Faith First Media

The following is an excerpt from the book A Theology of Peace by Matthew Elton, copyright 2009 Matthew Elton.

Turning the Other Cheek

“You have heard the law that says the punishment must match the injury: ‘An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.’  But I say, do not resist an evil person! If someone slaps you on the right cheek, offer the other cheek also.

--Matthew 5:38-39

Christ’s command to “offer the other cheek” cannot be fully understood until it is viewed in light of the culture of first century Judea. At that time in history, Judean society was extremely divided between the three percent of the population who were wealthy and the ninety-seven percent of the population who were poor. A middle class was almost completely non-existent. The poor class was expected to bow to members of the elite upper class, held great political power.

It is important to recognize that in his example of turning the other cheek, Jesus described a specific type of assault – a “slap” on the “right cheek”. In first century Judean society, if a man slapped someone with his left hand, then the man doing the slapping dishonored himself. Physical assaults were almost always done with the right hand. Since the slap was landing on the right cheek, it is reasonable to assume that it was a backhanded slap that Jesus was referring to. While a standard punch was used in fights between equals, the backhanded slap against the cheek served to humiliate the one being slapped. It was a sign that the one doing the slapping was superior to the one being slapped.

Rather than fighting back against such an assault, Jesus offered a creative solution in which peace could be maintained without the one being slapped becoming like a doormat for all those who wish to oppress him. With the solution Jesus offered, the man being slapped could stand up for himself in a nonviolent way. By turning the other cheek, the man who was slapped could put the man who had slapped him in a very uncomfortable situation. The man who had done the slap could not repeat the backhand slap against the cheek, since the nose would be in the way. The man could easily punch the left cheek, but doing so would indicate that the man being punched is equal to the man doing the punching, since in first century Judean society, punches were only used between equals.

Contrary to popular belief, Christ’s command to “turn the other cheek” is not a command to be submissive, but a command to practice nonviolent resistance. By turning the left cheek to his attacker, a poor peasant would leave his elite attacker with no choice but to punch him as an equal, or simply walk away. In most cases, an attacker would be more likely to choose the latter option. If the attacker chose the former option, he has chosen to humiliate himself by showing that he is equal to a poor peasant.