Matthew 5:39

Saturday, 14 December 2024

But I tell you not to resist an evil person. But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also. Matthew 5:39

“And I, I say to you, not resist the evil. But whoever, you, he shall slap unto your right cheek, and you turn to him the other” (CG).

Jesus just cited the law concerning an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. Again, as before, He now gives God’s perspective on how to respond when personally offended by another. He begins His words with, “And I, I say to you.”

As before, and contrary to almost all translations of these words, this is not a contrast to what the Lord said when giving the law, as if the law was defective (But now I say...). Rather, the law was given to keep society in check. It is proper, good, and holy. However, the words stated now by Jesus provide for how things should ideally be handled to avoid escalation of a matter (And I, I say...). Understanding this, He next says, “not resist the evil.”

Someone has committed evil against another. How should that person respond to be like God in his conduct? The answer is to not resist. One can see this throughout Scripture. Israel offended the Lord in ten thousand ways in the pages of the Bible. And yet, the Lord remained gracious to them, forgiving their transgressions and keeping covenant faithfulness with them.

He was merciful to Nineveh in the book of Jonah –

“So the people of Nineveh believed God, proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest to the least of them. 6 Then word came to the king of Nineveh; and he arose from his throne and laid aside his robe, covered himself with sackcloth and sat in ashes. 7 And he caused it to be proclaimed and published throughout Nineveh by the decree of the king and his nobles, saying,

Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste anything; do not let them eat, or drink water. 8 But let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and cry mightily to God; yes, let every one turn from his evil way and from the violence that is in his hands. 9 Who can tell if God will turn and relent, and turn away from His fierce anger, so that we may not perish?

10 Then God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God relented from the disaster that He had said He would bring upon them, and He did not do it.” Jonah 5:5-10

This is also how the Lord has treated each person who has offended Him and yet later came to Jesus. There is forgiveness and restoration. And so, Jesus continues with, “But whoever, you, he shall slap unto your right cheek, and you turn to him the other.”

The word translated as slap, rhapizó, is rare, being found only here and in Matthew 26:27. In this verse, it is also spelled differently in some texts, rhapisó. It signifies to strike someone with the palm of the hand.

Jesus says that when being slapped on the right cheek, a person should then strephó, turn, and offer the other cheek. The word signifies a dynamic change from one direction to another. In other words, the turn should be obvious in order to catch the attention of the one who slapped the right cheek.

The obvious signification of such an act is to quell the temper of the person who slapped. It can even lead to shaming him for doing something that was obviously uncalled for. To offer the other cheek in such a manner means that the first slap was out of line. How much more would another slap be?

Life application: Jesus will continue this line of thought and the reasons for it until the end of the chapter. However, Jesus does not say that His people are punching bags that have to simply take abuse without responding.

This is too often the thought presented in sermons and by people who overly focus on these words to the exclusion of other things said by both Jesus and the apostles. In His parables, Jesus speaks of taking matters to the judges, He speaks of the retribution of God upon those who will not reconsider their state before Him, and so forth.

This is true with the words of the apostles as well. Nothing in Scripture justifies letting legal matters go, refusing to be in the military, not getting justice when harmed by others, etc. We live in this world, and we have every right to take the same actions as others.

Jesus’ words here speak of conduct between those who develop a state of enmity that can be handled differently than one might otherwise contemplate, but they do not limit taking necessary actions to safeguard oneself, one’s family, or participate in protecting the nation in which a Christian lives.

Glorious Lord God, Your word asks us to consider our state before You and in relation to others we interact with. How can we handle offenses differently than would normally be the case? How do we properly interact with others, including those we are at enmity with? We do it by considering You and Your ways toward us. When we do, we will know how to properly act in such matters. Thank You for giving us Your word that shows us such things so that we can act rightly in Your presence. Amen.