‘Turn the other cheek’ is about love, not dignity
Few teachings of Jesus get as much pushback these days as His “turn the other cheek” discourse in the Sermon on the Mount.
Here’s the passage at issue, from Matthew 5:
38 “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ 39 But I tell you not to resist an evil person. But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also. 40 If anyone wants to sue you and take away your tunic, let him have your cloak also. 41 And whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two. 42 Give to him who asks you, and from him who wants to borrow from you do not turn away.”
Some Christians, particularly those who could be called culture warriors or the “woke right,” take issue with interpreting this as passively accepting mistreatment by evil people. Rather, various commentaries frame it as asserting one’s own dignity, honor, and power. They point out that a strike to the right cheek was a condescending backhanded slap, and turning the left cheek forces the aggressor to hit you with their palm, as one would a peer. They say Jesus’ point was to treat their adversaries as equals, erasing the power imbalance. Creative resistance, some call it. Standing your ground.
But Jesus did not call it that. He did not characterize such resistance; He forbade it. We don’t have to theorize what Jesus was teaching; He tells them up front: “I tell you not to resist an evil person” (emphasis mine).
Going the extra mile
Turning the other cheek was only the first example He gave to illustrate this. At that time, Roman soldiers forced conquered Jews to carry their gear for a mile; not only does Jesus say not to resist their foreign, godless oppressors, but to voluntarily carry their stuff another mile. What power does that assert? What message does that send?
Related: How Jesus reacted to an oppressive, godless regime
The true answer is fleshed out as Jesus continues:
43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, 45 that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. 46 For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? 47 And if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the tax collectors do so?”
The point is love. Love, by definition, is selfless. Love, by definition, is not about one’s own dignity, but recognizing the other’s. The Greek verb is agapao, and we don’t have to wonder what it looks like; there’s a whole Bible chapter about it. Love is not provoked and does not keep an account of suffered wrongs, Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 13. Love bears all things and endures all things.
Love your enemies
The Lord’s instruction is, in effect, to apply that passage to our enemies. Those who hate us and curse us. We do not revile in return. We bless – speak well of – those who speak evil of us. That’s what makes us unlike them. That’s what makes us “sons of your Father in heaven,” for good children take after their father as they bear his name. God loves unconditionally, and He loved us even when we were His enemies. When we hated and cursed Him, as all unbelievers do.
Related: The tone police: How God wants us to talk and act
Jesus elaborated on this in Luke 6:
35 “But love your enemies, do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High. For He is kind to the unthankful and evil. 36 Therefore be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful.”
Love seeks nothing in return. It is entirely for the benefit of the other, for no other reason than kindness and unconditional mercy.
Does this mean we shouldn’t resist terrorists and violent criminals? Of course not. That’s what laws are for. The state is authorized in Romans 13 to use force to stop evildoers. Jesus even told His disciples to carry arms in Luke 22:36.
But it’s interesting that they never used them against deadly persecution. They never fought back. Preaching the gospel was their only resistance. That suggests that the Lord’s permission to use weapons is limited. Our motives and circumstances matter. It’s not about our religious and political enemies, whom Jesus specifically commanded us to love.
It’s the gospel
That’s the gist of the Matthew 5 passage, and Jesus Himself embodied the greatest example of it. We have all “slapped” Him. We’ve insulted Him with how we live our lives. We’ve condescendingly acted as if we are Lord. We, His enemies, are due His vengeance. Justice demands a return strike.
But for no other reason than His great mercy and love for us, Jesus volunteered to selflessly bear the judgment that we deserve. The One who was offended received the retribution that was due the offender. “Turn the other cheek” is the gospel, and Jesus found no dignity in it. He was despised, not esteemed (Isaiah 53:3).
This astonishing magnitude of love makes no sense to us. For some, it’s unacceptable, especially when we’re called to emulate it. We don’t want to turn the other cheek. We don’t want to love our enemies. But like it or not, that’s what Jesus meant.
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