You have heard that it was said, “An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.” But I say to you, do not resist an evildoer. But if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also; and if anyone wants to sue you and take your coat, give your cloak as well; and if anyone forces you to go one mile, go also the second mile. Give to everyone who begs from you, and do not refuse anyone who wants to borrow from you.- Matthew 5:38-42
That quote came in today’s Verse and Voice from Sojourners. I’ve thought of it often and pondered it alot. Gandhi was one of the people who got it. Western Christians talk about Jesus and in the United States there are many who balk at this. Just try not resisting an evil person and see what happens. You’ll be amazed.
Very true – we all avoid the hard stuff (probably in any religion) and often it is the simplest sounding tenet that proves the hardest to achieve.
Jesus did not suggest becoming a doormat. He said turn the other cheek before it becomes a uppercut and a knee to the groin.
Implicit in all this is “Hurt me once shame on you, hurt me twice shame on me”