Matthew 5:39,47 | John 18:22-23 | Acts 23:3
“But I say…”
Jesus was pretty well known for saying mysterious things. One of the most mysterious was this bit about turning the other cheek.
But I say, do not resist an evil person! If someone slaps you on the right cheek, offer the other cheek also.
(Matthew 5:39 NLT)
Ouch. What a painful proposition this is! You would have to be a pretty hardcore toughguy to actually do this physically. Also, it seems like taking this advice literally would eventually turn all Christians into pitiable doormats. (More on this topic here.)
But maybe Jesus didn’t mean for us to take this literally. Maybe Jesus meant for us to understand that we should not repay evil with more evil, hurt with more hurt, a wrong with a wrong, etc.
Look at how Jesus responded on one of the many occasions in which he took a shot to the cheek. After he was arrested in the garden at Gethsemane, he was tied up and taken to the house of Annas, the Jewish High Priest, who asked him what kind of stuff he had been teaching his followers. Jesus retorted (essentially), “Why are you asking me? Ask the people who heard me.”
As soon as Jesus said this, one of the temple police hit him and said, “That’s no way to talk to the high priest!” Jesus answered, “If I have done something wrong, say so. But if not, why did you hit me?”
(John 18:22-23 CEV)
He didn’t literally turn the other cheek, did he? Nor did he retaliate. What he did was plead for reasonable treatment.
Now let’s see how the Apostle Paul responded in a similar situation. He was preaching in the temple in Jerusalem, when some fellow Jews saw him and stirred the whole temple crowd into an angry mob set on killing him. Eventually he was taken to stand trial before the high priest, whom he offended greatly by admitting no wrongdoing. The high priest retaliated by ordering Paul to be hit in the mouth.
Paul turned to the high priest and said, “You whitewashed wall! God will hit you. You sit there to judge me by the Law of Moses. But at the same time you order men to break the Law by hitting me.”
(Acts 23:3 CEV)
Did Paul turn his other cheek? Not exactly. In fact, his response could be described as…well, bitter. But look at where Paul places his hope of retaliation: in God. When he says, “God will hit you,” he means that God will provide his justice.
Notice that, in both cases, neither Jesus nor Paul is eager to take another knuckle to the orbital. They don’t consent to more abuse, but still they don’t repay their offenders with more violence.
When you find yourself in a situation like theirs, consider Jesus’ and Paul’s responses. Defend yourself, but trust God to even the score. And don’t get caught up in hating your enemies. After all, Jesus said:
If you are kind only to your friends, how are you different from anyone else? Even pagans do that.
(Matthew 5:47 NLT)
Questions for Group Discussion
- Have you ever tried turning the other cheek? How did it go? What would you do differently if you had a do-over?
- Who are some personal ‘enemies’ that you could try praying for and loving? Be sure that loving your enemies does not put you in a position to receive extra abuse.
- What do you think Paul meant when he called the high priest a “whitewashed wall”? Was that meant as an insult? Was this a form of verbal retaliation on Paul’s part?
- Why is it bad for us to take our vindication into our own hands? Is it as simple as saying, “Two wrongs don’t make a right”?
Application: Do Over
Can you think of a time when, instead of responding like Jesus, you retaliated against people who had hurt you? A time when you took vengeance?
Do you wish you could call a do-over? Just throw up your hands, and in your most authoritative-yet-cooperative voice yell, “Do over!”?
Now you can. With this handy-dandy application, you can rewrite your own shameful, vengeful history. Just follow these four easy steps!
- Write a brief description of a time when you responded to hate with hate and brought down the iron fist of vengeance on someone who did you wrong.
- With a red pen (or whatever is handy), cross out all the parts in which you exacted your revenge.
- Rewrite the story with how you wish you had responded. Don’t worry about believability–be as realistic or absurd as you like. This is just an exercise!
- Pray and ask God to help you trust him for your just desserts. Below is a suggested prayer. Please pray as you feel led.
Suggested Prayer
Father in Heaven, you love everyone so much and you want good things for us all. Thank you for forgiving me and showing me how to forgive. Help me to trust you to pay back people who take advantage of me, and not try to take matters into my own hands. Help me to love my enemies and show me how to pray for them. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
