"You have heard that it was said,An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.
But I say to you, offer no resistance to one who is evil.
When someone strikes you on your right cheek,
turn the other one to him as well.
One thing to be said about this teaching from Jesus' Sermon on the Mount: it is memorable. It may be the most often quoted of all his teachings, though few would espouse it. More likely, they argue it is not possible, reasonable or desirable. "It's simply wrong!" they might say; and they'll go on to explain why, during this or that particular incident, it could not happen.
I think it was Chesterton who said, "Christianity has not been tried and found wanting; it has been found difficult and not tried."
But what kind of person would turn the other cheek? What kind of Spirit would retain a peaceful heart under such stress?
But what kind of person would turn the other cheek? What kind of Spirit would retain a peaceful heart under such stress?
Chesterton was exaggerating and I'm sure he knew that. We have innumerable examples of saints in every century who suffered threats, torture and death and would not retaliate. I think of Saint Maximillian Kolbe who volunteered to take a condemned man's place in a Nazi prison camp. He was locked with a group of Polish prisoners of into a cell and given neither food nor drink until nearly all had died of thirst and starvation. But, to the chagrin of his captors, he and his cellmates joined in sacred songs and prayers throughout the ordeal. Only two men survived when the priest was dispatched with an injection of carbolic acid on August 14, 1941, the eve of his favorite Solemnity, the Assumption of Mary.
Some people might argue his volunteering to die was senseless, but warriors have engaged in suicide missions for centuries and most are honored as heroes. After a lifetime of devout preparation and moved by an impulse of the Holy Spirit, Christian martyrs know there is no better time nor any better opportunity to die than right now for the Sovereign Majesty of God. If death is the only certainty, why not use it as an opportunity to give honor and glory to the God we love?
It must be that same Divine Impulse -- more commonly known as "The Holy Spirit" -- that allows one to turn the other cheek in the face of aggression. As a strategy it might actually shame the assailant, but it probably won't. I don't suppose Jesus was so naive as to think it might.
Rather, he knew that God -- whose eye is on the sparrow -- will keep in ever-lasting remembrance an act of pure devotion.
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I love to write. This blog helps me to meditate on the Word of God, and I hope to make some contribution to our contemplations of God's Mighty Works.
Ordinarily, I write these reflections two or three weeks in advance of their publication. I do not intend to comment on current events.
I understand many people prefer gender-neutral references to "God." I don't disagree with them but find that language impersonal, unappealing and tasteless. When I refer to "God" I think of the One whom Jesus called "Abba" and "Father", and I would not attempt to improve on Jesus' language.
You're welcome to add a thought or raise a question.