A
awke
Guest
What does this practically mean for us today? What are some examples of an incident where one should “turn the other cheek”?
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S
Stuckinavortex
Guest
One circumstance that I often apply it to is those little flare-ups, when someone, in the heat of the moment, says something offensive or unkind. In such cases it is best to “turn the other cheek”, to step back and avoid escalating the fight further.
I must admit that i don’t do this nearly as much as I should.
I must admit that i don’t do this nearly as much as I should.
R
ready
Guest
Turning the other cheek is not returning evil for evil, and suffering and tolerating all things for God. I do not mean that we should tolerate moral evil (sin), but we should tolerate the effect of another’s sin against us (e.g. a slap in the face or a harsh word) with meekness and charity, unless fraternal correction would be called for, as when Christ spoke up after her was wrongfully struck by a sinful servant, at his trial. God bless you.
J
JimR-OCDS
Guest
The passage Jesus told to turn the other cheek had to do with the tradition during his day, that if some one did you wrong, you could challenge them to a duel, or before the court of Sanhedrin, by expressing your anger by slapping them on the cheek.
This is not about not defending yourself if some one tries to punch your lights out.
Jim
This is not about not defending yourself if some one tries to punch your lights out.
Jim
L
Lost_Wanderer
Guest
I think a more practical application for this is to understand how you can train the limits of your own patience so you’ll get along better. Things like petty back-and-forths or blowing up over the small stuff isn’t really mature after all.
F
Frankenfurter
Guest
Jesus interprets what he means by loving your enemies and turning the other cheek:
32 “If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them. 33 And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do that. 34 And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, expecting to be repaid in full. 35 But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. 36 Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. Luke 6
It’s about Mercy. So if you want to be a representative of the Father here on earth, you can show how the Father is merciful by being merciful yourself. That means you do not seek escalation and revenge. Loving your enemies was the turning point in moving the entire world away from being a society based on retribution (an eye for an eye) to a new society based on mimicking the mercy of the Father here on earth.
One example could be the forgiveness of debts to third-world countries.
Another could be the muted response that Israel usually has after being attacked.
On a personal level, if one visits the jail cell of a criminal who wronged you to tell that criminal you forgive him, that would be an example.
And BTW, you can only be merciful when you are in a position of power and choose not to use it. You can’t count it as being merciful if you simply submit to an enemy whom you cannot defend yourself from.
32 “If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them. 33 And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do that. 34 And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, expecting to be repaid in full. 35 But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. 36 Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. Luke 6
It’s about Mercy. So if you want to be a representative of the Father here on earth, you can show how the Father is merciful by being merciful yourself. That means you do not seek escalation and revenge. Loving your enemies was the turning point in moving the entire world away from being a society based on retribution (an eye for an eye) to a new society based on mimicking the mercy of the Father here on earth.
One example could be the forgiveness of debts to third-world countries.
Another could be the muted response that Israel usually has after being attacked.
On a personal level, if one visits the jail cell of a criminal who wronged you to tell that criminal you forgive him, that would be an example.
And BTW, you can only be merciful when you are in a position of power and choose not to use it. You can’t count it as being merciful if you simply submit to an enemy whom you cannot defend yourself from.
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