Turning the Other Cheek

Matthew 5:39 says,

But I tell you not to resist an evil person. But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also.

Just felt the urge to blog about this verse today as I thought about it. Actually, I felt prompted to think about it. :-)

Anyway, this verse is oftentimes interpreted as that Christians should just accept bashings, insults, and even OFFER himself/herself to be beaten up.

But, if we look deeper into this verse.. ;-) Allow me, pretty please with a laptop on top? Hehe.

Okay, in those days, the right hand was used for holding swords, doing 'clean' stuff, whereas the left hand was reserved for dirty.. toilet stuff. You get my drift?

So, if one were to slap another, only the RIGHT hand would be used. Now, why did Jesus specify the RIGHT cheek? He could have just said, 'cheek' without specifying right or left. Well, just imagine you're about to slap somebody (WOI IMAGINE ONLY OK!) in front of you. If you slapped that fella with your right hand on his/her right cheek, it would be a backhanded slap, no? That was the 'type of slap' reserved for inferiors, subordinates, slaves in those days. It's just a backhanded slap, to humiliate one, not necessarily to hurt, but to humiliate.

Now, Jesus said, TURN THE OTHER ALSO. Now, imagine your 'slappee' turning his/her LEFT cheek to you now instead. Bear in mind, you're using your RIGHT hand still, to slap.

Uh-oh.

Suddenly, you have to slap the 'slappee' on the left cheek, and it's no longer a backhanded slap, but one with the palm of your hand. This person is all of a sudden, if you slap him/her, no longer an inferior, but someone who is of your level. To slap someone with the palm of your hand would be to slap someone who is on par with you, you see.

(Also, personally, I feel that to humiliation is reserved for inferiors, people whom you CAN humiliate without causing physical harm. On the other hand, you can only try to physically hurt someone who is ON PAR with you to claim that you're 'above them', simply because humiliation doesn't work on them, they are not your subordinates, after all. Correct me if I'm wrong here. :-))

This verse comes to mind when we're faced with insults and jeers from others. Instead of retaliating or getting all defensive and fighting back.. all we have to do is... DON'T RESPOND. It's like, 'Hey man, I'm above all these insults and jeers, why in the world would I need to revenge someone like YOU?' To me, this places the 'slappee' even ABOVE the slapper, to have the courage, and dignity, to hold himself/herself in check without retaliating/sinking into depths of humiliation.

It's true, isn't it? It requires STRENGTH to keep your dignity. Honestly, sometimes I find it hard to keep quiet and not retaliate, it's so so so much easier to get all angry/defensive and fight back. To keep quiet and not respond requires me to do some clenching and curling of toes on my part to keep my frustration in. But, it's way way less satisfying to these 'slappers'. After all, people provoke for a reason, it's totally unsatisfying when the one you choose to provoke doesn't retaliate. Jesus never fought back violently although He was right and his captors, in the wrong. I love the part where they label his 'crime' on top of his cross: JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS. (Can you imagine the irony of it all, the Jews sought to kill him simply because they claimed he wasn't the Messiah, and yet, such was his crime, to be THE KING OF THE JEWS.)

Sorry if this post doesn't make much sense, ask me more if you want, k?

God bless ya,
Jo