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| "Turn the Other Cheek" |
| "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 evildoer. But if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also." -Jesus' Sermon on the Mount- |
| Jesus was preaching the Sermon on the Mount when he told his listeners not to take revenge against someone who had committed a crime against them. The old Jewish law of "an eye for an eye" was meant to set a limit on how much revenge could be taken against another person. But the Pharisees, a group of Jews living in Jesus' time, used the principle of an eye for an eye to justify acts of vengeance. A better rule, Jesus said, was for the people to love the evildoer as much as they loved their friends. In that way, they would be honoring the Lord and acting more like him. Jesus went even further, telling listeners that "if anyone strikes fou on the right cheek, turn the other also" (Mt 5:39). In rejecting on Old Testament tradition, Jesus was favoring another: God rewards those who wait patiently for his justice. Instead of striking back at someone, it is better "to give one's cheek to the smiter" (Lam 3:30). God sees everything, and in the end he will punish those who have sinned and broken his laws. Meaning today: This simple image of turning the other cheek illustrates one of the hardest choices a person can make: to refrain from anger and violence when they seem most natural. The choice may be percieved as weakness or fear, when in fact it takes greater courage than hurting others because they have hurt you. |
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