Turn the Other Cheek

All right, well this morning we're continuing our way through Jesus' sermon found in Luke chapter 6.

Luke 6 · chapter mention

! And last week we heard Jesus give some very challenging instruction.

! He said we must love our enemies.

He said we must do good to those who hate us.

He said we must bless those who curse us.

He said we must pray for those who mistreat us.

And we spent all of last week's message just reflecting on those four imperatives.

Well this morning we continue on the same subject.

Jesus isn't finished yet.

He has more to say about this challenging issue of how we respond to those who mistreat us.

We're in Luke chapter 6 and I'll read our passage for us starting in verse 29.

Luke 6 · chapter mention

If someone slaps you on one cheek, turn to them the other also.

If someone takes your coat, do not withhold your shirt from them.

Give to everyone who asks you.

And if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back.

Do to others as you would have them do to you.

Now many questions arise as we hear Jesus say these things.

What does Jesus mean when he says, turn the other cheek?

What does he mean when he says, do not withhold your shirt?

What's wrong with demanding that someone return what they have taken from us?

Is Jesus saying that we must simply put up with the abuse and mistreatment of others?

Is he saying that we should just allow them to hurt and take advantage of us?

Are there exceptions to these words?

And how do we apply these words in everyday life?

So many questions come up and Christians for centuries have been discussing these words of Jesus

and trying to answer these questions.

Let's start at the beginning with Jesus' first statement in verse 29.

If someone slaps you on one cheek, turn to them the other also.

We first remember the context.

Jesus is talking about enemies.

He's talking about how we respond to those who mistreat us.

And so this slap in the face is another kind of mistreatment that we may experience

from an enemy or from someone who hates us or is in conflict with us.

And from the study that I've done, I think it's significant that it's a slap or strike on the cheek.

Various commentators and pastors that I read made mention of how in their culture,

a slap on the cheek was widely understood as an act of insult

rather than an act of violence intended to injure.

The Mishnah, a written record of Jewish oral traditions and laws and teachings.

It was written to interpret how to live according to the Torah.

It predates Jesus' birth by centuries and it wasn't written down until about 200 AD.

But this is what it says in the Mishnah,

the teachings of the rabbis from around the time of Jesus.

One who strikes another must give him a selah.

That's an amount of money.

Rabbi Yehuda says in the name of Rabbi Yosei Hagelili that he must give him 100 dinars.

If he slapped another on the cheek, he must give him 200 dinars.

If he slapped him on the cheek with the back of his hand,

which is more degrading than a slap with the palm, he must give him 400 dinars.

So notice how in kind of their mindset, their culture at that time,

hitting someone or striking them required only 100,

but slapping them on the cheek was even worse.

It was a denigrating, a humiliating act, an act of insult.

That was worth double in compensation.

And then backhanding them, which would be the right hand across their right cheek,

required four times as much, 400 to be paid.

So this kind of just illustrates how they conceived of a slap on the cheek.

It was an act done to humiliate, to insult, not mainly to injure.

And according to the Mishnah, at least,

if you did this, you were liable to pay compensation for that.

So, if someone does this deeply humiliating and insulting thing to you,

what does Jesus say we should do in response?

Turn to them the other cheek also.

And here's where the questions and the discussion really begin.

What does that mean, to turn to them the other also?

We'll start with what everyone agrees on.

The natural response of a person who is slapped in the face is what?

Slap them back.

How dare you do that to me?

I'll slap you.

Insult them back.

Hate them back.

Respond in kind.

And so what everyone agrees on is that turn the other cheek means at least,

do not retaliate.

Do not respond in kind.

Don't try to get even.

Don't take revenge.

Now, let's wade into the more difficult discussion here.

At some point, we need to acknowledge that these words give us a broader principle.

Is Jesus only forbidding us from retaliating to slaps on the cheek?

I think we all know the answer is no.

What if we're kicked in the shins?

What if a bully at school sneaks up behind us and pulls our pants down?

I think we know that Jesus means for us to apply these words to those situations as well.

It's not just for slaps on the cheek.

And so the slap on the cheek is representative.

It's a representative example of all kinds of things that might be done to us

that are wrong, to which we're to respond by not retaliating.

And I think it helps us a bit because in our culture,

getting slapped across the face is not nearly as common as it used to be.

I think I can only remember one time in my life ever being slapped in the face

when I said something rude to somebody, and I probably deserved it.

I don't know what you guys can remember from back in your years.

We can talk about that after the service.

But what are some of the other ways that people commonly retaliate today?

It could be a push or a shove or an elbow.

That's usually about as physical as it gets between mature adults.

Whether you're on the ice, that's a whole other story.

But it could be other things too.

Maybe it's leaving a smelly surprise on someone else's doorstep

after their dog takes a poop on your lawn for the umpteenth time.

Another common thing done today is keying a person's vehicle.

Or how about calling the town office or the RM office frequently

to complain about how your neighbor is managing their property.

So we need to think beyond just the slap here.

Because I think for most of us it rarely comes to blows.

Probably the way in which this applies the most is how people speak to us

when they say something that's unkind to us or rude, insulting, or impatient.

It could be someone's written communication to us.

That nasty letter or email.

A hurtful text.

An unkind or humiliating comment on social media.

Or it could be something they tell us face to face.

A word of insult.

Speaking to us condescendingly or rudely.

Calling us a name.

Saying something that's not true about us.

Making fun of us in front of others.

I think this is where these words of Jesus apply to us most.

Because people seldom wind up and physically smack us on the cheek.

Most of the time it's a verbal smack.

Lashing out or striking a blow with their words.

And so turning the other cheek means more than just not hitting people

that hit you.

It means responding to all kinds of mistreatment with non-retaliation.

Not taking revenge.

Not insulting back.

Not being rude back to them.

Not doing something to get even.

Another thing we should talk about here is whether there are exceptions to this.

Some see these words of Jesus as a prohibition of all violent behavior outright.

All physical force.

Others, I think, wisely suggest that these words of Jesus have to do with our conduct in personal relationships.

And so these words are not intended to apply to situations of law enforcement.

Or to situations of war or battle.

The apostle Paul taught that governing authorities are established by God and serve his good purposes

even by bearing the sword.

That's Romans 13 verse 1 and verse 4.

Romans 13:1

John the baptizer called people to repent.

And among the people that he was speaking to were soldiers.

He didn't tell them to quit their jobs.

Saying it's immoral to do that job because it involves using force.

He told them rather to stop extorting people.

And so this isn't mainly a prohibition of violent behavior.

It's a prohibition of retaliation.

Getting revenge.

Getting even.

And it's just sort of understood that it applies to our personal day-to-day interactions with people.

A possible other kind of realm of exception here, I would suggest,

is that turning the other cheek does not mean we must simply sit there and allow others to repeatedly abuse us.

In the case of physical violence, it doesn't mean that we must simply sit there and let them beat us to death.

The slap on the cheek is a humiliating blow.

It's an insult.

Not an attack with intent to wound or kill.

And so fleeing is an option.

Of course, removing ourselves from the situation.

Self-defense is an option as well in cases of physical violence.

Whether it's blocking, parrying, disarming, restraining.

In the case of verbal abuse, it doesn't mean that we just have to sit there quietly and let them continue to berate us.

There are times for rebuke.

There are times for correction.

So turning the other cheek does not mean that we just simply allow ourselves to be injured or repeatedly abused.

It means not retaliating.

Not responding in a spirit of revenge to get even.

Or to pay them back.

We also have to be careful about the way in which we turn the other cheek.

And this is something that's maybe a little lost in translation from their culture to ours.

But if someone was to actually wind up and slap you on the cheek.

And you were to actually turn to them the other also.

What would that communicate to them in that moment?

Okay.

Maybe.

That didn't hurt.

Is that all you got?

Okay.

So it kind of depends on the way in which you turn the other cheek.

Right?

Are you doing it with a smirk on your face?

Like is that the best you can do?

And if so, don't be surprised if you get slapped another time.

Jesus is not commanding us to invite them to slap us again.

We see this kind of brutish arrogance in movies.

You know, come on, hit me again.

Is that the best you've got?

That kind of cheek turning is not what Jesus has in mind.

He's talking about a kind of cheek turning that's not proud.

That's not arrogant.

That's humble.

That's gracious.

Rather than taunting.

And it's probably a sort of graphic exaggeration that Jesus gives to make the point that we're not to strike back.

Jesus sometimes used very graphic illustrations or examples to make the point.

Like if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away.

And so Jesus is not suggesting that we go so far as to invite the further mistreatment or abuse.

Rather, it's something like be willing to be slapped a second time rather than return slap for slap.

It's better to be shamed or humiliated again than to return insult for insult.

When someone wrongs you, don't immediately lash back.

Bear it with grace.

Don't repay it.

Let the insult fall on you and show them mercy instead.

Be willing to take a blow and let your response speak of love and not revenge.

Jesus now gives a second very tangible example here.

He says,

If someone takes your coat, do not withhold your shirt from them.

Now there's two different explanations given for this one.

Some think this refers to a robbery situation where a person's coat is stolen from them.

It could be that they just left it lying there and it was unattended.

Or because of being held up by thieves who demanded it under threat of violence.

A second explanation comes from the parallel passage in Matthew chapter 5.

Matthew 5 · chapter mention

Here in Matthew 5, it's a very similar statement, but it comes in a legal context.

It says in Matthew 5 verse 40,

Matthew 5:40

If anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, hand over your coat as well.

Probably they were two different statements that Jesus made,

but just notice the legal flavor of that second one.

They're suing for the shirt, so give them the coat as well, says Jesus.

And so some think this taking of the shirt in Luke is along those lines of legal and lawsuit rather than robbery.

Either way, it's an example of how someone might wrong you.

It's your coat.

It's your shirt.

I mean, it might sound funny in today's world,

but back then in this culture,

your coat was one of your most valuable possessions.

And you usually only had one.

Probably, as with the first, Jesus is giving this as a sort of representative example.

And also an extreme way of saying it to make the point.

Like if they take your coat,

give them the shirt off your back rather than retaliate.

Allow yourself to be wronged a second time rather than striking back at them.

Some even construe the giving of the shirt as an act of kindness.

Jesus is explaining in this passage how to love our enemies.

And so if your enemy is so desperate that they steal your jacket, give them your shirt to go with it as a gift.

They must really be in need.

Now that doesn't condone the theft, of course, but it sure does meet it with unexpected kindness.

Now, of course, it's well within our rights to seek legal recourse against a person who has wronged us.

We have the right to do that.

But Jesus is instructing us here not to go after our rights,

but instead to yield them and let ourselves be wronged.

Forgive them and move on.

Give to everyone who asks you.

And if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back.

What's wrong with demanding it back?

After all, it belongs to you.

But can the Lord help us get by without it?

Or can he replace it for us with a new one?

He can.

You could turn it into a fight.

Or you could just leave it to God to deal with them and choose to forgive them and move on.

It's just stuff.

Give to everyone who asks you.

It's just stuff.

God can supply you with more.

And if we're generous to others with what we have, he can always provide what we lack.

Notice that word everyone.

Give to everyone who asks you.

Not just give to your friends or to your family or to those who are nice

or to those who are especially responsible.

Give to everyone who asks of you.

Now obviously this is a general principle.

There are times when we need to be careful what we give so as not to enable an addict or a freeloader.

I'll buy a bag of groceries for someone but I won't give them cash if they're begging right outside the liquor store.

It's a general principle.

Be generous to others.

Be rich in mercy to those in need.

If they ask to borrow a tool and you have three of them, why not just give it to them?

Tell them to take it home with them and keep it.

With all of this, Jesus is teaching us the way that he wants us to live.

The way that he wants us to stand out in the world.

We're not to be people who push and shove and demand our way and our rights.

We're not to be people who cherish our belongings over other people.

When we're mistreated, we're not to retaliate.

We're to bear the blows and the unkind words of others and forgive.

But boy, this is hard to actually live out, isn't it?

What about me?

What about me?

What about my stuff?

What about my honor?

What about my reputation?

What they said was not true about me.

What if they really hurt us?

They deserve to be held accountable for what they did or said to me.

There should be consequences.

Am I just supposed to sit there and let them take it?

Or take it from them?

These are the kinds of thoughts that go through our minds when we hear Jesus say this.

And it's the reason that we often struggle to turn the other cheek and let them have the shirt as well.

We might wonder, Jesus, are you crazy?

Am I understanding you right here?

Is this really how you want me to live?

Let's just look at one other passage.

This comes from 1 Corinthians.

Paul's writing to the Corinthian church.

And we're kind of jumping into the middle of this.

So I'll just explain the context briefly.

Paul's lamenting the fact that the people in the church at Corinth are taking one another to court

and suing each other when they should be able to resolve their disputes

with the help of brothers and sisters in the church.

And this is what he says there.

He says,

This is almost the same thing

that we hear from Jesus.

Better to allow yourself to be wronged

than to seek retribution,

to be cheated

than to go after your brother

in court.

Solomon said, I think,

what is another way of saying the same principle

in Proverbs 19, verse 11.

Proverbs 19:11

He said,

It is to one's glory

to overlook

an offense.

The way of our world

is to demand

justice,

even to take revenge

and pay them back.

But we can give glory to God.

We can do what is truly

noble

and honorable

by overlooking

the offense,

by turning the other cheek,

by letting them have

the shirt as well.

What is truly amazing

is how Jesus himself

lived

this way.

For three years,

the disciples got to see

how he handled himself.

They watched as the Pharisees

and the teachers of the law

slandered him

and said nasty things about him.

They watched as people

rejected him

and pushed him away,

drove him out of town,

a little later

in this gospel,

Luke chapter 9,

Luke 9 · chapter mention

there's a sort of

comical story.

Jesus sends messengers

ahead to a Samaritan village

and asks them

to make things ready

so that he can stay there

with his disciples.

And the Samaritans

in that town

don't welcome Jesus.

They don't want him

coming there.

They won't receive him

in the village

because he's on his way

to Jerusalem.

And the Samaritans

considered the Jews,

their enemies.

And so,

we read there

in Luke chapter 9,

Luke 9:54

verse 54,

when the disciples

James and John

saw this,

that Jesus

was not received,

they asked,

Lord,

do you want us

to call fire down

from heaven

to destroy them?

I guess their

newfound ability

to do miraculous things

went to their head

a little bit.

Like,

should we kill them

for you, Jesus?

Jesus,

this is the natural response.

This is the response

of our flesh.

Anger.

How dare they?

Payback.

Revenge.

Jesus responds

in verse 55,

but Jesus turned

and rebuked them.

then he and his disciples

went to another village.

Like,

don't you guys,

haven't you guys

been listening?

Jesus just turned

the other cheek

and went down the road

to the next village.

Then there was how

Jesus treated Judas,

the one he knew

would betray him.

He stooped down

with the towel

to wash the feet

of the man

who was making

arrangements

to hand him over.

When they arrested

Jesus in the garden

of Gethsemane,

how did Jesus act?

He commanded Peter

to put the sword away.

He said,

no,

I'm going to let

this happen.

He surrendered himself

to his enemies.

Then there was the trial

in the middle of the night

as he stood before Annas.

I'll just read

a little bit of that.

Meanwhile,

the high priest

questioned Jesus

about his disciples

and his teaching.

I have spoken openly

to the world,

Jesus replied.

I always taught

in the synagogues

or at the temple

where all the Jews

come together.

I said nothing

in secret.

Why question me?

Ask those

who heard me.

Surely they

know what I said.

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.

If I said

something wrong,

Jesus replied,

testify as to

what is wrong.

But if I spoke

the truth,

why did you

strike me?

Then Annas

sent him

bound to Caiaphas,

the high priest.

Christ.

I'm always amazed

at this moment.

Of course,

Jesus knew

this was not

a just trial.

He knew

they already

had plans

to kill him

and he was

exposing them

in those moments.

He was calling

them out on it.

He was slapped

in the face

by order

of the high priest

and how did

he respond?

He spoke

no insults.

He didn't

curse them.

He didn't

threaten them.

He didn't

call them names.

We do

notice,

though,

that

he did

ask why

he was

struck.

It doesn't

mean to

turn the

other cheek.

We just

have to be

totally

silent.

We can't

say anything.

He asked

them to

state the

reason,

to testify

to what

he said

that was

wrong.

But other

than that,

he did

not retaliate.

And then

from there

he was

taken before

Caiaphas

and the

Sanhedrin.

This

time

we read

in Matthew

Matthew 26 · chapter mention

chapter 26

that the

chief priests

and the

whole

Sanhedrin

were looking

for false

evidence

against Jesus

so that

they could

put him

to death.

But they

did not

find any,

though many

false

witnesses

came forward.

Finally,

two came

forward and

declared,

this fellow

said,

I'm able

to destroy

the temple

of God

and rebuild

it in

three days.

Then the

high priest

stood up

and said

to Jesus,

are you

not going

to answer?

What is

this testimony

that these

men are

bringing

against you?

But Jesus

remained

silent.

Amazing.

Amazing.

They were

falsely

accusing him,

they were

slandering him,

they were

making things

up out of

thin air.

And this

time he

chose to

remain silent

through all

of it.

He didn't

retaliate,

he just

turned the

other cheek.

He didn't

say anything

until the

final question

of the

high priest

where he

admitted that

he was

the Messiah,

the Son

of God,

and told

them that

one day

they would

see him

sitting at

the right

hand of

God.

When they

heard that,

they charged

him with

blasphemy

and condemned

him to

death.

We read a

little just

down the

page in

verse 67.

Then they

spit in

his face

and struck

him with

their fists.

Others

slapped him

and said,

prophesy

to us,

Messiah,

who hit

you?

Then Jesus

was taken

before Pilate.

Pilate had

Jesus flogged,

even though

in the trial

he stated

three times

that he

couldn't

find any

basis for

a charge

against

him.

We read

there in

John 19,

the soldiers

twisted together

a crown of

thorns and

put it on

his head.

They clothed

him in a

purple robe

and went

up to him

again and

again,

saying,

Hail,

King of

the Jews,

and they

slapped him

in the face.

this mistreatment

of Jesus

by his enemies

continued on

until he

arrived at

Golgotha,

the place

that he was

to be

crucified.

And what

did they do

there

when they

arrived?

They stripped

him of his

clothes

and they

hung him up

to die

on the

cross.

The soldiers

cast lots

for his

shirt

in a

manner of

speaking.

Jesus did

not withhold

his shirt

from them.

As Jesus

hung there

dying,

they hurled

insults at

him.

They mocked

him.

When the

soldiers

crucified

Jesus,

oh,

sorry,

the people

stood watching

and the

rulers even

sneered at

him.

They said,

he saved

others.

Let him

save himself

if he's

God's

Messiah,

the chosen

one.

And this

is just a

small sampling

of the

things they

said.

How did

Jesus respond?

There are

seven things

recorded in

scripture that

he said while

up on the

cross and

not once did

he curse his

enemies.

Not once did

he insult

those who

were mocking

him.

Not once did

he spit on

them or

retaliate in

any way.

instead he

uttered the

ultimate

turning of

the other

cheek and

he prayed

for God

to forgive

them of

their sins.

He

allowed

himself to

be wronged

in the

ultimate way

though he

didn't deserve

it.

He gave

up his

rights.

He did

not

retaliate at

all.

He received

the blows

and the

insults of

others and

he left

justice.

in the

hands of

God.

The cross

and all

that led

up to

it is

the

ultimate

turning

of the

other

cheek.

It's the

ultimate

letting people

have the

shirt as

well.

Jesus

perfectly

lived out

what he

instructed his

disciples to

do in

Luke chapter

Luke 6 · chapter mention

6 where

we're

reading.

He made

his life

and his

death the

ultimate

example of

it.

In other

words,

turning the

other cheek

is the

gospel.

It's our

opportunity

whenever we

are wronged

to proclaim

the gospel

with our

actions.

To say,

yes, I

follow the

one who

loved his

enemies,

who did

not

retaliate.

Just as

he bore

the wrongs

of others

to death,

so too

will I.

I think

this is

maybe a

part of

what Jesus

was talking

about when

he said,

whoever wants

to be my

disciple must

deny

themselves and

take up

their cross

and follow

me.

And so I

want to

encourage you

this week

just to

look for

opportunities

to turn

the other

cheek and

to let

people have

your shirt

as well.

And again,

it may not

be physical

situations where

they're trying

to slap

you, but

probably things

they say.

Hurtful

words,

insults,

rude tone.

And I'll

just leave it

at that for

the application

part.

But right

now, let's

just keep our

eyes on

Jesus for

a moment

and what

he did

on that

cross for

us.

We're going

to pass

around the

bread and

the cup

momentarily

and as

we think

to the

cross, as

we look

to the

cross,

we're

reminded of

what that

bread

represents.

It

represents

Jesus'

body,

which

received

those blows,

that

treatment,

that

mistreatment

for us.

as we

think of

the cup,

we're

reminded of

what it

represents.

It

represents

Jesus'

blood,

which was

poured out

for us

to save

us,

to reconcile

us, to

forgive us,

to cleanse

us.

And if

you believe

in Jesus,

if you've

made that

good confession,

that he is

your Lord

and your

Savior, I

invite you to

partake with

us as we

do this

together.

If not,

just let

the cup

and the

bread pass

you by.

But let's

take a few

moments now

to reflect

and just

talk to

God quietly,

to think

about how

Jesus turned

the other

cheek for

us.

And then

after a few

minutes,

we'll have

Charles and

Rod will

come up and

serve us

the elements.

And as

usual, we'll

just hang on

to them until

everybody's been

served.

And then

we'll

partake

all

together.

Amen.