You have heard that it was said, An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. But I tell you, don’t resist an evildoer. On the contrary, if anyone slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also.
Matthew 5:38-39 (CSB)
Context: “Eye for an eye” sounds like a license for revenge. It was the opposite. God gave it to judges to cap punishment. Then people grabbed it to settle their own scores.
Look at the wound Jesus picks. Not a beating. A slap on the right cheek. From a right-handed person, that’s a backhand. Back then it wasn’t about pain. It was the worst public insult there was. That’s what makes us want to get even. Being made to look small.
So we replay the comment. We write the perfect comeback. We keep score. We call it standing up for ourselves. Jesus calls it getting even, and says drop it.
Hear this clearly. Jesus is not telling anyone to stay where they’re getting hurt. He picked an insult on purpose, not real harm. Turning the other cheek means dropping revenge. It does not mean taking abuse. If someone is hurting you, getting to safety and telling someone you trust is not getting even. That is not what this verse is about.
Here’s who did it first. They condemned Jesus, spit in His face, and slapped Him (Matt 26:67). He didn’t hit back. When they insulted Him, He didn’t insult back (1 Pet 2:23). He carried the wrong we couldn’t put down, all the way to the cross.