Is ‘turn the other cheek’ an invitation to passivity? Or is there something cheekier afoot?
Here’s another instalment in Jon Giaan’s “Secret History of the World”.
This all came out of a conversation I was having with a friend, when one of Trump’s sayings came up:
If someone pushes you, you have to push them back. Otherwise they won’t respect you.
I like this saying a lot. For me it’s a question of self-respect. If you let people bully you around, you’ll let the whole world bully you around. You’ll never find the strength you need to claim the things you want in life.
But then my friend says, “So much for ‘Turn the other cheek’, hey?”
And so then I found myself in a pickle. Do I side with Trump or do I side with Jesus? I love the Donald, but as a fountain of wisdom and truth, it’s hard to hold a light to Jesus…
So I decided to do a little digging into this ‘Turn the other cheek’ saying. Now I need to throw in a disclaimer here. When I say I did “a little” research, I mean it. Just an hour or two on Google. This should not be taken for expert opinion. I have no idea what the actual ‘truth’ is. This is just an interesting set of ideas. I’ll give them to you as I found them and you can make your own mind up.
THIS IS FOR ENTERTAINMENT PURPOSES ONLY!
Likewise, I don’t pretend to know what Jesus was really on about. If you’re looking to a semi-educated property investor for spiritual advice, you need more help than I can give you.
With that out the way, the full saying, as reported in the King James version is:
38 Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth:
39 But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.
40 And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloke also.
41 And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain.
— Matthew 5:38–5:42 KJV
Now the “King James” part of that always makes me a little tetchy. I’m suspicious of texts commissioned by monarchs and dictators. And Jimmy’s on record as saying he wasn’t a fan of the “seditious… dangerous and traitorous” tendencies in the notes of the Geneva bible, which included endorsing the right to resist a tyrant.
But anyway, we normally interpret ‘turn the other cheek’ to mean, just keep letting him hit you. But what about those other two suggestions? They don’t work quite the same way…
But there’s another interpretation out there. This one says that under Roman occupation, it was common to backhand servants, slaves, children, farm animals etc as a way of expressing dominance.
You would use the right hand for this, since the left-hand was considered impure. And if you’re backhanding someone with your right hand, you’re backhanding someone’s right check, which is why Jesus is specific about that.
And what happens if you turn the other cheek? They can only back-hand you if they use their left-hand, which they can’t. They could slap or punch you with the right, but that didn’t have the dominating connotations of a backhand. You only punch your equals.
Suddenly, the aggressor faces a dilemma and doesn’t know what to do.
You’re messing with their minds.
Like wise with losing your coat in a court of law. The Roman empire was built on debt, and rather than stealing land, land was often confiscated for unpaid debts. It was even possible to sue a poor person for their coat, though you had to return it to them at night.
(How humane).
Jesus’ suggestion is that if they take your coat, give them your shirt also, and just stroll on out of there stark naked.
In those times there was as much shame in seeing someone naked as there was in being naked, and you’re making a mockery of the court system.
Turn the other butt cheek.
Again, you’re totally messing with them.
And the last point is that soldiers had a right to force citizens to carry their stuff, but only for a mile. If they forced you to walk further than that they were liable to be punished. Jesus’s suggestion is walk the mile, and then go an extra mile. Suddenly they’ve breached their own laws. Do they stop you and ask for their stuff back? You’re not disobeying them, so they can’t punish you…
Jesus is having a laugh.
But most importantly, this is not a doctrine of passively letting yourself get slapped about. This is about loving your enemy and not getting pulled into aggression and domination. But it is also about holding on to your dignity, your autonomy and your freedom.
For a people subject to generations of Roman rule, this would have been a radical doctrine of personal power.
It’s about self-respect and refusing to let anybody take your humanity and dignity.
It’s about not letting anybody push you around.
And now suddenly Trump and Jesus aren’t so far apart. I can kiss my bed-side pictures of Trump and Jesus at night, safe in the knowledge that I’m not in conflict with my values.
And the take home message is the same as always. There are structures set up specifically to make you feel weak and powerless. To make you submissive and obedient. The more things change the more they stay the same.
And what would Jesus do?
He would mess with those structures (in a powerfully loving way). You can’t meet force with force if they have 10,000x more force than you. But you need to find a way to hold on to your dignity and reclaim your power.
Because without that, you’re nothing.
(That’s a revolutionary message that would make any King nervous.)
But like I said, I don’t pretend to know what Jesus really meant. It’s just an interesting set of ideas. A conspiracy theory even.
If someone pushes you, is it smart to push back?
What would Jesus do?
What would Donald do?
Hard to really know what a fictitious character in a fictional book would do! Probably what ever the writer of said book decides!
it’s not a fictional book, I’ve got a copy, it’s not a fictional character, JC actually lived, contemporary historian Josephus mentions him, in a rather strange single paragraph;
About this time there lived Jesus, a wise man, if indeed one ought to call him a man. For he was one who performed surprising deeds and was a teacher of such people as accept the truth gladly. He won over many Jews and many of the Greeks. He was the Messiah. And when, upon the accusation of the principal men among us, Pilate had condemned him to a cross, those who had first come to love him did not cease. He appeared to them spending a third day restored to life, for the prophets of God had foretold these things and a thousand other marvels about him. And the tribe of the Christians, so called after him, has still to this day not disappeared.
So let me get this straight, your proof he is real is also written in a book? Mmmmm Interesting.
yes, I see it as likely that JC actually lived based on books, and the lack of other written evidence that it was a fabrication,
at what point do you start doubting historical records? do you believe that Gough whitlam actually lived? what about queen victoria? what’s your cutoff?
actually I have to say that I read the sayings of JC for the same reasons that I read self help books, I don’t know if zig ziglar ever lived, but I’ve benefitted from his sayings
oh yes jesus..the druid priest…the maker of love and humility…the breaker of jewish priests..get rid of him…he’s costing us..silly bugger ..so they crucified him. 47 years later he became jesus the christ. then christianity came onto the land and then became widespread and numerous in number. king constantine had the answer..we will legitamise them..in 307 a.d. at constantinople..and let them have the centre of their religion in rome…so catholicism was born…but the rus-sians and ukrainians and armenians decided to go orthodox..and the rest stayed judean..until islam. oh man its so much bedlam.
even today we have trouble but on a more sophisticated manner. jon..its just so complicated..but i enjoyed your story..are you sure you are not gifted in some literary way? just seems a good article by a real estate developer..i am one of them sort of…so we do have some qualities of the arts:-)
i really am thankful we can express some views on here..the computer is a very good tool for info. cheers..and remember to watch the gf tomorrow! its public holiday in vic today…more roman circus lol
Maybe Donald thinks of himself as “the second coming!” anyway. He may be a great negotiator that appears as a powerful being in this world, however it’s an identity he assumes. And he cannot escape the trappings of that – as he said …if someone pushes you, you have to push them back. No self respect in that. Not to say that you act as a victim. This whole story reminds me of Star Wars and the line “May the force be with you”. You’re not a victim or an aggressor. The opportunity to seek wisdom and learn about yourself in any “bully” type situation – now that’s self respect!
if you speak with father amareus..he will confirm the existence of jesus..he actually spoke with jesus of nazareth at glastonbury in england in about 30 a.d…i didn’t hear the conversation mind you but its true. and you can’t prove otherwise. jesus actually travelled to england after the age of 18 years…quite a long journey..but people actually did these things then. if you are wondering about the time frame..father amareus was not then a christian. christianity was spawned after 78 a.d…although nobody knew it was actually 78 a.d. julius caesar didn’t know it was 55 b.c. when he slaughtered those silly brits. and gough whitlam( i am glad you mentioned him..he gave us b.g and a.g. financially… before gough and after gough.) and if any looney pushes me around he or she will get a right hook to the mush..so there. well the foregoing should put every one’s mind at rest. you see i don’t suffer from normalcy bias. its a terrible malady prevalent in australian society today..you see nobody(with vested interests) wants things to change..everythings great …just wonderful. but then things do change… better get ready for some change then ok?….normalcy bias is a mental condition lol..can be emotional too if ya gonna lose a hundred grand on the asx anytime soon. ..and jan you are right he(donaldT) maybe the second coming:-) now ficticious books….michael we are not here to be nasty..everyone must be heard..read…and if simon wants to believe in his writings in a book more power to michael. i am not religious but i believe in some things. bye for now.
hi jon..late comment
there is no new way of going broke. its to do with indebtedness …the whole planet is in debt over their collective heads. ..the next gfc will be a beauty.. the planet owes over US$200,000,000,000,000(conservatively) and we are not worried?. nor is that ostrich who isn’t aware of that pack of lions circling. as the world economy shrinks to the point of no return ..there will be no shortage of houses..but a big shortage of FOOD…and WATER..get out while you can! oh well i think i am alone in this..but so has been other people in the past…good luck with everything!! cheers, ron