What Does “Turn the Other Cheek” Really Mean?
Filed under News, Scripture on January 13th, 2009 by Marcus FrenchOn January 10th, VOR posted Dr. Brown’s The Hollow Sound of Anti-Israel Protests article on our Daily Kos diary. Daily Kos is known as one of the most liberal sites on the net, thus it is no surprise that response to the article in the comments section was quite negative (perhaps vitriolic is the more precise word), with most of the venom directed at Dr. Brown for things unrelated to the article. One of the more interesting (and less hateful) comment threads involved Jesus’ command to “turn the other cheek”, suggesting that as believers in Jesus, we ought never support any side in a war, with nations needing to “turn the other cheek” upon being confronted militarily. The following is a sampling from the thread:
As your sister in Christ, might I suggest turning the other check is in both party’s interest if they really want this conflict resolved.
by grannyhelen on Sat Jan 10, 2009 at 03:09:58 PM PST
I thought that Christ’s maxim was that if someone slaps you on one cheek, turn the other cheek toward them. I don’t recall him saying, if someone slaps you on one cheek, bludgeon them with a sledge hammer. Please clarify.
by Leftywingnut on Sat Jan 10, 2009 at 03:24:37 PM PST
I find it sadly amusing that so many so-called self-identified ‘Christians’ have to do all sort of logical gymnastics to twist Christ’s simple and direct language to suit their ends, as opposed to listening in their hearts and reading the specific words on the page.
These same ‘Christians’ love Leviticus when it tells them to persecute gays, but fail to abstain from eating shell-fish, wearing a cotton/poly shirt, or eating a bacon double cheeseburger.
Often times they moan about efforts against public prayer (in government chambers) without acknowledging Christ’s clear directive to pray in private rather than make a public display of their superior piety, ‘like the hypocrites.’
“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the Children of God.”
by Leftywingnut on Sat Jan 10, 2009 at 03:49:12 PM PST
Are we “do[ing] all sort[s] of logical gymnastics to twist Christ’s simple and direct language to suit [our] end” when we support Israel in their war on terror? We want to obey Jesus in all ways, so what does He want us to do when He commands us to “turn the other cheek”? Should we abstain from defending ourselves from somebody physically attacking us? Should we denounce rather than support nations for defending themselves from terrorists? Consider the following:
Interestingly, while it is not uncommon for anti-missionaries to attack some of these passages, it is often the Jewish background to the passage that elucidates its meaning. Note, for example, that Luke 6:29 states, “If someone strikes you on one cheek, turn to him the other also,” but Matthew 5:39, which occurs in the context of legal retaliation (see Matt. 5:38!), provides an important detail: “But I tell you, Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.” Does this mean that if someone breaks into your home and tries to kill your spouse and your kids, you should sit idly by even if you could easily stop them, or, perhaps even turn your family over to the intruder to be brutalized? Does it mean that you don’t call the police or offer any resistance? Of course not. The issue is one of legal retaliation, in this case, for being publicly shamed, which we know because of the words, “If someone strikes you on the right cheek,” implying a backhanded slap against the face. That is to say, a right-handed orientation is assumed in similar legal cases, and, since a right-handed slap would strike the left cheek and a right-handed person would not strike with the left hand, being struck on the right cheek means being struck with the back of the hand.
As Nolland and others have noted, the Mishnah dealt with this very situation in m. B. K. 9:6. To summarize, ‘a slap with the back of the hand calls for twice the payment in recompense for other blows; in terms of dishonor it is on the same level as tearing an ear, plucking out hair, spitting on someone, pulling a cloak off, and loosing a woman’s hair in public.’
Now, it must be remembered that the Mishnah was often dealing with actual laws and procedures, along with legal theory, just as a court today would get into great detail in terms of determining culpability and assessing fines and punishments. That is perfectly understandable as an ongoing application of Torah law. Yeshua (Jesus), however, was saying to his disciples, ‘This is not for you. I’m calling you to something higher. When you are publicly shamed and have the right to exact payment, turn the other cheek. Make yourself vulnerable and don’t try to fight your opponent on his terms. Step higher!’
– Michael L. Brown: Answering Jewish Objections to Jesus, Volume 4
As is so often the case, taking time to understand the subtleties in the Scriptures, rather than forcing some hyper-literalistic 21st Century application, reveals the truth.
Tags: daily kos, Dr. Michael Brown, Gaza, hamas, israel, Israel protests, Jewish Objections to Jesus, Mishnah, New Testament, Scripture, turn the other cheek
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Should we denounce rather than support people who try to resist being starved of food, water, electricity and medical treatment under occupation of a brutal terrorist neighboring state?
and if a slap with the back of the hand calls for twice the payment in recompense, then the israeli government has miscalculated by several hundred to several thousand times. unless maybe they’re trying to make up for the victimization of other individuals in the holocaust by taking it out on innocent people in modern times?
“Jesus”,
Can we denounce the terrorists, while supporting the people?
The teachings of Yeshua were metaphoric in nature regarding such as a slap in the face and turning the other check when publicly shamed. No where in the scriptures does either Yeshua or the G-d of Abraham state that we should not protect ourselves or our families or our countries. He called upon King David to be a great warrior for the land he gave to Abraham and he specifically required King David to take Jerusalem from the Jebusites, just as he required Abraham to go to the Land of Canaan. G-d puts who he wants where he wants and gives us as Christians an obligation to follow his will to bless his people and to help them to keep the land he gave to them. When the ideology of the people next door turns them into rattle snakes and they insist on entering your back yard and biting your children you are not required to sit ideally by. When all else fails and they just keep invading your yard you may do as necessary to hold them back. There is no scripture that says otherwise from Genesis to Revelation. We bless Israel when we help G-d to protect his covenant with the Jewish people and we curse our own G-d when we turn away from them or criticize them for obeying His covenant to protect their Holy Land. Genesis 12. Where are the photos of the more than 1200 innocent Jewish civilians killed by Palestinian suicide bombers or rockets? I guess they just couldn’t put all those faces on the front page of the New York times…not enough room????
A distinction needs to be made between the God ordained roles of the state and the church (or of Christian individuals). Even if for sake of argument we accept the misunderstanding of Luke 6:29, there is nothing to say that this is how the state should conduct itself. The state is concerned primarily with justice and the protection of life, liberty and property, and this includes issues of national security and external threats. How would the leftard critics like it if the state were to apply their understanding of Luke 6:29 to the criminal justice system? It would be anarchy.
Hi
Isn’t your summary statement pretty much the same thing though?
“Make yourself vulnerable and don’t try to fight your opponent on his terms. Step higher!’”
This to me still means retaliation in war is forbidden?
Like I say, as Christians we have double standards when it comes to war.
If a gang in my city came and bombed my house and set it on fire and it burnt to the ground, of course Christ forbids me to go over to the gangs house and blow theirs up!
So why, in the context of Israel as Christians in America, are we now encouraged to support them doing just that?
I know it’s a very over used question but I think it’s valid in this case:
Why didn’t Jesus encourage the overthrow of the Romans? It seems like a very similar parallel?
I think that Christ’s teaching of (in your words) “Make yourself vulnerable and don’t try to fight your opponent on his terms. Step higher!’” means having a vulnerable other-worldly foreign policy as well as how we treat our individual enemies on a legal basis.
Hey Jordan,
My point was that Jesus’ words weren’t about violence, but were instead about shame, and to use them in a hyper-literalistic way is to not do them justice.
And while the question of whether we should hold governments to the same standards we hold individuals is a whole nother discussion (Frank Turek discusses this in his Town Hall article Jesus and the Case for War), let’s say for the sake of argument that we should. Is Israel fighting Hamas because they’ve shamed them? Or even to exact revenge? No, they are fighting to protect themselves. Is this an unrighteous thing to do?
Also, with reference to your “gangs” analogy, revenge and protection are not the same thing.
Regarding your final statement:
I find this quite intriguing (though, the words you quote are obviously Dr. Brown’s words and not mine). What would a government policy as you propose it this side of the reigning Jesus look like?
I agree that Israel’s policy of invading Gaza at the present time isn’t principally about revenge but is about protection.
But I do think the ethics of Christ can equally be applied in this case.
If you simply look at his example, and the example of his disciples when they were attacked they were as lambs not lions when they were physically and violently attacked.
Christ never once resisted or fought back when he was violently attacked.
His early followers were stoned, crucified or fed to lions and they never led a revolt to defend their lives.
I don’t understand the fact that when you have a nation involved, we ignore these principles in foreign policy?
I don’t deny or shy away from the terrible difficulty of such an ideology. And I understand that it’s a lot easier on paper then done in practice, but I do believe that pacifism even in the realm of defense and protection was what was believed by both Christ and his early disciples.
Also on a very natural and human level. I really don’t see how such an invasion with terrible casualties and thousands of lives lost can ever really bring Israel peace.
If you think of yourself as a Palestinian, born and raised in Gaza. All you know is what is taught to you about how Jews are evil and must be destroyed. You live in abject poverty and you are told that Israel is the cause of this. How much more cemented will this ideology be in their minds when all they see now is absolute desolation, schools and homes destroyed and family members and close friends killed, and their poverty intensified at the hand of Israel?
They don’t understand the justification of defense and protection that perhaps we can see in the west.
Surely now their intent to wipe out Israel can only have increased along with the agreement from all Muslim nations around the world?
Is this not counter-productive in every way?
Can’t God fight for Israel instead of using all the human means they can scrape together on their own? In every way I can think of this war seems to be the opposite to God’s intent for his people.
Jordan,
Lets say you found yourself in this situation: “someone breaks into your home and tries to kill your spouse and your kids”, what would you do.
Jordan, if the police and the courts applied the “turn the other cheek” standard, the jails would be empty and all the criminals would be free on the streets. Furthermore, no one except for Christians would pay the slightest attention to any state imposed law. Obviously this is not the way God designed the state to operate. As I said, the state is (or should be) concerned with enforcing God’s justice, otherwise there can be no civil society in this fallen world.
Ben, would you like me to answer your question with what I would do? or what I believe Christ and his early followers would have done?
Because unfortunately they are 2 different things. I don’t claim to live the ethics of 1st century christians.
I also understand this as the age-old argument of putting pacifist logic to the extreme to expose it’s weaknesses, and have been asked this exact question many times.
I personally don’t actually have a black and white ethics. Which means I don’t have a policy in my mind that can be inserted easily into every hypothetical scenario. But I definitely tend to try and follow the ethics in the sermon of the mount as closely as I can. And I think that Jesus’ teachings can be applied to all facets of society, whether it be law and order, foreign policy, or simply how we relate to our siblings and wives.
Basically when it comes down to it, we are called to be servants of all. Utterly love unconditionally those that try and attack us. Surely as Christians we can agree that this was the heart of Christ’s ethics?
How can we then translate this love into a justification of utter desolation and destruction and killing even if it is for their protection?
I know it’s not an easy subject.
But instead of attempting to justify this terrible situation and death, shouldn’t the correct response of a christian be to weep over the destruction killing that is happening on both sides and plead for an intervention from heaven?
This war cannot and will not bring Israel peace, has been terribly destructive and cost thousands of lives.
Does it not seem utterly unchristian to support it?
Jordan,
Yes, please explain what you would do in this case: If someone broke into where you live and came to kill your parents or family while you were there, do you stand there and not respond out of self defense (Even in a extreme case that killing him would be the only option to stop him)?
You mentioned “know it’s not an easy subject. But instead of attempting to justify this terrible situation and death, shouldn’t the correct response of a christian be to weep over the destruction killing that is happening on both sides and plead for an intervention from heaven? This war cannot and will not bring Israel peace, has been terribly destructive and cost thousands of lives. Does it not seem utterly unchristian to support it?”
Yes we should weep, but you are missing the point of what Dr. Brown is emphasizing in this article. The context of Matt 5:38 is legal retaliation. The verse cannot be applied to Israels situation because the context is different. If you had multiple missles shot in your back yard, would you not respond to stop them? Israel had the right to respond out of self defense.
Why do pacifists make unsupported statements like: “This war cannot and will not bring Israel peace”? Well for a start, if Israel did nothing that wouldn’t bring peace either. Israel had been ignoring the missiles for years and that didn’t make them stop. And secondly, if Hamas or its capacity to wage war was wiped out, that would certainly mean more peace for Israel at least in the short term. We are living in a fallen world - sometimes war is the lesser of two evils.
I agree that we aren’t supposed to sit idly by while someone hurts our family. However, the clear meaning of Matthew 5 (along with John 18:36, Ephesians 6, etc.) shows us that Christians fight spiritual wars, not carnal ones. I don’t see how the Bible teaches us that we can love our neighbors and still kill them– especially if they are sinners who will be sent to hell because we decided to kill them instead of ministering to them. The early church uniformly rejected killing (whether it be abortion, death penalty, or war) because they believed it was directly against the teachings of Christ. We have since made up a false “just war” doctrine which no nation has ever lived up to. That being said, unbelieving Jews and Muslims shouldn’t be expected to follow these spiritual principles. I just wish faithful believers in Messiah would.
“‘For out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. And He shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people; and they shall beat their swords into ploughshares, and their spears into pruning-hooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.’ (Isaiah 2:3-4) And that it did so come to pass, we can convince you. For from Jerusalem there went out into the world, men, twelve in number, and these illiterate, of no ability in speaking: but by the power of God they proclaimed to every race of men that they were sent by Christ to teach to all the word of God; and we who formerly used to murder one another do not only now refrain from making war upon our enemies, but also, that we may not lie nor deceive our examiners, willingly die confessing Christ… But if the soldiers enrolled by you, and who have taken the military oath, prefer their allegiance to their own life, and parents, and country, and all kindred, though you can offer them nothing incorruptible, it were verily ridiculous if we, who earnestly long for incorruption, should not endure all things, in order to obtain what we desire from Him who is able to grant it.”
-Justin Martyr, 150 A.D.
It is a natural instinct to protect one’s life and the lives of one’s loved-ones. Eight years of rocket attacks upon the United States or Europe would never happen. Hamas and many in the Muslim world will never accept Israel’s right to exist. Churchill gave away most of the League of Nations mandated land to the Arabs that was mandated for the Jewish people. This left them open to attack from all sides and Churchill later came to regret this act he was pressured into to appease the Arab brotherhood. More Jewish people lost their homes in many countries than did Arabs in Palestine who left mostly voluntarily. Most of the Arabs were illegal aliens at the time according to British records. The facts don’t matter. Islamic Jihad has been practiced since the 7th Century. It is now upon us here as it is in Israel. The public humiliation of turning the other cheek has nothing to do with the right to live.
Israel left behind green houses, homes and businesses and agriculture that could have fed the Gazans when they left three years ago, and the Gazans destroyed everything. There was still free flow of goods and services to the Gaza which gave the Gazans ample ways to bring in suicide bombers, which they did. Billions of dollars have gone into Gaza from the U.S., Europe and even Israel that never get to the people because of their leaders. Their leaders want them to suffer and there are no concessions Israel or anyone else can make that will help this situation…only new leaders who don’t teach lies and hatred. The men in Gaza have taught the women and children to pick up guns and to blow themselves up for Allah. You cannot negotiate with this mindset. G-d allowed King David to be a great warrior to protect this Holy Land of Israel and his shining city on a hill, Jerusalem. His people must do this as it is their duty according to his covenant with them. No matter what you or I think His will, will be done. He will let his people fight. This is not a public humiliation situation. This is the right and the obligation to protect the covenant.
Hi Natalia.
You have some very interesting points. Thank you for contributing to the discussion.
Here are some thoughts of my own.
Do you think that as evangelicals we are tempted to deify or sanctify the actions of Israel no matter what they do?
I may need to clarify where I am coming from. I am a staunch supporter of Israel, pray for them regularly, have been to Israel and have been involved in intercession there. I have a deep love for the Jewish people.
With that in mind however, I do think that often as evangelicals we find it hard to separate the Jewish people from Israel’s politics and current leadership decisions.
We forget that for the most part the Jewish people are completely lost and trust in their own devices. The vast majority do not know the Lord and therefore are not carrying out his will. Despite my love for the nation I will not defend every action they choose to make simply because they are Israel. I think it would be unchristian to do so.
I personally believe that at present Israel is very much trusting in their own abilities, strength and skill at war to defeat their enemies. They do not know Christ and so their trust and strength certainly isn’t in him, it is in themselves. Which as a philosophy is quite contrary to both the scriptures and the gospel.
The whole just war vs pacifism argument aside, I think that we can pray for Israel’s super natural redemption whilst not supporting their naturalism and humanism that is expressed in various ways. War being one of these.
It cannot be a holy sanctified war if those conducting the war are neither of those and nor do they know the Holy one at the root of it all.
Dear Jordan:
Certainly not. As Christians we cannot understand or always agree on their methodology. That said, having spent much time there and knowing how difficult it is for even Christian Arabs to survive including personal friends who are on the lecture circuit these days and taking lots of abuse even in the States, you will be happy to know I received personal testimony the past two weeks of many Israelis turning to G-d and praying. There have been miracles happening that saved lives that seemed impossible. Yes, his people must turn to him and we must become one new man in Christ Jesus. Not all Israelis will be saved when Jesus returns but that is not our job. Ours is to keep praying and telling them of the good news and little my little more Messianic Jewish groups are growing across the land. Their methodology is not always what we believe appropriate as what Yeshua would have them do. Still, he comes back to Jerusalem, not New York and Christian Gentiles become a big blessing to them as stated in scripture. I have first-hand accounts of miraculous intervention and conversions of secular Israelis to new found faith. Let us not forget they are taking in wounded Gazans, feeding many people, helping non-residents out of the country and paying to get them home. The heart of the Jewish people is still in tact! I guess we would have to live there to really understand their pain and confusion. They don’t wish to be cruel but they are afraid and just want to live and save their kids, just as we would. To save my child I’d do what was necessary and ask for forgiveness and enlightenment later. I’d die for my children. The people they face will sacrifice their children to kill them for Allah. Jesus fled to the other side of Lake Tiberias on a boat with his Disciples when the crowd became overwhelming. He taught us common sense. Pray for Israel to turn to their G-d. I want to be kind to my neighbors also, but if they come for my children I’ll do what ever I have to. Not all things are negotiable. My grandpa used to say, pray a lot, keep your peace, and hide a shot gun under the seat of your truck. Use only when necessary. God does not suffer fools. Shalom….
For the innocent that were killed in the war, it was never Israel’s intention for the innocent to die. They could have done better to improve their plans to avoid the deaths. Their focus are on the terrorist who were firing the rockets and to avoid innocent casualties. Israel had notified the public of Gaza to move to certain parts of the city to avoid the conflict (correct me if Im wrong or provide more examples how Israel attempted to get people to safety).
Whether your spiritual or non-spiritual, Christian, Jew, etc… if someone fires rockets in your backyard, do you stand and do nothing? Even if you attempted to stop the conflict through diplomacy, peace treaties, releasing prisoners, etc…, and they keep firing rockets, do you stand there and not respond out of self-defense?
Let say you were a soilder fighting in the days of WWII and you were in the scene where a Nazis German soilder were throwing Jewish babies in the air and shooting at them. Would you not attempt to fire your gun at the soilders them to protect the babies and yourself?
As much as God is loving, merciful, slow to anger, patient and gracious, God has allowed people to get killed throughout history (this doesnt contradict God’s character). For example, God uses vessels of the army Israel in the Old Testament to go into war numerous times. In the New Testament, 2 people died for lying to the Holy Spirit (Acts 5). Jesus himself will kill many on His second comming (Rev 19:20-21). And etc…
Now am I saying every result of what happened at the Israel / Gaza war was of God? No. For those that are innocent before God who died, God will hold someone accountable for their actions. What Im saying is, Israel had the right to defend themselves. Even if Israel were a Christian nation, I would support Israel or any other nation to defend themselves.
@ Jordan, please answer my previous question. Yes or no and why. question was: explain what you would do in this case: If someone broke into where you live and came to kill your parents or family while you were there, do you stand there and not respond out of self defense (Even in a extreme case that killing him would be the only option to stop him)?
@ David Cook, the verses you posted does not support your conclusion that Christian’s cannot be involved in carnal conflicts (assuming you mean wars). The context of Matt 5:38 is legal retaliation which Dr. Brown is emphasizing in this article.
So the ”early church uniformly rejected killing (whether it be abortion, death penalty, or war) because they believed it was directly against the teachings of Christ” did it? Is that why Paul could say at his trial before Festus that if he had committed any crime deserving of death he did not refuse to die? (Acts 25:11) And it must be too why Peter counseled Cornelius to get out of the military (Acts 10). Paul and Peter must have both been mistaken then if the “early church uniformly rejected…..the death penalty [and] war”.
Moses’ mother put him in a basket and sent him down stream for an Egyptian women to find and raise as her own. A brave act of sacrifice for a mother, knowing she may never see her beloved child again but at least he would be alive even if she wasn’t. Perhaps this is a metaphor for all of us Gentiles of many stripes to make sacrifices for the Jewish people. In Genesis 12 God is clear about what he expects of us. Every day they are close to dying. People don’t always make the best decisions under this type of pressure. Keep them in your prayers and in your heart rather than in your judgment and you will bless them and be blessed in return. It is God’s word. Today on World Net Daily there is a photo of the beautiful Aasiya Hassan who was recently stabbed repeatedly and had her head cut off by her husband in New York. He’ll go to jail for life but nothing will bring her back. She suffered abuse at the hand of this man and then death she did not deserve. How little regard he had for her life when she would no longer take his abuse. There are thousands of men, maybe millions, like this who will stop at nothing to kill for their own purposes, even if it’s their own. How do you fight this mentality? The Gaza is full of it. Pray for Israel and for their sovereignty to remain. Forgive them. Let them know Christ through your prayers and love for them and not your judgment of them. The Bible is clear there will be a fight to the death and it is a physical one with much blood being spilled. The valley of Armageddon will run deep with it and you won’t stop it. Pray for souls to be saved. I will fight to the death to save my family even from other women and children who would destroy them for their own purposes. Negotiation never works with evil. Even Jesus knew that. King David carried a mighty sword. Even with surgical strikes, yes, still innocent blood is shed. Only God can save souls and forgive. Let the Israelis protect their children. He understands their pain and fear more than we do.
I just wanted to say thank you for all of the view points expressed here. Belatedly. Arnold Fruchtenbaum, in answer to the same kind of questions/opinions listed here stated (w/ his understanding of God’s Word) that if we are being attacked for our religious beliefs than we should not fight to defend ourselves, but that self defense in other cases is within God’s Will. Nothing I have read in the Bible contradicts this. Paul did not kill those who persecuted him, nor did James; and Jesus as the ultimate example.
Umm Christ spoke in parables and used metaphors and symbols. . .that is NOT “simple and direct” language. Not to mention he spoke in a different language, which is frequently mistranslated into the English langauge (camel through the eye of the needle? I don’t think so, “camel” and “rope” are spelled the same in Hebrew. . doesnt rope make a lot more sense? that’s right.). Fact is, it’s not that people are twisting it, it’s that it’s NOT direct or easy to understand.
Christ is supposed to be a personal deity, so why do people listen to impersonal church dogma, instead of seeking their own PERSONAL interpretations of Christ’s work? Only through direct experience of him in your life (”gnosis”) can you understand him.
Perhaps I should ask, why are we attempting to apply the teachings of someone else’s messiah to Judaism?
Doesn’t Jesus return crushing armies with a Word? Doesn’t he return with a sword dripping in blood destroying Israel’s enemies? Hardly a pacifist, is He?
[...] What Does Turn the Other Cheek Really Mean? [...]
Bottom line; we all need to stop thinking like men, and try to start thinking as G-d thinks. This is how were are to understand what Christ is trying to say.