah Our Healer and Shepherd\nA Passover Message – Messiah Our Healer\nIn 1740 the Messiah oratorio was first performed. It was a tribute to the Passover season and the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. This was in keeping with the traditions of primitive Christianity and the observances of the first century Jerusalem church. So Jennens, the Messiah’s lyricist, hearkened back to the prophecy of the Messiah in the book of Isaiah. This passage, often subtitled the “suffering servant,” foretold a message of Christ’s first coming as the Messiah our healer. Isaiah wrote, “With his [Messiah’s] stripes we are healed.” The disciples of Christ’s day witnessed Jesus’ beating and scourging at the hands of Jews and Romans. They could understand these events and the crucifixion of Christ in light of Isaiah’s powerful prophecy. So what meaning do these scriptures hold for us today?\nhttps://youtu.be/dlvULfIgAI8", "mediaType": "text/plain" } }, "id": "https://www.minds.com/api/activitypub/users/874332051619192833/entities/urn:activity:1754604912387297280/activity" }, { "type": "Create", "actor": "https://www.minds.com/api/activitypub/users/874332051619192833", "object": { "type": "Note", "id": "https://www.minds.com/api/activitypub/users/874332051619192833/entities/urn:activity:1754604767911108608", "attributedTo": "https://www.minds.com/api/activitypub/users/874332051619192833", "content": "In 2025 the New Covenant Passover service will be held Friday evening April 11 - the beginning of the 14th of Nisan/Aviv<br /><br />Messiah Our Healer and Shepherd<br />A Passover Message – Messiah Our Healer<br />In 1740 the Messiah oratorio was first performed. It was a tribute to the Passover season and the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. This was in keeping with the traditions of primitive Christianity and the observances of the first century Jerusalem church. So Jennens, the Messiah’s lyricist, hearkened back to the prophecy of the Messiah in the book of Isaiah. This passage, often subtitled the “suffering servant,” foretold a message of Christ’s first coming as the Messiah our healer. Isaiah wrote, “With his [Messiah’s] stripes we are healed.” The disciples of Christ’s day witnessed Jesus’ beating and scourging at the hands of Jews and Romans. They could understand these events and the crucifixion of Christ in light of Isaiah’s powerful prophecy. So what meaning do these scriptures hold for us today?<br /><a href=\"https://youtu.be/dlvULfIgAI8\" target=\"_blank\">https://youtu.be/dlvULfIgAI8</a>", "to": [ "https://www.w3.org/ns/activitystreams#Public" ], "cc": [ "https://www.minds.com/api/activitypub/users/874332051619192833/followers" ], "tag": [], "url": "https://www.minds.com/newsfeed/1754604767911108608", "published": "2025-04-03T18:52:55+00:00", "source": { "content": "In 2025 the New Covenant Passover service will be held Friday evening April 11 - the beginning of the 14th of Nisan/Aviv\n\nMessiah Our Healer and Shepherd\nA Passover Message – Messiah Our Healer\nIn 1740 the Messiah oratorio was first performed. It was a tribute to the Passover season and the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. This was in keeping with the traditions of primitive Christianity and the observances of the first century Jerusalem church. So Jennens, the Messiah’s lyricist, hearkened back to the prophecy of the Messiah in the book of Isaiah. This passage, often subtitled the “suffering servant,” foretold a message of Christ’s first coming as the Messiah our healer. Isaiah wrote, “With his [Messiah’s] stripes we are healed.” The disciples of Christ’s day witnessed Jesus’ beating and scourging at the hands of Jews and Romans. They could understand these events and the crucifixion of Christ in light of Isaiah’s powerful prophecy. So what meaning do these scriptures hold for us today?\nhttps://youtu.be/dlvULfIgAI8", "mediaType": "text/plain" } }, "id": "https://www.minds.com/api/activitypub/users/874332051619192833/entities/urn:activity:1754604767911108608/activity" }, { "type": "Create", "actor": "https://www.minds.com/api/activitypub/users/874332051619192833", "object": { "type": "Note", "id": "https://www.minds.com/api/activitypub/users/874332051619192833/entities/urn:activity:1754604699317460992", "attributedTo": "https://www.minds.com/api/activitypub/users/874332051619192833", "content": "In 2025 the New Covenant Passover service will be held Friday evening April 11 - the beginning of the 14th of Nisan/Aviv<br /><br />Messiah Our Healer and Shepherd<br />A Passover Message – Messiah Our Healer<br />In 1740 the Messiah oratorio was first performed. It was a tribute to the Passover season and the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. This was in keeping with the traditions of primitive Christianity and the observances of the first century Jerusalem church. So Jennens, the Messiah’s lyricist, hearkened back to the prophecy of the Messiah in the book of Isaiah. This passage, often subtitled the “suffering servant,” foretold a message of Christ’s first coming as the Messiah our healer. Isaiah wrote, “With his [Messiah’s] stripes we are healed.” The disciples of Christ’s day witnessed Jesus’ beating and scourging at the hands of Jews and Romans. They could understand these events and the crucifixion of Christ in light of Isaiah’s powerful prophecy. So what meaning do these scriptures hold for us today?<br /><a href=\"https://youtu.be/dlvULfIgAI8\" target=\"_blank\">https://youtu.be/dlvULfIgAI8</a>", "to": [ "https://www.w3.org/ns/activitystreams#Public" ], "cc": [ "https://www.minds.com/api/activitypub/users/874332051619192833/followers" ], "tag": [], "url": "https://www.minds.com/newsfeed/1754604699317460992", "published": "2025-04-03T18:52:39+00:00", "source": { "content": "In 2025 the New Covenant Passover service will be held Friday evening April 11 - the beginning of the 14th of Nisan/Aviv\n\nMessiah Our Healer and Shepherd\nA Passover Message – Messiah Our Healer\nIn 1740 the Messiah oratorio was first performed. It was a tribute to the Passover season and the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. This was in keeping with the traditions of primitive Christianity and the observances of the first century Jerusalem church. So Jennens, the Messiah’s lyricist, hearkened back to the prophecy of the Messiah in the book of Isaiah. This passage, often subtitled the “suffering servant,” foretold a message of Christ’s first coming as the Messiah our healer. Isaiah wrote, “With his [Messiah’s] stripes we are healed.” The disciples of Christ’s day witnessed Jesus’ beating and scourging at the hands of Jews and Romans. They could understand these events and the crucifixion of Christ in light of Isaiah’s powerful prophecy. So what meaning do these scriptures hold for us today?\nhttps://youtu.be/dlvULfIgAI8", "mediaType": "text/plain" } }, "id": "https://www.minds.com/api/activitypub/users/874332051619192833/entities/urn:activity:1754604699317460992/activity" }, { "type": "Create", "actor": "https://www.minds.com/api/activitypub/users/874332051619192833", "object": { "type": "Note", "id": "https://www.minds.com/api/activitypub/users/874332051619192833/entities/urn:activity:1753236176602402816", "attributedTo": "https://www.minds.com/api/activitypub/users/874332051619192833", "content": "The New Covenant Passover in 2025 is Friday Evening April 11<br /><br />A Comfortable Syncretism?<br />Sometimes the truth is ‘hard to swallow’ so people settle for a convenient syncretism — a comforting blend of truth and lies. Jesus had spoken to his disciples and followers about ‘drinking his blood and eating his body.’ But what he said was difficult to understand, even offensive, and as a result many stopped following Jesus. They did not understand that the Passover symbols of bread and wine were given to represent Jesus’ death, his body and blood. It was only through this sacrifice that he could give the gift of eternal life to all who trusted in him. So how should this knowledge of Passover impact our lives as Christians in 2025?<br /><a href=\"https://youtu.be/kf81ROWrS1Q\" target=\"_blank\">https://youtu.be/kf81ROWrS1Q</a>", "to": [ "https://www.w3.org/ns/activitystreams#Public" ], "cc": [ "https://www.minds.com/api/activitypub/users/874332051619192833/followers" ], "tag": [], "url": "https://www.minds.com/newsfeed/1753236176602402816", "published": "2025-03-31T00:14:38+00:00", "source": { "content": "The New Covenant Passover in 2025 is Friday Evening April 11\n\nA Comfortable Syncretism?\nSometimes the truth is ‘hard to swallow’ so people settle for a convenient syncretism — a comforting blend of truth and lies. Jesus had spoken to his disciples and followers about ‘drinking his blood and eating his body.’ But what he said was difficult to understand, even offensive, and as a result many stopped following Jesus. They did not understand that the Passover symbols of bread and wine were given to represent Jesus’ death, his body and blood. It was only through this sacrifice that he could give the gift of eternal life to all who trusted in him. So how should this knowledge of Passover impact our lives as Christians in 2025?\nhttps://youtu.be/kf81ROWrS1Q", "mediaType": "text/plain" } }, "id": "https://www.minds.com/api/activitypub/users/874332051619192833/entities/urn:activity:1753236176602402816/activity" }, { "type": "Create", "actor": "https://www.minds.com/api/activitypub/users/874332051619192833", "object": { "type": "Note", "id": "https://www.minds.com/api/activitypub/users/874332051619192833/entities/urn:activity:1753138241155899392", "attributedTo": "https://www.minds.com/api/activitypub/users/874332051619192833", "content": "The New Covenant Passover in 2025 is Friday Evening April 11<br /><br />A Comfortable Syncretism?<br />Sometimes the truth is ‘hard to swallow’ so people settle for a convenient syncretism — a comforting blend of truth and lies. Jesus had spoken to his disciples and followers about ‘drinking his blood and eating his body.’ But what he said was difficult to understand, even offensive, and as a result many stopped following Jesus. They did not understand that the Passover symbols of bread and wine were given to represent Jesus’ death, his body and blood. It was only through this sacrifice that he could give the gift of eternal life to all who trusted in him. So how should this knowledge of Passover impact our lives as Christians in 2025?<br /><a href=\"https://youtu.be/kf81ROWrS1Q\" target=\"_blank\">https://youtu.be/kf81ROWrS1Q</a>", "to": [ "https://www.w3.org/ns/activitystreams#Public" ], "cc": [ "https://www.minds.com/api/activitypub/users/874332051619192833/followers" ], "tag": [], "url": "https://www.minds.com/newsfeed/1753138241155899392", "published": "2025-03-30T17:45:28+00:00", "source": { "content": "The New Covenant Passover in 2025 is Friday Evening April 11\n\nA Comfortable Syncretism?\nSometimes the truth is ‘hard to swallow’ so people settle for a convenient syncretism — a comforting blend of truth and lies. Jesus had spoken to his disciples and followers about ‘drinking his blood and eating his body.’ But what he said was difficult to understand, even offensive, and as a result many stopped following Jesus. They did not understand that the Passover symbols of bread and wine were given to represent Jesus’ death, his body and blood. It was only through this sacrifice that he could give the gift of eternal life to all who trusted in him. So how should this knowledge of Passover impact our lives as Christians in 2025?\nhttps://youtu.be/kf81ROWrS1Q", "mediaType": "text/plain" } }, "id": "https://www.minds.com/api/activitypub/users/874332051619192833/entities/urn:activity:1753138241155899392/activity" }, { "type": "Create", "actor": "https://www.minds.com/api/activitypub/users/874332051619192833", "object": { "type": "Note", "id": "https://www.minds.com/api/activitypub/users/874332051619192833/entities/urn:activity:1753138153869041664", "attributedTo": "https://www.minds.com/api/activitypub/users/874332051619192833", "content": "The New Covenant Passover in 2025 is Friday Evening April 11<br /><br />A Comfortable Syncretism?<br />Sometimes the truth is ‘hard to swallow’ so people settle for a convenient syncretism — a comforting blend of truth and lies. Jesus had spoken to his disciples and followers about ‘drinking his blood and eating his body.’ But what he said was difficult to understand, even offensive, and as a result many stopped following Jesus. They did not understand that the Passover symbols of bread and wine were given to represent Jesus’ death, his body and blood. It was only through this sacrifice that he could give the gift of eternal life to all who trusted in him. So how should this knowledge of Passover impact our lives as Christians in 2025?<br /><a href=\"https://youtu.be/kf81ROWrS1Q\" target=\"_blank\">https://youtu.be/kf81ROWrS1Q</a>", "to": [ "https://www.w3.org/ns/activitystreams#Public" ], "cc": [ "https://www.minds.com/api/activitypub/users/874332051619192833/followers" ], "tag": [], "url": "https://www.minds.com/newsfeed/1753138153869041664", "published": "2025-03-30T17:45:07+00:00", "source": { "content": "The New Covenant Passover in 2025 is Friday Evening April 11\n\nA Comfortable Syncretism?\nSometimes the truth is ‘hard to swallow’ so people settle for a convenient syncretism — a comforting blend of truth and lies. Jesus had spoken to his disciples and followers about ‘drinking his blood and eating his body.’ But what he said was difficult to understand, even offensive, and as a result many stopped following Jesus. They did not understand that the Passover symbols of bread and wine were given to represent Jesus’ death, his body and blood. It was only through this sacrifice that he could give the gift of eternal life to all who trusted in him. So how should this knowledge of Passover impact our lives as Christians in 2025?\nhttps://youtu.be/kf81ROWrS1Q", "mediaType": "text/plain" } }, "id": "https://www.minds.com/api/activitypub/users/874332051619192833/entities/urn:activity:1753138153869041664/activity" }, { "type": "Create", "actor": "https://www.minds.com/api/activitypub/users/874332051619192833", "object": { "type": "Note", "id": "https://www.minds.com/api/activitypub/users/874332051619192833/entities/urn:activity:1753137961543426048", "attributedTo": "https://www.minds.com/api/activitypub/users/874332051619192833", "content": "The New Covenant Passover in 2025 is Friday Evening April 11<br /><br />A Comfortable Syncretism?<br />Sometimes the truth is ‘hard to swallow’ so people settle for a convenient syncretism — a comforting blend of truth and lies. Jesus had spoken to his disciples and followers about ‘drinking his blood and eating his body.’ But what he said was difficult to understand, even offensive, and as a result many stopped following Jesus. They did not understand that the Passover symbols of bread and wine were given to represent Jesus’ death, his body and blood. It was only through this sacrifice that he could give the gift of eternal life to all who trusted in him. So how should this knowledge of Passover impact our lives as Christians in 2025?<br /><a href=\"https://youtu.be/kf81ROWrS1Q\" target=\"_blank\">https://youtu.be/kf81ROWrS1Q</a>", "to": [ "https://www.w3.org/ns/activitystreams#Public" ], "cc": [ "https://www.minds.com/api/activitypub/users/874332051619192833/followers" ], "tag": [], "url": "https://www.minds.com/newsfeed/1753137961543426048", "published": "2025-03-30T17:44:21+00:00", "source": { "content": "The New Covenant Passover in 2025 is Friday Evening April 11\n\nA Comfortable Syncretism?\nSometimes the truth is ‘hard to swallow’ so people settle for a convenient syncretism — a comforting blend of truth and lies. Jesus had spoken to his disciples and followers about ‘drinking his blood and eating his body.’ But what he said was difficult to understand, even offensive, and as a result many stopped following Jesus. They did not understand that the Passover symbols of bread and wine were given to represent Jesus’ death, his body and blood. It was only through this sacrifice that he could give the gift of eternal life to all who trusted in him. So how should this knowledge of Passover impact our lives as Christians in 2025?\nhttps://youtu.be/kf81ROWrS1Q", "mediaType": "text/plain" } }, "id": "https://www.minds.com/api/activitypub/users/874332051619192833/entities/urn:activity:1753137961543426048/activity" }, { "type": "Create", "actor": "https://www.minds.com/api/activitypub/users/874332051619192833", "object": { "type": "Note", "id": "https://www.minds.com/api/activitypub/users/874332051619192833/entities/urn:activity:1751796396446457856", "attributedTo": "https://www.minds.com/api/activitypub/users/874332051619192833", "content": "Canadian and considering voting in the upcoming federal elections? Then you need to know the facts about the issues that matter the most. <br />voteprolife.ca<br />", "to": [ "https://www.w3.org/ns/activitystreams#Public" ], "cc": [ "https://www.minds.com/api/activitypub/users/874332051619192833/followers" ], "tag": [], "url": "https://www.minds.com/newsfeed/1751796396446457856", "published": "2025-03-27T00:53:27+00:00", "source": { "content": "Canadian and considering voting in the upcoming federal elections? Then you need to know the facts about the issues that matter the most. \nvoteprolife.ca\n", "mediaType": "text/plain" } }, "id": "https://www.minds.com/api/activitypub/users/874332051619192833/entities/urn:activity:1751796396446457856/activity" }, { "type": "Create", "actor": "https://www.minds.com/api/activitypub/users/874332051619192833", "object": { "type": "Note", "id": "https://www.minds.com/api/activitypub/users/874332051619192833/entities/urn:activity:1751764344385593344", "attributedTo": "https://www.minds.com/api/activitypub/users/874332051619192833", "content": "Good Marital advice<br /><br />Caitlin Fladager <br /><br />Don’t go looking for the man who will buy you flowers and jewelry, or surprise you with fancy vacations. Go looking for the one who buys you the hangers. <br />The other day, I had mentioned to my husband that I was feeling overwhelmed with all of my laundry, and I had also ran out of hangers. <br />“I’m feeling stressed, and I need to go get some hangers at some point this week. I can’t hang anymore clothes, until I have more.” I said to him, quickly. <br />After that, we both got into the car to head over to a family dinner. <br />As we drove towards my parent’s house, he stopped at the store, and said he needed to grab something. <br />I sat in the car, with our two young kids in the back asking “where’s daddy going?” <br />“I have no idea guys, just hold tight.” I said back, as I felt myself getting a little annoyed. <br />“Where is he? We have to go. We’re going to be late for dinner.” I thought to myself as I took off my seatbelt to get more comfortable while waiting. <br />A few moments later, my daughter shouted from the back “mommy, that’s a LOT of hangers!” <br />I looked out the window, and saw my husband carrying about 100 hangers. <br />He popped open the trunk, put them in there, and sat back in the drivers seat. I just stared at him. <br />“I didn’t need hangers this instant, but thank you.” I said, as I felt a rush of emotions.<br />“I know, but I could tell you were getting stressed with the growing pile of your clothes, and thought I could help. Tonight, we’ll do your laundry together, and get it all hung up.” He said to me as he squeezed my hand. <br />It was in that moment, I realized I had been searching for his love in all of the wrong places, completely.<br />You see, my husband has never been one to come home with chocolates or flowers often, and it took me many years to appreciate the way he loves me. <br />Growing up as a little girl, I would watch movies and see the big gestures.<br />The surprise vacations. <br />The diamond necklaces. <br />The boombox over the man’s head, as he professed his love for the whole street to hear. <br />I was not taught about the subtle love. <br />The quiet love. <br />The “little” love. <br />The forever kind of love. <br />The kind of love where he sees you needing help, and does it without asking. <br />The kind of love where he knows you so well, he can go to the store and pick out all of your favourite snacks.<br />The kind of love where he knows your tricky coffee order, when sometimes you even forget it. <br />The kind of love where he has seen you at your absolute worst, and chose to keep loving you anyways. <br />I was never shown that kind of love in movies, books, and TV.<br />I was always taught to look for the big gestures.<br />I was always taught to look for the flowers being brought home. <br />Because you see, my husband has brought me home flowers, but I couldn’t tell you when, or how it was done. <br />What I can tell you, is each and everyday he’s done little things, like this, to make my life a tiny bit easier. <br />Marry the man who doesn’t buy flowers often. <br />Marry the man who doesn’t come home with extravagant presents everyday. <br />Marry the man who will let you wait in the restaurant when it’s raining, and drive the car up to you, so you stay dry. <br />Marry the man who loves you in a quiet way. <br />For that is where the deepest, and more pure love can be found. <br />The quiet love. <br />A love so quiet that you’re the only one who can hear it <br />The type of love where he just wants to make the things in your life, well, a little bit easier. <br />Marry the man who buys the hangers.", "to": [ "https://www.w3.org/ns/activitystreams#Public" ], "cc": [ "https://www.minds.com/api/activitypub/users/874332051619192833/followers" ], "tag": [], "url": "https://www.minds.com/newsfeed/1751764344385593344", "published": "2025-03-26T22:46:05+00:00", "source": { "content": "Good Marital advice\n\nCaitlin Fladager \n\nDon’t go looking for the man who will buy you flowers and jewelry, or surprise you with fancy vacations. Go looking for the one who buys you the hangers. \nThe other day, I had mentioned to my husband that I was feeling overwhelmed with all of my laundry, and I had also ran out of hangers. \n“I’m feeling stressed, and I need to go get some hangers at some point this week. I can’t hang anymore clothes, until I have more.” I said to him, quickly. \nAfter that, we both got into the car to head over to a family dinner. \nAs we drove towards my parent’s house, he stopped at the store, and said he needed to grab something. \nI sat in the car, with our two young kids in the back asking “where’s daddy going?” \n“I have no idea guys, just hold tight.” I said back, as I felt myself getting a little annoyed. \n“Where is he? We have to go. We’re going to be late for dinner.” I thought to myself as I took off my seatbelt to get more comfortable while waiting. \nA few moments later, my daughter shouted from the back “mommy, that’s a LOT of hangers!” \nI looked out the window, and saw my husband carrying about 100 hangers. \nHe popped open the trunk, put them in there, and sat back in the drivers seat. I just stared at him. \n“I didn’t need hangers this instant, but thank you.” I said, as I felt a rush of emotions.\n“I know, but I could tell you were getting stressed with the growing pile of your clothes, and thought I could help. Tonight, we’ll do your laundry together, and get it all hung up.” He said to me as he squeezed my hand. \nIt was in that moment, I realized I had been searching for his love in all of the wrong places, completely.\nYou see, my husband has never been one to come home with chocolates or flowers often, and it took me many years to appreciate the way he loves me. \nGrowing up as a little girl, I would watch movies and see the big gestures.\nThe surprise vacations. \nThe diamond necklaces. \nThe boombox over the man’s head, as he professed his love for the whole street to hear. \nI was not taught about the subtle love. \nThe quiet love. \nThe “little” love. \nThe forever kind of love. \nThe kind of love where he sees you needing help, and does it without asking. \nThe kind of love where he knows you so well, he can go to the store and pick out all of your favourite snacks.\nThe kind of love where he knows your tricky coffee order, when sometimes you even forget it. \nThe kind of love where he has seen you at your absolute worst, and chose to keep loving you anyways. \nI was never shown that kind of love in movies, books, and TV.\nI was always taught to look for the big gestures.\nI was always taught to look for the flowers being brought home. \nBecause you see, my husband has brought me home flowers, but I couldn’t tell you when, or how it was done. \nWhat I can tell you, is each and everyday he’s done little things, like this, to make my life a tiny bit easier. \nMarry the man who doesn’t buy flowers often. \nMarry the man who doesn’t come home with extravagant presents everyday. \nMarry the man who will let you wait in the restaurant when it’s raining, and drive the car up to you, so you stay dry. \nMarry the man who loves you in a quiet way. \nFor that is where the deepest, and more pure love can be found. \nThe quiet love. \nA love so quiet that you’re the only one who can hear it \nThe type of love where he just wants to make the things in your life, well, a little bit easier. \nMarry the man who buys the hangers.", "mediaType": "text/plain" } }, "id": "https://www.minds.com/api/activitypub/users/874332051619192833/entities/urn:activity:1751764344385593344/activity" }, { "type": "Create", "actor": "https://www.minds.com/api/activitypub/users/874332051619192833", "object": { "type": "Note", "id": "https://www.minds.com/api/activitypub/users/874332051619192833/entities/urn:activity:1751043209946996736", "attributedTo": "https://www.minds.com/api/activitypub/users/874332051619192833", "content": "<a href=\"https://www.minds.com/JudeoChristian/blog/walk-a-straight-path-in-a-crooked-world-chapter-1-1751043209217187840\" target=\"_blank\">https://www.minds.com/JudeoChristian/blog/walk-a-straight-path-in-a-crooked-world-chapter-1-1751043209217187840</a>", "to": [ "https://www.w3.org/ns/activitystreams#Public" ], "cc": [ "https://www.minds.com/api/activitypub/users/874332051619192833/followers" ], "tag": [], "url": "https://www.minds.com/newsfeed/1751043209946996736", "published": "2025-03-24T23:00:33+00:00", "source": { "content": "https://www.minds.com/JudeoChristian/blog/walk-a-straight-path-in-a-crooked-world-chapter-1-1751043209217187840", "mediaType": "text/plain" } }, "id": "https://www.minds.com/api/activitypub/users/874332051619192833/entities/urn:activity:1751043209946996736/activity" }, { "type": "Create", "actor": "https://www.minds.com/api/activitypub/users/874332051619192833", "object": { "type": "Note", "id": "https://www.minds.com/api/activitypub/users/874332051619192833/entities/urn:activity:1751031381808390144", "attributedTo": "https://www.minds.com/api/activitypub/users/874332051619192833", "content": "<a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cq_6XbT_0YQ\" target=\"_blank\">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cq_6XbT_0YQ</a><br />Do Not Resist the One who is Evil (Matthew 5:38-42)<br />How should we respond when someone wrongs us? In Matthew 5:38-42, Jesus—or Yeshua, as he is<br />called in Hebrew—offers a surprising answer to that question. He references a commandment found in<br />the Torah, and then proceeds to explain how he expects his followers to respond when they are slapped,<br />sued, and mistreated. He says, “Do not resist the one who is evil.”<br />This teaching from Yeshua, which includes ideas like turning the other cheek and walking a second<br />mile, is well known and quite controversial. This passage has often been interpreted as an example of<br />Yeshua contradicting or undermining the Law of Moses. Also, many have understood this passage to<br />imply that Yeshua wants his followers basically to be pushovers and to let bullies walk all over them.<br />But is that really what Yeshua is saying?<br />In this teaching, we will look at Matthew 5:38-42 in light of its cultural and historical context, which<br />will shed some light on what Yeshua means when he says not to resist the one who is evil.<br />Let’s jump in:<br />Matthew 5:38-42<br />You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say to you, Do<br />not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other<br />also. And if anyone would sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. And if<br />anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. Give to the one who begs from you,<br />and do not refuse the one who would borrow from you.<br />The first thing to note about this passage is that Yeshua is contrasting his teaching with what his<br />audience has heard about “an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.” Before we get into the details of<br />Yeshua’s teaching, what exactly is “an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth”?<br />The Law of Just Compensation<br />“An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth” is a quotation from the Torah, and it refers to the principle of <br />just compensation for loss, or as it is known in Latin: lex talionis. Here is one place in the Torah where<br />the quote is found:<br />Exodus 21:23-25<br />But if there is harm, then you shall pay life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand,<br />foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, stripe for stripe.<br />(See also Leviticus 24:20; Deuteronomy 19:21)<br />The idea here is that if you injure someone’s eye, you must compensate them for the value of that eye.<br />Significantly, except in the case of “life for life”—that is, capital punishment for murder—this law was<br />not intended to be taken literally. The Torah does not call for physical mutilation. That wouldn’t make<br />sense from a legal perspective. How would literally poking out someone’s eye make up for losing your<br />own eye? Instead, the loss was usually assigned monetary or some other value, which was then paid to<br />the victim (See Jay Sklar, Leviticus, ZECOT (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2023), 660-661).<br />For example, immediately following the “eye for an eye” passage in Exodus 21:23-25, the Torah states<br />that if a master injures his slave’s eye or tooth, he does not recompense that injury by literally losing his<br />own eye or tooth; instead, he recompenses that injury by letting the slave go free (Exodus 21:26-27).<br />This indicates that the expression “eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth” is not meant literally; it is a<br />metaphor for expressing just and fair compensation for loss. Our modern judicial system is actually<br />based upon this same principle. For instance, if you are injured in a car accident because someone rearended you, the law does not require that the person who hit you have the back of their car smashed and<br />be given physical injuries to match yours. The law requires that you be compensated with money to heal<br />your injuries and repair your car.<br />What is important to recognize about this law is that, contrary to popular assumptions, it is not about<br />getting personal vengeance. It is not about hurting someone because they hurt you. In fact, the Torah<br />elsewhere explicitly prohibits taking personal vengeance:<br />Leviticus 19:18<br />You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your own people, but you<br />shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the LORD [YHWH].<br />The point of “eye for an eye” is actually to prevent personal acts of vengeance. It does this in two ways:<br />first, the law must be applied within the judicial system. If someone kills your sheep, you cannot<br />personally go steal his sheep to make up for it. If you desire compensation for your loss, you must bring<br />the matter to the judges, who then decide the appropriate punishment and restitution. Second, the law<br />restricts the amount of compensation a person could demand to be proportional to the value of the actual<br />loss. For example, if someone kills your sheep, you can’t take their entire herd, their ox, their grain field,<br />and their firstborn child as compensation. You can only seek the value equivalent to the lost sheep.<br />So, this is a very good principle—and again, it forms the foundation of our own modern judicial system.<br />“Eye for an eye” is ultimately about justice under the law. It’s about preventing vigilante acts of<br />vengeance, holding people responsible for their actions, and requiring guilty parties to make things right<br />with those whom they wronged.<br />Before we move on, there is one more point worth mentioning: despite the great wisdom of legal<br />principles like “eye for an eye,” the reality is that we still live in fallen world full of injustice. Justice is<br />often out of reach in this world because of sin, corruption, and oppression. The Torah itself <br />acknowledges this reality and promises that one day God himself will vindicate his people. God assures<br />us that recompense belongs to him, and that we can trust that he will repay in his timing (Deuteronomy<br />32:35; cf. Romans 12:19). So, even in the Torah itself, there is this notion that justice is out of reach in<br />our fallen world and that God is the ultimate provider of justice. Hence, we can trust God to vindicate us<br />instead of thinking that we must take matters into our own hands.<br />With that said, let’s get back to Yeshua’s teaching on this topic.<br />“But I say…”<br />After quoting the “eye for an eye” principle from the Torah, Yeshua starts his teaching with “But I say.”<br />In doing so, he contrasts his teaching with what his listeners have heard about “an eye for an eye.” This<br />contrast has led some to conclude that Yeshua’s teaching here actually opposes the Torah. Andy<br />Stanley’s comments on this passage are representative of this perspective:<br />[W]e can’t begin to imagine how unbiblical this sounded to first-century Jews whose entire<br />Scriptures were built on an ethic to the contrary…Jesus wasn’t simply contradicting their<br />Scriptures. His teaching stood in stark contrast to their entire history!<br />—Andy Stanley, Irresistible: Reclaiming the New that Jesus Unleashed for the World (Grand<br />Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2018), 106-107<br />Is Yeshua really contradicting the Torah in this passage? Actually, according to the context, that idea is<br />impossible.<br />Several verses earlier, Yeshua explicitly prohibits his listeners from thinking that he came to abolish the<br />Law and Prophets (Matthew 5:17). If we interpret Matthew 5:38-42 to mean that Yeshua is contradicting<br />or undermining the Torah, then we are violating his direct order in verse 17, when he said that we<br />shouldn’t think that he came to do such a thing. Yeshua did not come to nullify or oppose the Torah but<br />instead came to “fulfill” it—that is, fully do and teach the Torah. As Craig Evans remarks:<br />Jesus can hardly claim to fulfill the Law (Matt 5:17) if he then contradicts it.<br />—Craig Evans, Matthew, NCBC (New York, NY: Cambridge University Press, 2012), 120-121.<br />So, Yeshua is not, in fact, contrasting his teaching with the Torah itself. What is he contrasting then? He<br />is contrasting his teaching with the teachings of the scribes and Pharisees. He is not opposing the Torah;<br />he is opposing the scribes’ and Pharisees’ inferior interpretations of the Torah. That is what is meant by<br />the expression, “You have heard that it was said.” As Steven Stiles writes:<br />[W]hen the Matthean Jesus refers to what the crowds have “heard” (ἠκούσατε), he is quoting the<br />Torah as it is insufficiently interpreted by the scribes and Pharisees. This “distorted”<br />interpretation of the Torah produces a righteousness that is insufficient for entering the kingdom<br />of Heaven (Matt 5:20).<br />—Steven James Stiles, Jesus’ Fulfilment of the Torah and Prophets (Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck,<br />2023), 113<br />The fact that Yeshua is contrasting his teachings with the Pharisees’ teachings is evident from the <br />overall context. Right before he goes into his antithetical sayings—that is, his “You have heard it<br />said…But I say” teachings in verses 21-48—he condemns the inadequate righteousness of the Pharisees<br />in verse 20. He then follows his antithetical sayings with yet another condemnation of the Pharisees’<br />“righteousness” in Matthew 6:1-18. Hence, it seems clear that Yeshua is opposing the teachings of the<br />Pharisees, not the Law of Moses. The point of his antithetical sayings is to reveal that the scribes and the<br />Pharisees are the ones who abolish the Torah by misapplying it; in contrast, Yeshua fulfills the Torah by<br />explaining what it means to fully live it out (Matthew 5:17).<br />How did the Pharisees misapply this law of “eye for an eye”? It’s difficult to know for sure, but we can<br />infer some things about their teaching from the text itself. For instance, some scholars suggest that the<br />Pharisees took this principle out of its judicial context and used it as justification for pursuing personal<br />acts of vengeance (Charles H. Talbert, Matthew, PCNT (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2010), 85-<br />86). That is to say, if someone slaps you, they taught that you have the legal right to immediately slap<br />them back (Matthew 5:39). If that is correct, then such an idea opposes the very purpose of the law,<br />which was to prevent acts of personal vengeance by requiring that punishment and recompense be<br />administered by Israel’s judges. Furthermore, using this law to pursue personal acts of vengeance not<br />only distorts the purpose of “eye for and eye” but also explicitly violates Leviticus 19:18: “You shall not<br />take vengeance.”<br />As we’ve mentioned, Yeshua is not undermining “eye for an eye” in Matthew 5:38-42; he is correcting<br />its misapplication. As Dale Allison writes:<br />[W]hereas Matt. 5:38-42 concerns personal acts of vengeance by one wronged, Deuteronomy<br />speaks to judges about how to administer the law. It is true that 5:40 refers to the court, but Jesus<br />is not here delivering laws for the court to follow. He is rather speaking about interpersonal<br />relations and declaring that it is illegitimate for his followers to apply the lex talionis to their<br />private problems. So he is not overthrowing the principle of equivalent compensation on an<br />institutional level.<br />—Dale C. Allison, The Sermon on the Mount: Inspiring the Moral Imagination (New York, NY:<br />Crossroad, 1999), 93.<br />So, we are not to misuse the Torah to justify personal acts of vengeance. How then does Yeshua tell us<br />to respond when we are wronged?<br />Do Not Resist<br />Yeshua begins his teaching by saying, “Do not resist the one who is evil.” He then provides some<br />examples to illustrate this principle: turning the other cheek, giving your cloak, going the extra mile, and<br />giving to the one who begs. Before we delve into each of these examples, we must ask: what does<br />Yeshua mean when he says, “Do not resist the one who is evil”? Is Yeshua telling us to be pushovers<br />and to just surrender to evil? Not at all.<br />When Yeshua says “do not resist,” he means do not respond in the same manner. As the three examples<br />he gives will demonstrate, Yeshua is not saying that you must allow evil to happen without any<br />opposition whatsoever. Rather, he says to stand against your oppressor in such a way that you don’t<br />become an oppressor yourself. You are to counter evil with good. As the apostle Peter puts it:<br />1 Peter 3:9<br />Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless, for to this you were<br />called, that you may obtain a blessing.<br />The apostle Paul says the same thing:<br />Romans 12:17-21<br />Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. If<br />possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves,<br />but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the<br />Lord.” To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something<br />to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil,<br />but overcome evil with good.<br />1 Thessalonians 5:15<br />See that no one repays anyone evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to<br />everyone.<br />This is Yeshua’s point. As a member of the Messiah’s kingdom, the way to address evil and receive<br />justice is not to resort to personal acts of vengeance. It is to overcome evil with good and to trust that<br />God will bring about justice in his own perfect way. That is ", "to": [ "https://www.w3.org/ns/activitystreams#Public" ], "cc": [ "https://www.minds.com/api/activitypub/users/874332051619192833/followers" ], "tag": [], "url": "https://www.minds.com/newsfeed/1751031381808390144", "published": "2025-03-24T22:13:34+00:00", "source": { "content": "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cq_6XbT_0YQ\nDo Not Resist the One who is Evil (Matthew 5:38-42)\nHow should we respond when someone wrongs us? In Matthew 5:38-42, Jesus—or Yeshua, as he is\ncalled in Hebrew—offers a surprising answer to that question. He references a commandment found in\nthe Torah, and then proceeds to explain how he expects his followers to respond when they are slapped,\nsued, and mistreated. He says, “Do not resist the one who is evil.”\nThis teaching from Yeshua, which includes ideas like turning the other cheek and walking a second\nmile, is well known and quite controversial. This passage has often been interpreted as an example of\nYeshua contradicting or undermining the Law of Moses. Also, many have understood this passage to\nimply that Yeshua wants his followers basically to be pushovers and to let bullies walk all over them.\nBut is that really what Yeshua is saying?\nIn this teaching, we will look at Matthew 5:38-42 in light of its cultural and historical context, which\nwill shed some light on what Yeshua means when he says not to resist the one who is evil.\nLet’s jump in:\nMatthew 5:38-42\nYou have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say to you, Do\nnot resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other\nalso. And if anyone would sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. And if\nanyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. Give to the one who begs from you,\nand do not refuse the one who would borrow from you.\nThe first thing to note about this passage is that Yeshua is contrasting his teaching with what his\naudience has heard about “an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.” Before we get into the details of\nYeshua’s teaching, what exactly is “an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth”?\nThe Law of Just Compensation\n“An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth” is a quotation from the Torah, and it refers to the principle of \njust compensation for loss, or as it is known in Latin: lex talionis. Here is one place in the Torah where\nthe quote is found:\nExodus 21:23-25\nBut if there is harm, then you shall pay life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand,\nfoot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, stripe for stripe.\n(See also Leviticus 24:20; Deuteronomy 19:21)\nThe idea here is that if you injure someone’s eye, you must compensate them for the value of that eye.\nSignificantly, except in the case of “life for life”—that is, capital punishment for murder—this law was\nnot intended to be taken literally. The Torah does not call for physical mutilation. That wouldn’t make\nsense from a legal perspective. How would literally poking out someone’s eye make up for losing your\nown eye? Instead, the loss was usually assigned monetary or some other value, which was then paid to\nthe victim (See Jay Sklar, Leviticus, ZECOT (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2023), 660-661).\nFor example, immediately following the “eye for an eye” passage in Exodus 21:23-25, the Torah states\nthat if a master injures his slave’s eye or tooth, he does not recompense that injury by literally losing his\nown eye or tooth; instead, he recompenses that injury by letting the slave go free (Exodus 21:26-27).\nThis indicates that the expression “eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth” is not meant literally; it is a\nmetaphor for expressing just and fair compensation for loss. Our modern judicial system is actually\nbased upon this same principle. For instance, if you are injured in a car accident because someone rearended you, the law does not require that the person who hit you have the back of their car smashed and\nbe given physical injuries to match yours. The law requires that you be compensated with money to heal\nyour injuries and repair your car.\nWhat is important to recognize about this law is that, contrary to popular assumptions, it is not about\ngetting personal vengeance. It is not about hurting someone because they hurt you. In fact, the Torah\nelsewhere explicitly prohibits taking personal vengeance:\nLeviticus 19:18\nYou shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your own people, but you\nshall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the LORD [YHWH].\nThe point of “eye for an eye” is actually to prevent personal acts of vengeance. It does this in two ways:\nfirst, the law must be applied within the judicial system. If someone kills your sheep, you cannot\npersonally go steal his sheep to make up for it. If you desire compensation for your loss, you must bring\nthe matter to the judges, who then decide the appropriate punishment and restitution. Second, the law\nrestricts the amount of compensation a person could demand to be proportional to the value of the actual\nloss. For example, if someone kills your sheep, you can’t take their entire herd, their ox, their grain field,\nand their firstborn child as compensation. You can only seek the value equivalent to the lost sheep.\nSo, this is a very good principle—and again, it forms the foundation of our own modern judicial system.\n“Eye for an eye” is ultimately about justice under the law. It’s about preventing vigilante acts of\nvengeance, holding people responsible for their actions, and requiring guilty parties to make things right\nwith those whom they wronged.\nBefore we move on, there is one more point worth mentioning: despite the great wisdom of legal\nprinciples like “eye for an eye,” the reality is that we still live in fallen world full of injustice. Justice is\noften out of reach in this world because of sin, corruption, and oppression. The Torah itself \nacknowledges this reality and promises that one day God himself will vindicate his people. God assures\nus that recompense belongs to him, and that we can trust that he will repay in his timing (Deuteronomy\n32:35; cf. Romans 12:19). So, even in the Torah itself, there is this notion that justice is out of reach in\nour fallen world and that God is the ultimate provider of justice. Hence, we can trust God to vindicate us\ninstead of thinking that we must take matters into our own hands.\nWith that said, let’s get back to Yeshua’s teaching on this topic.\n“But I say…”\nAfter quoting the “eye for an eye” principle from the Torah, Yeshua starts his teaching with “But I say.”\nIn doing so, he contrasts his teaching with what his listeners have heard about “an eye for an eye.” This\ncontrast has led some to conclude that Yeshua’s teaching here actually opposes the Torah. Andy\nStanley’s comments on this passage are representative of this perspective:\n[W]e can’t begin to imagine how unbiblical this sounded to first-century Jews whose entire\nScriptures were built on an ethic to the contrary…Jesus wasn’t simply contradicting their\nScriptures. His teaching stood in stark contrast to their entire history!\n—Andy Stanley, Irresistible: Reclaiming the New that Jesus Unleashed for the World (Grand\nRapids, MI: Zondervan, 2018), 106-107\nIs Yeshua really contradicting the Torah in this passage? Actually, according to the context, that idea is\nimpossible.\nSeveral verses earlier, Yeshua explicitly prohibits his listeners from thinking that he came to abolish the\nLaw and Prophets (Matthew 5:17). If we interpret Matthew 5:38-42 to mean that Yeshua is contradicting\nor undermining the Torah, then we are violating his direct order in verse 17, when he said that we\nshouldn’t think that he came to do such a thing. Yeshua did not come to nullify or oppose the Torah but\ninstead came to “fulfill” it—that is, fully do and teach the Torah. As Craig Evans remarks:\nJesus can hardly claim to fulfill the Law (Matt 5:17) if he then contradicts it.\n—Craig Evans, Matthew, NCBC (New York, NY: Cambridge University Press, 2012), 120-121.\nSo, Yeshua is not, in fact, contrasting his teaching with the Torah itself. What is he contrasting then? He\nis contrasting his teaching with the teachings of the scribes and Pharisees. He is not opposing the Torah;\nhe is opposing the scribes’ and Pharisees’ inferior interpretations of the Torah. That is what is meant by\nthe expression, “You have heard that it was said.” As Steven Stiles writes:\n[W]hen the Matthean Jesus refers to what the crowds have “heard” (ἠκούσατε), he is quoting the\nTorah as it is insufficiently interpreted by the scribes and Pharisees. This “distorted”\ninterpretation of the Torah produces a righteousness that is insufficient for entering the kingdom\nof Heaven (Matt 5:20).\n—Steven James Stiles, Jesus’ Fulfilment of the Torah and Prophets (Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck,\n2023), 113\nThe fact that Yeshua is contrasting his teachings with the Pharisees’ teachings is evident from the \noverall context. Right before he goes into his antithetical sayings—that is, his “You have heard it\nsaid…But I say” teachings in verses 21-48—he condemns the inadequate righteousness of the Pharisees\nin verse 20. He then follows his antithetical sayings with yet another condemnation of the Pharisees’\n“righteousness” in Matthew 6:1-18. Hence, it seems clear that Yeshua is opposing the teachings of the\nPharisees, not the Law of Moses. The point of his antithetical sayings is to reveal that the scribes and the\nPharisees are the ones who abolish the Torah by misapplying it; in contrast, Yeshua fulfills the Torah by\nexplaining what it means to fully live it out (Matthew 5:17).\nHow did the Pharisees misapply this law of “eye for an eye”? It’s difficult to know for sure, but we can\ninfer some things about their teaching from the text itself. For instance, some scholars suggest that the\nPharisees took this principle out of its judicial context and used it as justification for pursuing personal\nacts of vengeance (Charles H. Talbert, Matthew, PCNT (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2010), 85-\n86). That is to say, if someone slaps you, they taught that you have the legal right to immediately slap\nthem back (Matthew 5:39). If that is correct, then such an idea opposes the very purpose of the law,\nwhich was to prevent acts of personal vengeance by requiring that punishment and recompense be\nadministered by Israel’s judges. Furthermore, using this law to pursue personal acts of vengeance not\nonly distorts the purpose of “eye for and eye” but also explicitly violates Leviticus 19:18: “You shall not\ntake vengeance.”\nAs we’ve mentioned, Yeshua is not undermining “eye for an eye” in Matthew 5:38-42; he is correcting\nits misapplication. As Dale Allison writes:\n[W]hereas Matt. 5:38-42 concerns personal acts of vengeance by one wronged, Deuteronomy\nspeaks to judges about how to administer the law. It is true that 5:40 refers to the court, but Jesus\nis not here delivering laws for the court to follow. He is rather speaking about interpersonal\nrelations and declaring that it is illegitimate for his followers to apply the lex talionis to their\nprivate problems. So he is not overthrowing the principle of equivalent compensation on an\ninstitutional level.\n—Dale C. Allison, The Sermon on the Mount: Inspiring the Moral Imagination (New York, NY:\nCrossroad, 1999), 93.\nSo, we are not to misuse the Torah to justify personal acts of vengeance. How then does Yeshua tell us\nto respond when we are wronged?\nDo Not Resist\nYeshua begins his teaching by saying, “Do not resist the one who is evil.” He then provides some\nexamples to illustrate this principle: turning the other cheek, giving your cloak, going the extra mile, and\ngiving to the one who begs. Before we delve into each of these examples, we must ask: what does\nYeshua mean when he says, “Do not resist the one who is evil”? Is Yeshua telling us to be pushovers\nand to just surrender to evil? Not at all.\nWhen Yeshua says “do not resist,” he means do not respond in the same manner. As the three examples\nhe gives will demonstrate, Yeshua is not saying that you must allow evil to happen without any\nopposition whatsoever. Rather, he says to stand against your oppressor in such a way that you don’t\nbecome an oppressor yourself. You are to counter evil with good. As the apostle Peter puts it:\n1 Peter 3:9\nDo not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless, for to this you were\ncalled, that you may obtain a blessing.\nThe apostle Paul says the same thing:\nRomans 12:17-21\nRepay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. If\npossible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves,\nbut leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the\nLord.” To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something\nto drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil,\nbut overcome evil with good.\n1 Thessalonians 5:15\nSee that no one repays anyone evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to\neveryone.\nThis is Yeshua’s point. As a member of the Messiah’s kingdom, the way to address evil and receive\njustice is not to resort to personal acts of vengeance. It is to overcome evil with good and to trust that\nGod will bring about justice in his own perfect way. 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