It is often attached to Christianity the trait of being passive and even submissive in front of hostility. And it’s usually attributed due to an incomplete interpretation of Christ saying to “turn the other cheek.” However, under a vigilant examination, this verse shows a far different order from Christ.
What did Jesus really say?
The saying in question is mentioned two times in the Bible (Matthew & Luke):
“But I tell you not to resist an evil person. But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also.” (Matthew 5:39)
“To him who strikes you on the one cheek, offer the other also. And from him who takes away your cloak, do not withhold your tunic either.” (Luke 6:29)
The thing to notice here is the difference between Luke saying the one cheek and Matthew specifying that Jesus said the right cheek. And, as it is known, reading the four gospels together is essential as such details might be mentioned in one and not the other. (These corroborations of details between the gospels are very common but they never contradict each other. It’s important to note that this coherence doesn’t negate the scripture—instead authenticate it.)
Right Cheek? So what?
What’s the difference in saying the right cheek? Let’s imagine slapping a person. You will find it hard to hit someone on their right cheek with the palm of your right hand (and there’s no reason to believe that people back then weren’t predominantly right-handed). On the other hand, it’s easier to hit them with the back of your hand. Moreover, it’s easier and hits with much more force. But what does it mean?
Well, back then in Judea, slapping someone with the back of your hand was a sign of disrespect, assertion of power, and social humiliation, of telling the person that they’re beneath you; it was often used by superiors to dehumanize inferiors (e.g., masters to slaves, Romans to Jews, men to women). This can be seen from the penalty enforced by the Jewish legal system on backhanded slaps 400 zuzim (i.e., silver coins) compared to 200 zuzim for for a regular slap. Why not use the left hand? Because it was considered unclean and reserved for “hygienic” purposes, never social interactions.
Therefore, when Jesus said to turn the left cheek, it wasn’t submission, but nonviolent resistance. This is because the aggressor would have to either use their unclean hand and would be a shameful confession of ritual impurity or use the palm of their right hand, forcing them to treat the person being slapped as equal. Turning the other cheek (the left cheek) was a show of fearless strength. It reclaimed the dignity of the oppressed and robbed the oppressor of their power to humiliate. It asserted that the victim’s honor didn’t depend on the approval of the oppressor and was a cultural counter to their aggression. They flipped the power dynamic over its head without committing an aggression themselves. Resisting evil with neutrality.