There are many thought-provoking verses in the Bible.
One thing I was thinking about the other day was the whole idea of turning the other cheek. It’s easy to learn about it and think, “We know how to do that. I don’t retaliate when someone hurts me or treats me unfairly.”
However, I was thinking that there is probably a lot more to that command from Jesus that we see, surface-level.
The direct quote is from the book of Matthew, during the sermon on the mount.
“You have heard the law that says the punishment must match the injury: ‘An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say, do not resist an evil person! If someone slaps you on the right cheek, offer the other cheek also. If you are sued in court and your shirt is taken from you, give your coat, too. If a soldier demands that you carry his gear for a mile, carry it two miles. Give to those who ask, and don’t turn away from those who want to borrow.” (Matthew 5:38-43)
I think it’s a bit of human nature to want revenge and retaliation when someone wrongs us. But Jesus calls us to turn the other cheek.
Okay…so we don’t hurt them back, we let them steal our coat…but deep down, I’m sure most of us (I’m using blanket statements here…) still want some level of retribution. When someone steals something from us, we want them to get comeuppance. Stealing is illegal, so maybe they go to jail. Something bad happens to them because of the bad thing they did. That’s fair.
Somehow I don’t quite think that’s what Jesus meant in this passage, considering that he followed this up with a call to love the people who hurt us.
“You have heard the law that says, ‘Love your neighbor’ and hate your enemy. But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven.” (Matthew 5:43-45a)
To me, it seems pretty clear that while we are called to turn the other cheek and let them steal our coat, we are also called to love those people. Not to wish terrible things on them. Not even to wish for comeuppance.
There are other passages in the Bible that sort of contradict this idea; specifically there is a passage in Proverbs, quoted by Paul in Romans as well, that mentions this.
“If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.” (Proverbs 25:21-22, Romans 12:20)
Burning coals seem pretty…vengeful, at least on to me. From the surface here, it kind of seems like it’s okay. And maybe it is okay to want justice. It often talks about righteous anger in the Bible.
But I did hear about how in the cultural context of this verse, this wasn’t a way to “pay back” someone, by piling burning coals to make them feel guilty or remorseful. It was actual a symbol of giving life to someone else, as coals were a way of producing heat that kept your house warm and kept you safe from the cold.
If this is accurate, it means that the call here is to not only feed our enemies, but to pile life on them on top of that. How do we pile on life? I don’t know. But to me, this lines up more with what Jesus says as he calls us to turn the other cheek and love our enemies.
