Did Jesus teach His disciples to be doormats under people’s feet?
We can easily believe this when we read His take on “turning the other cheek,” etc. However, there may be a hidden meaning in His illustrations. It is true that God wants us not to retaliate and take revenge on those who misuse us. It takes grace to allow insults and injuries to pass without reaction.
We have the supreme example of Jesus Himself. He absorbed all the wicked and cruel ways He was treated into Himself during His arrest, trial, and crucifixion without retaliation in word or action. As the God-man, He could have saved Himself or destroyed His enemies, but He didn’t.
1 Peter 2:23-24 NLT
[23] “He did not retaliate when he was insulted, nor threaten revenge when he suffered. He left his case in the hands of God, who always judges fairly. [24] He personally carried our sins in his body on the cross so that we can be dead to sin and live for what is right. By his wounds you are healed.”
In His sinless attitude and actions, He took our sin upon Himself and suffered God’s wrath for us.
However, He did not condone injustice or cruelty in any form, nor did He ever fail to uphold the freedom and dignity of fellow humans. Even when the rich young ruler rejected Him, He let him go with a sad heart but without trying to persuade him otherwise.
Matthew 5:38-39 NLT
[38] “You have heard the law that says the punishment must match the injury: ‘An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.’ [39] But I say, do not resist an evil person! If someone slaps you on the right cheek, offer the other cheek also.”
What did He imply when He said, “Turn the other cheek”?
In ancient Hebrew culture, when a superior insulted an inferior by slapping him in the face, he would hit him with an open right hand on his left cheek. If the victim offered him his right cheek as well, he would be forcing vhis aggressor to use his left hand. This was unacceptable in that society because everyone used their left hand for ‘unclean’ purposes, inferring that everyone was equal.
Matthew 5:40 NLT
[40] “If you are sued in court and your shirt is taken from you, give your coat, too.”
Two main articles of clothing formed the wardrobe of poor people in those days, an inner garment, the robe, and an all-purpose outer garment, the cloak. If a poor person was sued for his cloak, he would have nothing to cover himself at night. Jesus advocated that he offer his robe as well, leaving him naked. Apparently, it was sin, not to be naked but to look at a naked person. A simple solution would be to return his cloak, restoring the poor person’s dignity.
Matthew 5:41 NLT
[41] “If a soldier demands that you carry his gear for a mile, carry it two miles.”
Roman soldiers were not permitted to force a Jew to carry his heavy pack for more than one mile. Beyond that, he would be punished by forfeiting a day’s wages.
Hence Jesus’ prescription, “Carry it for two miles,” forcing the soldier to intervene. In this way, the soldier to save himself from a penalty for his cruelty and restore the oppressed Jew’s dignity.
Case closed!
Not only did Jesus teach His followers to accept unfair treatment without retaliation, but He also advocated actions WITHOUT WORDS, that forced aggressors to restore dignity to their victims.
These instructions fit perfectly into Jesus’ attitude towards all people. He hated arrogance in any form, the attitude that some people think they are better than others. He was especially strict on the Pharisees for their hypocrisy. They set high standards for others which they altered for themselves and did not observe.
Perhaps the greater lesson for us who claim to follow Jesus is that we are as careful to preserve the dignity of others as we are to guard our own.