Turning the Other Cheek

Matthew 5:39 (NIV) -

But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also.

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A certain situation circling around the internet right now (no guesses as to which one) has led to an interesting revelation about Jesus' declaration here, which I thought would be worth sharing. I'd like to start by saying that while I can't 100% confirm this, I think that my observations here are consistent with Jesus' teachings, the overall theme of the Bible, and the cultural context of Jesus' time. Not only that, it's something that can enrich our faith and lead us into a deeper understanding of the life we are to live as God's people.

After hearing about what happened at the Oscars, I was chatting about it with someone and they made a joke about this verse, saying that Chris Rock was slapped on his left cheek, so it didn't count. While trying to reconcile the image in my mind, I realised they were correct - a slap from the right hand would have landed on the left cheek. So when Jesus is talking about being slapped on the right cheek, he's implying that the offender has delivered the blow with their left hand. It doesn't seem like much on the surface, but it actually carries a powerful message.

According to the National Center for Biotechnology Information, the left hand is considered as, "'unclean' and reserved solely for 'hygienic' reasons," by many cultures in the Middle East and some in Africa." (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK143998/) This is a belief which has carried through the history of those areas, as I have been led to believe. In other words, in Jesus' time, the right hand was used for cooking, greeting, etc. while the left hand was used for... well, we'll call it sanitation.

With that in mind, to take a slap from someone's left hand, the hand that they would frequently use to deal with their business, would be considered among the highest insults! And yet, Jesus commands that we are to forgive so completely and so immediately that we would let them slap the other cheek too, then and there.

Like I said earlier, this observation is consistent with the rest of Scripture. It's interesting to note that Matthew, speaking to Jews, mentions the right hand specifically. Luke, on the other hand, is speaking to Greeks, and only talks about being slapped in general - chances are that the Greeks didn't have the same traditions, and so the idea of being slapped in itself was enough of an insult - mentioning the right hand may have just confused them.

Another comparison is from Matthew 18:21-22, when Peter asks Jesus, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?” Jesus' response is to reference Lamech, a character from Genesis 4 who, after killing someone, declares that, "If Cain is avenged seven times, then Lamech seventy-seven times.” (Genesis 4:24 NIV) In the Bible, the number 7 represents completeness and perfection, so when Lamech says he will be avenged seventy-seven times, he is talking about a vengeance that is so total that it goes beyond completion. By referencing Lamech, Jesus is saying that our desire for forgiveness should be the same - we should want to forgive others so much that we want them to be forgiven more than completely.

That kind of forgiveness is no small thing, and I don't know a single human being who is capable of it! The good news is, we know a God who is, and by His Holy Spirit inside us He makes it possible for us to forgive that way as well, if we'll just ask for His help. I hope this has opened your eyes a little and helped you see something you might have heard a thousand times, in a new way which you hadn't considered before. I know it did for me!