Is Jesus using a rhetorical device when he says "turn the other cheek"?
Upvote:0
I see this simply as an example of loving your enemies as He goes on to describe in Matthew 5:44. Look at the definition of love in 1 Corinthians 13:5
It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.
Most people when slapped would feel angry and wronged by the person slapping them. Jesus is saying that this is not the correct response. Do not be angry with them but instead pray for them, be compassionate and realize that they need help.
Is Jesus merely saying that we shouldn't seek revenge, or is he advocating pacifism? See above, when you love your enemies you won't seek revenge because you keep no record of wrong doing. Violence in response would be motivated by anger, again as we see above love is not easily angered.
Upvote:2
Assuming you are referring to Matthew 5:38-42 (NIV) :
38 "You have heard that it was said, 'Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.' 39 But I tell you, Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. 40 And if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. 41 If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. 42 Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.
You could explain this rhetoric, but if we look at the examples He uses, it does not have to be rhetoric but can also be literally. Let's take a look:
If someone hits you on the right cheek, the attacker hopes he won with just one hit (this was usually a hit with the back of the right hand, not very hard, just to scare you off) . If you fight back, you are as low as your attacker, if you do nothing (which he aims for), he wins. However, Jesus tells here: "turn to him the other also". How would the attacker feel right now? He did not win, and he has to hit a second time (this time really on purpose, and if he hits he can now hit hard. (try it once, back of your right hand on someone's right cheek, if he turns his head so you can hit the left you can hit full power)
The second example Jesus gives, is similar. Back in the days of Jesus people wore most of the time only two pieces of clothing, your tunic and a cloak. If someone asks for your tunic, you know you are naked under your cloak. Which, again, hurts only you and will give you won. But if you do also give your cloak, how would the one requesting for the tunic feel now?
The third example Jesus gives, is similar as well. If you were forced to walk one mile (usually by the legal power), a soldier would go with you to check whether you walked the mile. (often you had to carry a burden as well, but anyways) When you walk just the mile, it hurts only you and you have accepted your punishment. However when you walk an extra mile the soldier checking you walked the mile had a problem, he was not allowed to punish you more than the he was ordered to.
Is Jesus merely saying that we shouldn't seek revenge, or is he advocating pacifism? I would say Jesus is indeed saying that we should not seek revenge. He challenges us to be smarter than your opponent(probably not the right word) and show them that you are not controlled by him, and therefore not do whatever they tell you, but live for the living God.
More post
- π According to Reformed theology, what is an infant's first sin?
- π Does the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints believe that God(s) is/are omnipresent?
- π What caused the Fall of Mankind?
- π Does the Church say that humans have two parts, ie mind and heart?
- π Church Fathers on life beyond the earth?
- π Are Russian Orthodox Christians considered heretics by Roman Catholicism?
- π Catholics marrying after civil divorce
- π Why were Deuterocanonical books rejected in the Reformation?
- π Did the LDS ever recognize non-LDS polygamous marriages?
- π Is there any place in the Bible that Jesus Himself claims that all believers are members of His Body?
- π Why don't Christians wrap tefillin?
- π Can Saints in Heaven Refuse to Pray for us?
- π John 1:1 Jesus true God or false god?
- π Was the Obadiah in 1 Kings 18 the same Obadiah who wrote the Book of Obadiah?
- π Fake Jesus reincarnations
- π Why doesn't the greatest commandment include "spirit"?
- π Why did Magdalena use her hair to dry Jesus' feet?
- π What is the biblical basis for the belief that Jesus' death made satisfaction for individual sins?
- π What are the practical applications of "two will become one flesh"?
- π Papal blessings via alternate media?
- π What impact did Karl Barth have on Roman Catholic theology?
- π Marriage to a Jehovahβs Witness is it possible?
- π Why did the Apologists adopt Stoic Philosophy of the Ξ»ΟΞ³ΞΏΟ?
- π When did the "upside down cross" become a symbol of anti-Christianity?
- π Does one have to admit to not being a virgin when preparing for a Catholic wedding?
- π Where can I find sources showing ecclesiastical vestments of the 1200s?
- π Why did priests begin to sacrifice?
- π What are other explanations for Malachi 4:5-6?
- π How do Lutherans who accept apostolic succession trace theirs?
- π Genesis 3, original sin and mortality
Source: stackoverflow.com
Search Posts
Related post
- π Is Jesus using a rhetorical device when he says "turn the other cheek"?
- π Where can I find out more about other people rising from the dead, when Jesus died on the Cross?
- π How can apologists argue that if Jesus did not rise again then Christianity and the Church would not have lasted, when other religions have?
- π When Jesus says "Amen, Amen I say to you" is that a hint that the next thing He says should be taken "more literally" than usual?
- π How could Jesus be born during the reign of Herod, and when Quirinius was governor of Syria, if those periods were not contemporary?
- π When the Bible says "forever," how can we tell it really means forever?
- π When Jesus gave Peter his name (rock) what is the significance that he then said upon a βdifferentβ kind of rock he would build his church?
- π Why did the soldiers go backward and fall down when Jesus said "I am he" in John 18:6?
- π Does James contradict Jesus when he says some foods should not be eaten?
- π Was the Trinity still a Trinity when Jesus died?
- π What did Paul mean when he called Jesus the "firstborn from the dead"?
- π According to Protestants following the Reformation, what did Jesus mean when he said "do this and you will live"?
- π How can John the Baptist be the greatest man born of woman, when Jesus was also born of woman?
- π When did Jesus send the Holy Spirit?
- π According to the LDS church, why was Jesus Christ born when he was born?
- π According to Evangelicalism when did Jesus become the High Priest?
- π When was Jesus anointed and who did the anointing?
- π When Christians say "the Lord" in everyday speech, do they mean Jesus or the Father?
- π Who could have watched the veil of the temple tear when Jesus died?
- π The Mormon Church teaches that Joseph Smith saw God the Father and His Son. How do you reconcile this when the Bible says the Father cannot be seen?
- π What is the biblical basis for Christian denominations to believe in a visible appearance of Christ Jesus when he returns?
- π Why did Jesus keep some in the dark by using parables?
- π What does the Bible say about this question- Why do Jesus and God have two seats in heaven when they are the same God?
- π Why didn't the Archangel Michael save Jesus when he was crucified?
- π What does Jesus mean when He says that we should be like children?
- π What does Paul mean when he says Jesus "emptied himself"?
- π Who is Jesus referring to when he is speaking to the daughters of Jerusalem?
- π When Jesus was nailed to the cross, did the nails go through his hands or through his wrists?
- π Is there consensus between Christian commentators about how Jesus came to be atop the temple when being tempted by Satan in the wilderness?
- π How do those who interpret John 10:30 as a claim to full divine equality by Jesus also interpret John 10:29, which says the Father is greater?
