Resisting Evildoers

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Tina.Kamira

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Hello! I have a question about a Bible verse, and specifically what it means. I’ve heard this verse explained away by protestant friends and family but their explanations never really made sense to me? so I was wondering if you could shed some light on the topic!

in Matthew 5:39 Jesus says that we should “not resist evildoers”. what does this even mean? in my opinion it makes more sense that we SHOULD resist evildoers, so that nobody gets hurt. for example, the whole reason why police exist is so that we can prevent/resist evildoers! Like, what if I heard someone mention that they were planning to kill someone? I would probably tell the police! or what if I saw a friend getting bullied? I’d stand up for him/her! I know I’m probably just misinterpreting the verse, but what does it actually mean?
 
Douay Rheims Bible Commentary assembled by Rev. George Leo Haydock (A.D. 1774–1849)
Ver. 39. Not to resist evil;† i.e. not to resist or revenge thyself of him that hath done evil to thee.

— Turn him the other cheek. Let him have also thy cloak. These are to be understood as admonitions to Christians, to forgive every one, and to bear patiently all manner of private injuries. But we must not from hence conclude it unlawful for any one to have recourse to the laws, when a man is injured, and cannot have justice by any other means. Wi.

— What is here commanded, is a Christian patience under injuries and affronts, and to be willing even to suffer still more, rather than to indulge the desire of revenge; but what is further added does not strictly oblige according to the letter, for neither did Christ, nor S. Paul, turn the other cheek. S. John xviii. and Acts xxiii. Ch.

— Hence also the Anabaptists infer, that it is not lawful to go to law even for our just rights; and Luther, that Christians ought not to resist the Turks. B.

[†] V. 39. Non resistere malo, tw ponhrw, as before, a malo est. ek tou ponhrou estin. In both places o ponhroV, seems to signify an evil spirit, or an evil man.
— Credo Bible Study | (Douay Rheims NT) Matthew 5:1 • And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain, and when he was set down, his disciples came unto him.


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Tina.Kamira said:
Matthew 5:39
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Jesus is perfecting the Old Testament commandment, where there was “an eye for an eye”, etc. In other words, the punishment or sentencing should equally match the crime. (Leviticus 24:20) However, in the N.T., Jesus forbids even this proportionate retaliation.
 
Sometimes it is better to suffer injustice than to apply the same methods as the evildoer. The action to take is a case by case decision.
 
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