In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus says the following in Matthew 5:39:
Do not resist an evil person; but whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also.
After reading this passage, you may wonder what the Lord means when He says to turn the cheek when someone slaps you on the other. Is this an invitation for all Christians to remain passive victims of abuse? Is this teaching permanent non-resistance against violence? Is this an absolute prohibition against defending yourself in light of the sinful aggression of others? Or does the Lord perhaps have another intent in His teaching? I think devoting attention to a proper understanding of the Lord’s words is crucial because this line is commonly misunderstood.
Well, what Christ certainly did not mean by His words here is that Christians should be doormats or slavish vessels for abuse. To suggest such an interpretation would weaponize Scripture against Scripture while also ignoring the full cannon of biblical instruction. I will not go into the biblical principles of self-defense here, but I will refer you to the [post/podcast] that was released on July 3, 2024, titled “Is It Biblical for a Christian to Own and Use Firearms?” In short, all people have a God-given right to defend themselves if someone else acts against them⎯or toward one of their loved ones⎯to cause physical harm.
Now, if the reader knew nothing about the historical or cultural context in which Jesus made His statement in Matthew 5:39, and if said person also did not read any other verse in the Bible, what is readily evident from this verse is that Jesus is communicating a simple principle. That is, Christ says when an evil person acts in a particular way toward you, don’t react the same way. Thus, if an evil person slaps you on the right cheek, don’t respond by slapping them back. Because, of course, if you act the same way as an evil person does, what does that make you?
Hence, the simplest explanation of what Matthew 5:39 means is that it is a prohibition against retaliation. In fact, Christ is teaching us kingdom ethics by replacing a law with an attitude. Accordingly, if we back up to what Jesus said immediately before, Matthew 5:38–39 says,
You have heard that it was said, “An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.” But I say to you, do not resist an evil person; but whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also.
In other words, Jesus referred to the Old Testament law (cf. Exodus 21:24, Leviticus 24:20, and Deuteronomy 19:21) that emphasized limiting punishment to that which is equitable and fitting for the crime. This law prohibited exacting greater vengeance or having different penalties for different social classes. Jesus contradicts those who saw “an eye for an eye” as grounds for personal vengeance. Consequently, He says, “I know you’ve heard ‘an eye for an eye,’ but I say to you don’t retaliate in pursuit of your own personal vengeance.”
As is always the case, the deeper we dig into Scripture, the greater is the wisdom to be revealed and the more we are helped. So, let us consider what Jesus says in Mathew 5:39 immediately before He instructs us to turn the other cheek:
Do not resist an evil person; but whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also.
This reveals to us that logically, Christ is connecting His command to do something (turn the other cheek) with not doing something (resisting an evil person). So, then, what does resisting an evil person mean? The Greek word for resist (ἀνθίστημι) means to be hostile toward or to set oneself against. Put simply, to set oneself against an evil person is to consider them your enemy. And what happens when an enemy harms you? You take your own personal vengeance and harm them back. Jesus tells us not to set ourselves against an evil person, because the way to defeat evil isn’t with reactive evil; it’s with active good. After all, if you respond to a cheek slap with a cheek slap, both the retaliator and the offender feel worse. And the result is a settled war, not peace. As Psalm 34:14 says, “Depart from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.”
I think John Calvin’s comments on Matthew 5:39 are helpful and encouraging:
“Though Christ does not permit his people to repel violence by violence, yet he does not forbid them to endeavor to avoid an unjust attack. The best interpreter of this passage that we can have is Paul, who enjoins us rather to “overcome evil by good” (Romans 12:21) than contend with evil-doers. We must attend to the contrast between the vice and the correction of it. The present subject is retaliation. To restrain his disciples from that kind of indulgence, he forbids them to render evil for evil. He afterwards extends the law of patience so far, that we are not only to bear patiently the injuries we have received, but to prepare for bearing fresh injuries. The amount of the whole admonition is, that believers should learn to forget the wrongs that have been done them, — that they should not, when injured, break out into hatred or ill-will, or wish to commit an injury on their part, — but that, the more the obstinacy and rage of wicked men was excited and inflamed, they should be the more fully disposed to exercise patience.”
Let’s dig deeper. Jesus says, “whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also.” Now, if the principle is not to retaliate, why would the side of the cheek matter? Because back then, as it is now, most people were right-handed. Thus, for a right-hand-dominant person to slap another on the right cheek means it is a backhanded slap, not an open palm strike or a fist. Why, you may wonder, does this distinction matter? Both in the Jewish and Roman cultures of the time, a backhanded slap was regarded as a shameful insult more than an attempt at bodily harm. To backhand slap someone meant you were figuratively telling them, “You should be ashamed of yourself. You are not worthy. Stay in your place.” Indeed, although the right cheek slap was thus predominantly an insult, the reality of it also being an injury should not be overlooked. After all, insults do hurt, and they often cut deeper than a slap to the face.
As John MacArthur writes in The MacArthur New Testament Commentary: Matthew 1-7,
“Among Jews, a slap or other striking in the face was among the most demeaning and contemptuous of acts (cf. Matthew 26:67-68; Mark 14:65; John 18:22). To strike someone elsewhere on the body might cause more physical harm, but a slap in the face was an attack on one’s honor and was considered to be a terrible indignity. It was to be treated with disdain, as being less than human. Even a slave would rather have been struck across the back with a whip than be slapped in the face by his master’s hand. To strike someone on the right cheek would then be a vicious angry reaction, indicting an act of insult.”
I am thus persuaded that the thrust of Christ’s words implores us that when an evil person verbally attacks, shames, degrades, or ridicules you, don’t fight back with words. In Matthew 5:39, I do not think that Christ is literally commanding His disciples to turn their face to the other side and prepare for another strike. Consequently, synthesizing everything together, I believe the more complete explanation of what Matthew 5:39 means is that it is a specific prohibition against retaliation for insults. And why would this prohibition exist? Well, all you would have to do is watch a school-yard squabble or a political debate to find out. Accordingly, if you respond to an insult with an insult, what will the evil person do? Insult you back or even escalate the matter into a physical confrontation. The end of one insult⎯even if it’s a clever “zinger”⎯will sow the seeds of another, resulting in a never-ending cycle of tit-for-tat. As I Thessalonians 5:15 says,
See that no one repays another with evil for evil, but always seek after that which is good for one another and for all people. (italics mine)
And so Christ’s instructions for us are fitting because He is preparing our minds to face the reality that while living in the world, we can expect insults. As Calvin observed, the command to turn the other cheek thus teaches us patience.
Now, what would be the biblical logic for making yourself vulnerable to being insulted again? One reason is that you diffuse the power of the evil person’s malicious words if you respond to them in a godly way. In contrast, if their words rattle you enough that you talk back, then they have succeeded. As Psalm 34:14 says,
The other reason we make ourselves vulnerable is because vengeance is the Lord’s; it is not mine or yours. We are to leave vengeance in the hands of the One who is perfect in His vindication. As Jesus says in Luke 18:7, “will not God bring about justice for His elect who cry to Him day and night?” Not responding to insults, then, is both a matter of faith and love. It is a matter of faith in that we trust God will do as He said when we turn the other cheek. It is a matter of love in that we model what a Christ-like response is to the other for their benefit. You see, leaving ourselves vulnerable from a human perspective does not disadvantage us, because when we act according to God’s ethics, God is the One who will act for us and defend us. In essence, Jesus is thus saying in Matthew 5:39, “Follow My Word and do it My way,” as opposed to you seeking your own retaliation. As Psalm 97:10 says,
Hate evil, you who love the Lord, who preserves the souls of His godly ones;
He delivers them from the hand of the wicked.
Some may think to themselves that if they don’t retaliate against insults, they may seem weak. And, if you’re like me, there’s a competitiveness inside of you that wants to win every battle of words, wit, and intellect. Truly, turning the other cheek is much easier said than done, which is why it requires the Lord’s help. But I would encourage everyone not to worry about seeming weak in the eyes of men. Concern yourself instead with what God thinks of you. That is an objective reality that matters in eternity. After all, hurt people hurt people, and weak people rage to defend themselves in pursuit of self-preservation. In contrast, the strong person can sustain hurt to protect others. That’s exactly what Christ did for us on the Cross. He is the One who perfectly exemplified absorbing an evil done to Him for the benefit of others. Furthermore, throughout the Scriptures, God is the One who repeatedly demonstrates for His own that He preserves them on the inside regardless of what happens to them on the outside.
There is still one more level of analysis we will give to our text. Again, Matthew 5:39 says,
Do not resist an evil person; but whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also.
If you are figuratively slapped on the cheek and you then turn over the other to the evil person, do you know what that implies? That you didn’t go anywhere, didn’t run away and hide or respond by avoidance. That you didn’t allow the insult to paralyze you. Absence will only give the insulter an open platform to continue their campaign. But if you remain where you are and respond by godly cheek turning, sooner or later the evil person will run out of steam, hopefully before you run out of cheeks. This goes back to the previous quote from Calvin in which the Reformer mentioned Romans 12:21. That text says,
Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
Accordingly, in the absence of good, evil will always advance. But when a Christ-like disciple responds with cheek turning, they are confronting the evil head-on as a way to conquer it. I do not think, then, it is stretch to see that in Matthew 5:39 Christ is also instructing His followers on one way to develop thick skin: by remaining under the insults and patiently bearing them. Remaining under the insults implies having the inner strength to endure the verbal attacks without responding sinfully.
If we take Jesus’s words in context, He gave the command to turn the other check to His disciples who came to him on the mountain (Matthew 5:1). We must therefore ask the following question: Why would an evil person insult or cheek slap a disciple of Christ? Perhaps because they are communicating God’s truth, which the world hates. After all, if a disciple is communicating what is true and good, would not an evil person respond in a negative way? As Proverbs 29:9 says,
When a wise man has a controversy with a foolish man, the foolish man either rages or laughs, and there is no rest.
Was Christ insulted? Many times. The apex of His humiliation came at the Cross, when the Lord was acting for His elect yet was mocked by those who rejected Him. I cannot speculate if Jesus intended for us to refer back to Isaiah when He gave this imperative to turn the other cheek in the Sermon on the Mount, but the words of the Servant of the Lord from Isaiah 50:6 are fitting:
I gave My back to those who strike Me, and My cheeks to those who pluck out the beard; I did not cover My face from humiliation and spitting.
We will end our exposition with Jesus, who was the recipient of the face slapping in John 18. There, Jesus had already been unjustly arrested and brought before the high priest, who questioned Him about His teaching and disciples. Jesus responds by saying, “What I taught is no secret, I did it out in the open. Feel free to question those who heard what I said.” Then, in verse 22, the text says,
When Jesus said this, one of the officials nearby slapped him in the face. “Is this the way you answer the high priest?” he demanded. (NIV)
How did Jesus respond to this evil, unjust, and unwarranted attack? By retaliating in rage? No. By literally turning the other cheek? No. By retreating or backing down on His truth claims? No. Jesus responded by speaking the truth in love. In verse 23, Jesus says,
If I have spoken wrongly, testify of the wrong; but if rightly, why do you strike Me?
In conclusion, I will leave you with three take-home points based on Christ’s instruction in Matthew 5:39:
One, don’t respond to insults with insults.
Two, do respond to insults with love and a Christ-like character.
Three, turning the other check is not easy; it is unnatural and hard for us. But by grace, God will empower us to mature and become godlier. By focusing on Christ through His Word and prayer, He will cause us to become more like Him and less like ourselves.
Dr. C. H. E. Sadaphal