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:"You have heard that it was said, ' An Eye For An Eye , and a tooth for a tooth.' But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you." ( Matthew 5:38-42, NIV) A parallel version is offered in the Sermon On The Plain in the Gospel Of Luke : :"But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. If someone strikes you on one cheek, turn to him the other also. If someone takes your cloak, do not stop him from taking your tunic. 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." ( Luke 6:27-31. NIV) This passage is viewed as promoting Nonresistance , Pacifism or Nonviolence . HISTORICAL ORIGINS Some hold that Jesus, while rejecting ". The idea of "offering one's cheek" to a smiter is also seen in , in which context the narrator is rationalizing suffering and describing the proper way to bear it. It is also thought to be possible that Jesus was influenced by the teachings of the Pharisee Hillel The Elder who is famously quoted as describing the Golden Rule to be an effective summation of the Torah , and also "If I am not for myself, then who will be for me? And if I am only for myself, then what am I? And if not now, when?" (Pirkei Avot 1:14) In this way, personal dignity is both to be given to your brother and demanded for yourself. (see non literal interpretations below for turn the other cheek as an act of defiance ) An analogous sentiment is spoken by Socrates in his conversation with Crito in 399 BC before his execution in Athens. “One should never do wrong in return, nor mistreat any man, no matter how one has been mistreated by him.” This moral guides Socrates in his argument to a conclusion that he should not attempt to escape from punishment despite being wrongfully imprisoned. From the Grube translation of ''Crito'' found in Plato's Five Dialogues revised by Cooper. INTERPRETATIONS This phrase, as with much of the Sermon On The Mount , has been subjected to both literal and figurative interpretations. See also Sermon On The Mount#Interpretation . Nonresistance literal interpretation This passage has been interpreted as an injunction of Nonviolent Resistance , and a teaching that it is wrong to commit violence, even in self-defense or retaliation. Since this passage calls for total nonresistance, and since human governments defend themselves by military force, it has led some to Christian Anarchism , including the notable Russian novelist Leo Tolstoy , author of the nonfiction book '' The Kingdom Of God Is Within You ''. Figurative interpretation
:"When you make your neighbor a loan of any sort, you shall not enter his house to take his pledge. You shall remain outside, and the man to whom you make the loan shall bring the pledge out to you. If he is a poor man, you shall not sleep with his pledge. When the sun goes down you shall surely return the pledge to him, that he may sleep in his cloak and bless you; and it will be righteousness for you before the LORD your God." By giving the lender the cloak as well the debtor was reduced to nakedness. Public nudity was viewed as bringing shame on the viewer, not the naked, as evidenced in Genesis 9: 20-27: :"Noah was the first tiller of the soil. He planted a vineyard; and he drank of the wine, and became drunk, and lay uncovered in his tent. And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brothers outside. Then Shem and Japheth took a garment, laid it upon both their shoulders, and walked backward and covered the nakedness of their father; their faces were turned away, and they did not see their father's nakedness."
Righteous personal conduct interpretation There is a third school of thought in regards to this passage. Jesus was not changing the meaning of "an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth" but restoring it to the original context. Jesus starts his statement with "you have heard it said" which means that he was clarifying a misconception, as opposed to "it is written" which would be a reference to scripture. The common misconception seems to be that people were using Exodus 21:24-25 (the guidelines for a magistrate to punish convicted offenders) as a justification for personal vengeance. In this context, the command to "turn the other cheek" would not be a command to allow someone to beat or rob a person, but a command not to take vengeance. Some point out that Jesus said "he who has no sword, let him sell his garment and buy one" from Luke 22:36 and the Old Testament laws regarding killing in self-defense to support this view. However, even Luke 22:36 could have been figurative as in Luke 22:38 the disciples point out that they have two swords among the twelve of them, to which Jesus replies "That is enough." If Jesus meant his statement to be taken literally then twelve swords would have been required, not two. CRITICISM Many Christians and non-Christians have denounced the literal interpretation of this scripture as unworkable in practice, and potentially immoral, as it gives rewards in ''this'' life to those who commit acts of Violence , without countering them with Self-defense or acts of Justice . Advocates for nonresistance insist such criticisms of immorality fail to see the potential power of good responding to evil. Advocates also maintain that there are multiple nonviolent techniques to defend one's Dignity when confronting Violence . Further, rewards in this world are irrelevant to Christ's teachings, which promise rewards in The Next Life (rather than this one) and warns of Suffering and hardship in this life. SEE ALSO
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