Often, ordinary people who have only recently begun to read the Holy Scriptures try to independently interpret various phrases and expressions from it. Unfortunately, such attempts end with the person finding many contradictions, losing interest in the Bible, and generally moving away from the faith. Many incomprehensible thoughts arise in the minds of those who have taken the phrase of Jesus Christ out of the context of the New Testament Sermon on the Mount: “whoever strikes you on your right cheek, turn to him the other also” (Matthew 5:39). Taking this phrase literally, people begin to doubt the correctness of the teachings of the Bible, since the book, based on the principles of love, says that one must endure physical beatings and even ask for more. But what about the fact that if a weak person is wronged in front of a Christian, is it really impossible to intercede and calmly look at the evil? If this were the case, then even criminals would not be sent to prison, which would lead to complete chaos.
When reading the Holy Letter, one must clearly understand that Christ preached to the simple people of that time, to whom rather complex truths needed to be explained. Of course, trying to convey the truth to the people, Christ often spoke in metaphors, and the above-mentioned phrase is one of them.
This phrase is actually in the Bible - in the Mount
So, there really are such words in the Holy Scriptures. Moreover, they come not from a simple biblical author, but from Christ himself. The Savior pronounced this phrase in the famous Sermon on the Mount. Let's get acquainted with the context:
(Matt. 5:38–41)
“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 evil. But whoever strikes you on your right cheek, turn the other also to him; and whoever wants to sue you and take your shirt, give him your outer clothing too; and whoever forces you to go one mile with him, go with him two miles.”
It would seem that everything is clear: let your enemies do whatever you want to you, as long as you don’t cause harm yourself. This is very consistent with the promise of the Almighty to independently punish sinners:
(Rom.12:19)
“Do not avenge yourselves, beloved, but give room to the wrath of God. For it is written: “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord.”
12 chapter
Romans: Do not avenge yourself, but give room to the wrath of God
So, are we tolerant? No, not everything is so simple, and this question cannot be exhausted with a couple of quotes taken from the Holy Scriptures.
TURN THE OTHER CHEEK?
In terms of the number of editions, the Bible cannot be compared with any other book. It has been translated into more than 240 languages and more than 700 dialects. But there is no other book that contains so many “incomprehensible” and “contrary” passages to common sense. A new section of our magazine, “The World of the Bible,” is devoted to their Orthodox interpretation.
Here, for example, is one of the letters that came to the editor of Foma.
"Hello. My name is Pavel. I have been boxing since my early youth, although I myself am a very peaceful person. Once in some television program I heard that in the Bible there is a commandment to “turn the other cheek if you are hit on one” (sorry if I didn’t say it exactly). I myself will never be the first to get into a fight, but if a hooligan suddenly accosts me on the street, will I (out of Christian duty) have to endure all his blows, and then ask me to repeat it again?! Should all Christians do this? How to understand such a commandment (if it exists, of course)?
If you open any unfamiliar book in the middle and read one paragraph, it can cause no less bewilderment. And to understand its meaning, you will have to read at least a whole chapter, and better yet, the entire book. It's the same with the Bible. In order to understand or determine your attitude to any words of Holy Scripture, you need to imagine the context in which they are located: the immediate, general biblical and even cultural and historical context of the era when these words were spoken.
The commandment to “turn the other cheek” does not exist in the Bible, but such words do exist. They were spoken by Jesus Christ in the Sermon on the Mount. The full passage reads like this: “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 evil. But whoever strikes you on your right cheek, turn the other also to him; and whoever wants to sue you and take your shirt, give him your outer clothing too; and whoever forces you to go one mile with him, go with him two miles” (Matthew 5:38-41).
From the immediate context it is clear that the main thing here is not Christ’s call to “turn the other cheek,” but His establishment of some new commandment (“do not resist evil”) to replace the old one (“an eye for an eye”). The images of a blow on the cheek, judgment and coercion serve only to clarify it. They personified specific forms of manifestation of evil in the relations between the inhabitants of Palestine of that period. And the abstract philosophical image of “world evil” was unfamiliar to Christ’s listeners. Even the majority of the religious teachers of Israel were far from Greek philosophy, much less the simple people to whom Christ addressed in the Sermon on the Mount.
In the biblical tradition, a slap on the cheek is a metaphorical image of a serious insult or defeat to a person. In addition, it was not by chance that Christ spoke about the blow on the right cheek. If such a blow was not delivered by a left-handed person, then he could only do it with the back of his hand. It was this kind of slap in the face that the ancient Israelites regarded as the most powerful way of insulting and dishonoring a person. That is, firstly, we are talking here about non-resistance to a specific evil - a personal insult, and not to evil in general. And, secondly, this insult may not necessarily be in the nature of physical violence.
However, the question still remains: how to understand the word “non-resistance”, especially since insulting a person very often has the character of physical violence? It turns out that a Christian must be a pacifist, cannot resist beatings and coercion, cannot defend himself and other people?
This understanding of the commandment about “non-resistance to evil” has no basis either in the Bible or in the history of the Church. This understanding of “non-resistance” has nothing in common with the love that the Bible speaks about on literally every page. Moreover, in the Holy Scriptures, love always means actions rather than emotions. One who loves shows his love by doing good to a person, treating him with respect. Therefore, it is impossible to see one commandment of Christ and not notice another: “Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13). That is, sacrificing your life to protect another person is the highest expression of love. When the Savior Himself was hit on the cheek during interrogation in the house of the Jewish high priest, His response also cannot be called non-resistance: “If I said bad, show that it is bad; What if it’s good that you beat Me?” (John 18:23). And the Gospel episode, when Christ takes the whip in his hands and drives the merchants out of the temple, speaks for itself: with a pacifist understanding of the commandment of non-resistance, either the episode with the dispersal of the temple merchants, or the commandment itself, must be “crossed out” from the Gospel.
But it is interesting that for almost 1900 years (before L.N. Tolstoy) all these opposites coexisted in the minds of Christians, and the Savior’s words “turn the other cheek” were not the subject of controversy and bewilderment. This does not prove at all the “apostasy” of the Church from Christ (as Tolstoy believed), but that the issue of physical resistance to violence is not, and has never been, included in the circle of dogmatic foundations of Christianity, that is, it is not of fundamental importance for salvation , to transform a person’s inner world and therefore can be solved in different ways. In general, there are very few dogmas in Christianity, as well as the actual gospel commandments. And neither one nor the other regulates a person’s external behavior.
Christianity says that the commandments of Christ are medicines that, by taking, a person can overcome evil in himself. Because evil in the biblical understanding is not just a violation of some divine decree, but, first of all, illness and damage to the human soul. And any manifestations of this disease: vindictiveness, anger, aggression between people are just consequences of this internal damage to a person’s spiritual world. Therefore, the main goal of Christianity - salvation and renewal of personality - involves the fight against the cause of all evil (illness, damage to the soul), and not against the symptoms of evil (external aggression).
The Old Testament commandments treated only symptoms. For example, the commandment “an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth” at first glance looks like the “law of blood feud.” But that's not true. On the contrary, its goal was to limit the possibility of revenge. If, for example, a person’s tooth was knocked out, then in his anger he could not kill the offender, but had the right only to adequate retribution. That is, the manifestation of evil in relations between people was stopped by the law from the outside - the fear of being subjected to the same thing. The feeling of revenge did not disappear, but was hidden for a while in the depths of the heart. The inner world of a person did not change.
The commandment of Christ - “do not resist evil” - involves fighting the cause of illness, because the only way to resist evil is by opposing it with good, filling your heart with it. The Apostle Paul explains the words of his Teacher in exactly this way: “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good” (Rom. 12:21). And there is no third option, because it is impossible to defeat evil with indifference.
The fundamental position of Christianity is that the spiritual world does not tolerate emptiness. The human soul cannot be in “nirvana”, cannot be neutral (remember the proverb: “a holy place is never empty”). If there is no good there, then evil reigns. For example, you can silently, gritting your teeth, endure an insult, but at the same time, if you do not sincerely forgive the offender, if you do not overcome the feeling of anger towards him, then external calm will not be worth a penny before God, because the spiritual state when you do One thing, but you think another, is called hypocrisy, and not at all “non-resistance to evil.” The Gospel commandments help a person to look inside himself and it is there, in the depths of his own heart, to wage a real struggle against evil, as a result of which a person becomes a Christian.
And external events often unfold in such a way that one has to choose not between good and evil, but between “two evils.” And here, in this external choice, a Christian will do the same as any person - he will try to choose the lesser evil. Therefore, in itself, a forceful response does not bring the offender closer or further away from God. And, for example, a nose broken as a result of the literal fulfillment of the commandment of “non-resistance to evil” has not yet automatically made anyone a Christian, just as the fist defense of one’s offended religious feeling does not bring one closer to holiness.
Jesus Christ does not speak directly, but used an image to illustrate a deep idea
Let's take another look at the context. If Jesus Christ wanted to say only one thing: “They beat you, but you endure it,” he would not have chewed his idea into three Gospel verses. It is worth paying attention to the details of the text.
What does the Savior emphasize? On the abolition of the old Jewish principle - an eye for an eye. This turns out to be the essence of the phrase. Well, even if so, then this in no way relieves us of the admonition to turn the other cheek.
This phrase was spoken by Christ in the Sermon on the Mount
Of course not. But at the same time, we need to remember how Jesus Christ always communicated with people - through parables. He always tried to introduce some kind of allegory and through it convey an important idea, there are many of them:
- Light to the world.
- Catchers of human souls.
- Winegrowers.
- Prodigal son.
If you carefully reread the Gospel, it will become clear that the Savior says almost nothing directly. Accordingly, by introducing the image of two cheeks into speech, He is also not talking about a fight at all.
Blindly following this instruction will lead to horrific results.
A literal interpretation can lead us to terrifying conclusions, for example:
- Humiliating defenselessness . A person puts his left cheek instead of his right, then his neck instead of the other cheek. He lets everyone make fun of him, says goodbye to the last of his things at the first request of someone more insolent. This is a humiliated and miserable existence.
- Mindless formalism . A devout Christian allows himself to be hit on one cheek, then, according to all the rules, he offers the other, and then, having fulfilled the requirement of Scripture, he crushes the opponent’s sides.
Neither approach retains the sublime spirit of Christianity. Both cases are in no way applicable to the teachings of Christ.
It is clear that fighting is evil illustrated. This is a way to speak in a way that is accessible to any audience. But what did the Savior mean?
A hit on the cheek is not a direct blow, but an insult or meanness; it cannot be responded to in kind.
Visualization will clarify a lot for us. Let's imagine for a moment what Jesus Christ says. Here, a man is hit on the right cheek. Is there anything alarming here?
This is not easy to notice, but still, if you strain, it becomes clear: people usually hit on the left cheek, since most of us are right-handed, and therefore they perform their first action with their leading hand.
A blow to the left cheek is a sign that it was most likely hit with the back of the hand. If it were not necessary to emphasize this, the Savior would have said: “You hit one cheek, turn the other.” But Jesus Christ allows us to dive deeper into the situation.
Apostle Peter intercedes for Christ during His arrest
Hitting with the back of the hand is an illustration of an insult inherent in the Jewish world, and a personal one at that. Accordingly, from here we can conclude: if you were personally insulted, then do not respond to meanness with meanness, do not use these dirty methods of your enemy.
Of course, this is just a version, one of the interpretations. But it reveals to Christians that there are deeper layers to the teachings of Christ, and they do not involve enduring the attacks of others.
However, it must be admitted that not every Gospel contains a detail about the right and left cheeks.
They hit me on the right... should I turn my left cheek? Ministers' opinions
“But I say to you: do not resist evil. But whoever strikes you on your right cheek, turn the other also to him” (Matthew 5:39).
How should we understand these words of Jesus? Is this a direct instruction or a message with a deeper meaning? Should Christians always “turn the right cheek”? We collected the opinions of ministers.
Ivan Stuckart, pastor of the Church of God's Word in Germany:
A Christian, in the role of a policeman, soldier, judge... in general, in the role of a guardian of order, must stop and punish evil, as Scripture commands. People of order are assigned by God to this task so that the state and society as a whole are safe and prosperous. In the “world of evil”, peace and well-being of society are impossible without law enforcement officers. It is also impossible to “turn the cheek” if I have witnessed violence against another person. It is my duty to intervene in the situation, stand up for the victim, neutralize the aggressor, and report to the police. In our country, evasion of instructions to help one’s neighbor is punished with large fines or even imprisonment. I also do not advise turning your cheek in the event that the “offender” is disingenuous and uses your patience, thereby harming your health or the health of those around you . People who got away with it once can easily repeat violence again. Especially if these people are under the influence of alcohol or drugs. They need to be stopped. Otherwise, evil can spread to other, innocent people.
Pam Dyke, founder of the Spirit Cafe ministry in Canada
Dyck and her husband serve as pastors at The River Community Church in Abbotsford, British Columbia, Canada.
Turning the other cheek doesn't mean you should just stand by and not respond to violence, it means you shouldn't retaliate. You don't have to endure abuse and you can walk away from it, but how do you do that? Throwing insults back? No! We are “allowed,” if that’s the right word, to walk away from any situation where a person is insulting us. Turning the other cheek in this case means that our hearts must be pure so that we leave without anger, but with a willingness to forgive the offender. This does not mean that we need to go through a similar situation again. We must remember who we are—we are beloved sons and daughters of God—and therefore we must have boundaries. Protecting ourselves or setting boundaries doesn't mean we don't turn the other cheek, because we still choose to forgive and not retaliate. Having boundaries or choosing to say no is not revenge, it is an act of wisdom and self-respect. I also think this is how we honor another person because letting them treat you with disrespect is not healthy for them. We were all created by God, but not all of us will choose the best path. Sometimes walking away is the “best way” for both parties .
Maxim Shishko, minister, blogger, author
Maxim Shishko , minister of the Zion community, blogger, host of the Voice of Zion channel, author of the book “Breaking the Ties of Babylon”, (Kiev, Ukraine):
Very often Scripture speaks to us in the language of precedent, that is, it gives us a particular case from which a general principle can be deduced. Indeed, a literal reading of this passage implies the need to turn the cheek, but not the side, eye or other part of the body. A careful study of this passage will allow us to see the limits of the application of this principle. First, Scripture speaks of a blow on the cheek for a reason. A slap is painful and humiliating, but not life-threatening. Secondly, I think that turning the other cheek is necessary in order to shame the aggressor and encourage him to repent. Thirdly, Yeshua Himself, and subsequently Paul, in such situations openly expressed their protest against violence. I hope you have no trouble recalling these examples from Scripture. Fourthly, we are talking only about ourselves, but not about indifference to the suffering of our neighbor. So, the phrase “turn the other cheek” implies that we must learn to endure insults and humiliations in a way that brings shame to our enemies. This teaching does not apply to cases where we are talking about saving one’s life, the life of loved ones, or situations where the chances of achieving the goal (causing repentance) tend to zero . There is no need to turn your other side to the street mugger who slashed you with a knife. Scripture teaches that even in the event of persecution, one should not specifically seek the glory of a martyr, but it is better to avoid danger (Matthew 10:23), especially in everyday situations.
Pavel Levushkan, Lutheran priest, theologian, modern Christian mystic, (Jelgava, Latvia):
Turning your other cheek to a blow is not a sign of softness or cowardice. This means that evil and aggression must stop at ourselves. We do not continue this evil predestination of spreading evil in this world. Just take it and stop it. Don't hit back. Do not insult in response to insults. Do not press, wet, or press (to use the popular jargon) in response to pressure. But at the same time, we can and must firmly defend what we consider true, holy and right, including our legitimate interests. But with the help of arguments, words, or judicial institutions, as well as those very “chiefs who carry the sword.”
Igor Gritsyk, pastor and coordinator of the movement of evangelical Russian-speaking churches in Europe (Kladno, Czech Republic)
There are no such cases at all. And you will agree with this if you understand one cultural element of that time. Turning the right cheek did not mean at all that “since they are beating you, they should allow you to be beaten even more ,” that’s not what we’re talking about. When someone hits you with their right “clean” hand on your left cheek, and you offer your right one, the person may feel ashamed to hit you with their left “unclean” hand on your right cheek. Those. in other words, when you are offended, make your opponent ashamed to continue to harm you.
Nona Paulauskienė, pastor of the New Generation Church (Northampton, England)
Not long ago I experienced a story at the airport. When I was treated extremely rudely and also paid a fine for nothing. I understood that this time I would not turn my left cheek. She returned home and shared her unpleasant story on social networks. It would seem that nothing happened, not such a large amount of money was spent, they “there” are always right, people advised to come to terms with it. But I knew that I couldn’t accept it and let everything pass me by this time. My publication caused a great stir, people began to write their stories about how they were fined for nothing at this particular airport. The press, journalists, television became interested, began to write to me, asking permission to publish this article in newspapers. At the airport, everyone still flies without fines, they have learned to be polite: The boss himself called me and asked me to remove this post from social networks. He promised to fix everything. People suffer injustice, and Christians even more so. There are moments in life when you should firmly say “no”, stop the chaos, you can’t turn your cheek every time, there are boundaries. We know how Jesus often directly said that sin is sin and cannot be tolerated. Pavel, when they wanted to release him from prison without trial, did not agree and said who he was and what his rights were. It seems that he caused problems for himself and for them too. But he knew that he couldn’t turn his cheek this time.
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The Bible calls not to be idle, but, when necessary, to protect what you love
And yet this is all just an interpretation. How do we know whether Jesus Christ meant something so profound, or whether He was simply written down incorrectly, without thinking about the peculiarities of using hands in duels.
Therefore, this version needs a solid foundation. Now, if the Holy Scripture showed us the ability of a righteous person to stand up for himself or someone else, that would be a different matter.
Fortunately, such situations are described in the Bible. For example, the famous episode where Christ forcibly expels the merchants from the temple:
(John 2:13-16)
“The Passover of the Jews was approaching, and Jesus came to Jerusalem and found that oxen, sheep and doves were being sold in the temple, and money changers were sitting. And, making a scourge of ropes, he drove everyone out of the temple, [also] the sheep and oxen; and he scattered the money from the money changers and overturned their tables. And he said to those who sold doves, “Take this from here, and do not make My Father’s house a house of trade.”
But here one can object, they say, the Savior is God, and righteous judgment is in His hands. And who said that a Christian can himself use force for a righteous cause? Maybe! Holy Scripture tells us this:
(John 15:13)
“Greater love has no one than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.”
So you can even risk your life out of love. But this is for others, isn’t it? And if for yourself, then do nothing? In no case. Holy Scripture teaches us that there is no difference between loving oneself and loving others:
(Matt. 22:39)
"Love your neighbor as yourself"
And the question is immediately appropriate: who is this neighbor? And again Christ has the answer - in the parable of the Good Samaritan. There, Jesus Christ clearly shows that anyone can be a person’s neighbor.
What conclusion does this reasoning lead us to? Perhaps to several:
- You should not respond to evil with the same evil.
- But you need to protect what you love.
It is important not to confuse defense and attack. Christianity has demonstrated many times that even without responding to evil with evil you can emerge victorious. A good example is the biography of Father Alypiy (Voronov), who defended the monastery from the Soviet authorities with the help of ingenuity, and not some kind of armed confrontation.
Therefore, the more flexible the protection method, the better. But here each case should be considered individually.
Power can be righteous if the goal is good, as Christ showed by driving the merchants out of the temple (Francesco Boneri, “Christ driving the merchants out of the temple,” 1615)
Christianity does not have specific teachings regarding acceptable methods of confronting enemies. Still, it is primarily a religion of love, and therefore Church leaders call for resolving all issues peacefully and under no circumstances harming others, breaking commandments, or doing evil. Moreover, the word “decide” in this sentence is key. A believer must not remain idle:
(Rom. 12:21)
“Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good”
So no evil, and no indifference!
This instruction does not apply to martial arts.
Sometimes jokingly, sometimes seriously, athletes ask what they should do. For example, can a boxer succeed in his activities if he turns his cheeks? Of course not.
We still must understand that the commandments relate to life in the world, and sports or art are already different realities, where they have their own conventions, and they do not have the emotional and sinful element that exists in real life situations.
In sports and art, this phrase does not need to be used as a guide.
Therefore, a fight in the ring is not a fight, but a sport; a kiss in a movie is not fornication, but a way to convey the screenwriter’s intention to the viewer. So similar questions are about theater, sports, etc. - have no contact with real life at all while they serve their goals.
Interpreters explain the meaning of the phrase differently
This phrase has been interpreted differently by different eminent minds. For example, Leo Tolstoy’s thoughts on this matter are widely known, although the Orthodox Church does not agree with him on everything.
But John Chrysostom understood the expression directly - if you don’t respond to insults, you won’t be offended:
John Chrysostom
Saint
“Here He not only commands that we generously endure only strangulations, but that we are not embarrassed by any other suffering. That is why, just as there He chose the most sensitive offense, so here He mentioned a blow on the cheek, which is considered especially shameful and constitutes a great offense. By giving this commandment, the Savior has in mind the benefit of both the one who strikes and the one who suffers them. In fact, if the offended person arms himself with the wisdom that the Savior teaches, then he will not even think that he has suffered an offense, he will not even feel offended, considering himself more of a warrior than a person who is being beaten. And the one who offends, being ashamed, will not only not strike a second blow, even if he were fiercer than any beast, but he will also blame himself extremely for the first. Truly, nothing restrains those who offend so much as the meek patience of those who are offended.”
Lopukhin’s “Explanatory Bible” says that each evil should be approached with its own standard, that is, each issue should be resolved separately.
“The “evil” that the Savior speaks about must always be specific, and only in this way can the question of which evil should be resisted and which not be resolved. If Christ had spoken about “worldly evil” and about non-resistance to evil in general, then, undoubtedly, His speech would have been incomprehensible to His listeners. In addition, they could see in the words of Christ a contradiction with His own actions, because there is no doubt that all the activities of Christ were opposition to evil. Meanwhile, we do not find any hint of this contradiction in the words of the evangelists. By indicating that in specific cases one should not resist evil, Christ in fact indicates ways not of non-resistance, but of resisting evil with patience and meekness.”
But in general, the Explanatory Bible is of the opinion that it is best not to respond to insults, because it is a sin:
“The fundamental teaching of the Savior can be briefly and clearly expressed as follows: whoever offends commits a sin; if someone resists the offender, he commits the same sin as he, because he wants to offend him. He who does not resist is free from sin and therefore justified by God. This should and always has great practical significance, because in such cases God Himself is the avenger of the guilty and the protector of the innocent and defeats evil with which it is difficult or impossible for an individual to fight. This seems to be the main idea of the last sentences of verse 39 and following.”
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Whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other also to him (Matthew 5:38–41)
Comparing His New Testament commandments with the Old Testament, the Lord says: YOU HAVE HEARD WHAT IT WAS SAID: AN EYE FOR AN EYE AND A TOOTH FOR A TOOTH
. This Law seems strict to us, because we were brought up under the grace-filled spirit of Christ’s commandments; but for the Old Testament people even this apparently so severe Law seemed lenient. According to the cruelty of the morals of that time, the offended person could repay the offender for a knocked out tooth or a gouged out eye even with death, but the Law allowed him to repay for evil only with equal evil, no more.
Thus, the Law restrained the vindictiveness of the offended, intimidating the offender. “The legislator prescribed,” notes St. Chrysostom, “an eye for an eye, “not so that we would tear out each other’s eyes, but so that the one who offends would be afraid to be subjected to the same thing to which he exposes the offended.” The Jews did not understand the spirit of this Law and it often happened that the punished offender became irritated and offended even more, and the offended again tried to take revenge on him, and the evil thus increased. Wanting to show that the Old Testament Law was, in essence, based on love for one’s neighbor, that it was not given to please human vindictiveness, but, on the contrary, to curb it and extinguish evil, Christ the Savior pulls out the very root of evil - vindictiveness, and directly indicates in what disposition of heart a Christian must face insults if he wants to act according to the spirit of the Law, and not according to its letter: BUT I TELL YOU: DO NOT RESIST EVIL
.
This does not mean that there is no need to punish all evil; To protect the innocent and punish the wicked is the sacred duty of the authorities, and the Apostle Paul calls the leader God's servant, O (Rom. 13:4). Christ the Savior Himself with a scourge drove out the offenders of His holiness from the temple of God. When it comes to the glory of God, the salvation of your neighbor, then resist evil, do everything you can so that evil stops; but when the offense concerns only you, when it does no harm to anyone else, and a feeling of revenge begins to boil in your heart, then do not resist the evil. “He does not say: do not resist your brother,” explains St. John Chrysostom, “but to the evil one, showing that your brother is offending you at the instigation of the devil, and thus placing the blame on another (the devil), greatly weakens and suppresses anger against offended. Resist the evil one as the Savior Himself commanded, i.e. willingness to endure evil. In this way you will truly defeat the evil one. For fire is not extinguished with fire, but with water.” BUT WHOEVER STRIKES YOU ON YOUR RIGHT CHEEK, TURN TO HIM THE OTHER CHEEK
.
Defeat the enemy with generosity and kindness. “If you do this, you will not feel offended, and your offender, even if he were fiercer than any beast, will be ashamed and will not strike you another blow; even for the first one he will blame himself extremely, for nothing restrains those who offend so much as the meek patience of the offended: from enemies and enemies they become their closest friends.” This is what the holy saints of God did. One day, Saint Tikhon of Zadonsk arrived at the house of a landowner he knew to intercede for the peasants who were offended by him. The landowner, a proud and hot-tempered man, began to argue. The saint answered with meekness, but firmly. He lost his temper and finally forgot himself to the point of hitting the saint on the cheek. The saint left, but soon returned and fell at the feet of the landowner, asking his forgiveness for leading him into such temptation. This amazed the landowner so much that he himself burst into tears, fell at the feet of the kindly saint, begging him to forgive him, and from then on began to give the peasants all sorts of benefits. The Monk Isaiah said: “Whoever wants to repay evil for evil can offend his brother’s conscience with one wave.” “Do not think,” notes Blessed Theophylact, “that this only speaks of a blow to the cheek; no, but also about any other offense.” AND WHO WANTS TO SUE YOU AND TAKE YOUR SHIRT
, which is cheaper than your outer clothing,
GIVE HIM ALSO THE OUTER CLOTHING
, which is more valuable to you.
“The Savior wants,” says St. Chrysostom, “for us to show such kindness not only when they beat us, but also when they want to take away our property.” However, he did not say - give the srachitsa (outer clothing) to the one who asks, but “to the one who wants to sue you,” i.e. if he takes you to court and wants to start a case with you. But the Savior wants us not only to endure occasional insults and deprivation of property, but also not to spare ourselves when we need to overcome hostility with love. He says: AND WHO FORCE YOU TO GO WITH HIM ONE MILE, WALK WITH HIM TWO
, if he forces you to walk instead of a guide, one mile, go with him two. “If,” explains St. Chrysostom, “someone wanted to subject your very body to heavy and exhausting labor, and, moreover, unfairly, be ready for this.” Do not feel sorry for yourself when you see that, working for another under duress, you can save his soul with your unrequited meekness. The holy saints of God tried to assimilate the very spirit of the life-giving commandments of Christ, and this spirit is love. With love they extinguished evil at the very beginning, and turned the insults they caused to the glory of God. “Love, and love itself will teach you when it is best to act,” says Blessed Augustine, “you can do a lot of good to someone who does not want good for himself, if only you care about his benefit.” If you are appointed a judge and justify thieves and robbers, then you will sin against the commandment to love your enemies, even if it seems to you that you are doing this precisely out of love for them. Protect your property for your own family, so that for the sake of an unscrupulous robber you do not let your family go around the world. Bring the predator into the hands of justice so that he does not rob others and for his own benefit - to correct him with punishment. But do all this just as a doctor gives a sick man a bitter medicine or cuts off a diseased member in order to save the life of the patient. “Let everything with you be done with love,” teaches the holy Apostle of Christ (1 Cor. 16:14). It is impossible to list all the suffering that the Apostle Paul suffered from both Jews and pagans, but when he considered something necessary for the glory of God, he did not remain silent, but turned to the court of his superiors and responded with reproach to the order to beat him on the mouth.
When the Saracens reproached the enlightener of the Slavs, Saint Cyril, with the fact that Christians had forgotten Christ’s commandment about love for enemies and were going out to fight against them, the wise philosopher answered them: “Christ commanded us to love our enemies, but He also commanded us: “There is no greater love than if a man lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13). Therefore, we tolerate insults inflicted on each of us separately, but in society we defend each other and lay down our lives for our brothers, so that you, by carrying them into captivity, do not persuade the pious to your godless deeds.” And the Divine Lawgiver Himself, when the impudent servant of the high priest hit Him on the cheek, did not remain silent, did not offer him another cheek, but meekly said: “if I said ... is it good that you beat Me?” (John 18:23). This was more intelligible to the villain than silent patience. But He then endured in silence all the curses of the soldiers in Pilate’s courtyard...
