TURN THE OTHER CHEEK – It’s not what you think

 

TURN THE OTHER CHEEK – It Is Not What You Think It Might Be

 

“But I say to you, do not show opposition against an evil person; but whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other toward him also.”

Matthew 5:39 (NASB). These are the words and teachings of Jesus.

How does it make sense to let a person “slap you silly”. Showing restraint and non-aggression is one thing, but inviting a person to beat you to death by putting up no defense, negates show love for an enemy – especially if you are beaten to death.

In order to better understand this teaching, let’s be clear from the start. Jesus said, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” Matthew 15:24. (NASB).

Again, when sending out His first disciples, Jesus said, “These twelve Jesus sent out after instructing them, saying, “Do not go on a road to Gentiles, and do not enter a city of Samaritans; but rather go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” Matthew 10:5-6. (NASB).

And since this was the case, we need to understand that Jesus would often speak in a way, using metaphors, similes, and colloquial phrases in a context familiar to the Jews. And this is one of those times.

So, let’s take a close look at Matthew 5:39.

(1) The act of slapping someone on the right cheek in the cultural context of Jesus’ time was considered a severe insult, often delivered with the back of the hand. This was not just a physical attack but a challenge to one’s honor and dignity. The right cheek is specifically mentioned, suggesting a backhanded slap from a right-handed person, which was more insulting than a direct slap. This reflects the cultural importance of honor and shame in the ancient Near East. Jesus’ instruction here is not about physical violence, but about responding to personal insults and affronts.

Jesus is obviously calling for a radical response of non-resistance, which aligns with His teachings on love and forgiveness. This principle is echoed in Romans 12:17-21, where Paul advises believers to overcome evil with good.

Turning the other cheek is a metaphor for non-retaliation and the willingness to endure further insult rather than seek revenge. This action symbolizes the rejection of the cycle of violence and retaliation. It reflects the character of Jesus Himself, who, when reviled, did not retaliate (1 Peter 2:23). This teaching is a call to embody the kingdom values of humility, patience, and love, even towards one’s enemies.

It challenges believers to trust in God’s justice rather than taking matters into their own hands, aligning with the broader biblical theme of leaving vengeance to God (Deuteronomy 32:35). (Reference – BibleHub.com).

Which brings us to the final point: Faith and Trust.

1. It is possible to correctly and effectively obey this command of Jesus only if you understand, believe and trust that God will not only protect you, but exact His vengeance on the perpetrator. (This is why Jesus say to pray for your enemies – their fate in the Hand of our Living God as an enemy who is offending one of God’s own children, is worse than death.
2. It is possible to correctly and effectively obey this command of Jesus only if you recognize God’s sovereignty in and over your life. I.e., nothing happens to you that God has not allowed. (Jesus told Pontius Pilate, “You would have no authority over Me at all, if it had not been given to you from above; for this reason the one who handed Me over to you has the greater sin.” (John 19:11, NASB).
3. There is a purpose and God has a plan in all things concerning you. But if you interrupt His plan with a plan of your own, you have become an obstacle. (For example, Jesus He turned and said to Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to Me; for you are not setting your mind on God’s purposes, but men’s.” (Matthew 16:23 NASB).
4. This does not mean that we are to become “doormats” to evil. We are to become “doormen” to the Kingdom of God. Our strength comes through our stubborn obedience to Jesus commands and teaching. (“Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist on the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm (“be, immovable, stubbornly planted”). Stand firm therefore”.
5. Throughout Jesus’ radical and revolutionary counter-cultural teachings, Jesus is saying at least these two things: (1). Resist not evil, i.e., do not become entangled in evil. It can affect you in ways that will draw you into its darkness. Stand firm in the Light of God and on His Word. But do resist the devil as you draw near to God, and the devil will flee from you. (2). We do not have time for the frivolity of fighting evil with our flesh. It is a waste of time, which we do not have. Jesus is coming soon, and the fields are ripe to harvest. We have much work to accomplish. Move past these “temporary and light afflictions”, as the Apostle Paul called them, which are “producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.”

It takes great trust and faith to follow this command of Jesus. But once we grasp the ‘bigger picture’ and understand that we have been invited and called to participate in God’s Plan for all humanity, we should be honored and humbled. This is a foreshadowing of what is to come:

“Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is among the people, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them, and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.”

“And He who sits on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” And He said, “Write, for these words are faithful and true.” Then He said to me, “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give water to the one who thirsts from the spring of the water of life, without cost. The one who overcomes will inherit these things, and I will be his God and he will be My son. But for the cowardly, and unbelieving, and abominable, and murderers, and sexually immoral persons, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.” (Revelation 21:1-8)

“I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. And the city has no need of the sun or of the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God has illuminated it, and its lamp is the Lamb. The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it. In the daytime (for there will be no night there) its gates will never be closed; and they will bring the glory and the honor of the nations into it; and nothing unclean, and no one who practices abomination and lying, shall ever come into it, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life”. (Rev 21:22-27)

“Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they will have the right to the tree of life, and may enter the city by the gates. Outside are the dogs, the sorcerers, the sexually immoral persons, the murderers, the idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices lying”. (Revelation 22:14-15).

Let’s pray for one another as the day draws near!

Your Brother and Friend,

Mike Young