Turn the Other Cheek

“You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also” Matthew 5:38-39.

This passage is a general truism and perhaps meant to not only prevent aggression from escalating but also to illustrate a Christ-like behavior to the world. Certainly Jesus Christ provided the example for this when he let the Roman soldiers slapped him around.

But, in my opinion, its not a premise to be obeyed in an absolute sense.

For instance, If your child cursed you and slapped you should you turn the other cheek and invite him/her to keep slapping you? No, you would recall the passage, “spare the rod and spoil the child” and correct that behavior.

If you saw someone attacking your wife would you sit on the side line and remind her to “turn the other cheek?” Or would you intervene and give the scoundrel a good thrashing?

I’m afraid that I would correct the child and protect my wife and I think Jesus Christ would pat me on the back and say “good job Rob”

So when we read a passage like Matthew 5:38-39 (and others) we must consider why it was written and apply it in that circumstance.

Sometimes “turning the cheek” can advance the cause of Jesus Christ and other times “turning the cheek” can bring ridicule to the cause of Christ. Let's be careful how we interpret scripture so we can always advance the cause of Jesus Christ.

Preached to All Creation?

“And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to the whole creation” Mark 16:15

Just before Jesus’ resurrection into Heaven he gave the Apostles the so called “Great Commission”. He commissioned them to go to the whole world and preach the Gospel. Of course he equipped them to do so by giving them the Gospel message to be preached, the Holy Spirit and the ability to speak that message in foreign languages.

Naturally some questions come up like “how could they accomplish this in their natural life spans?” And how were they to travel to lands and peoples who had not even been discovered yet like Eskimos and Peruvians and Japanese and Amazon Jungles?

Notice this passage…

“…if so be that ye continue in the faith, grounded and stedfast, and not moved away from the hope of the gospel which ye heard, which was preached in all creation under heaven; whereof I Paul was made a minister” Colossians 1:23.

Colossians was thought to have been written by Paul in about 62 AD and according to Paul, the Apostles had already “preached the Gospel to the whole creation”

Which seems to be impossible that in thirty years or so and without recorded miraculous means the Gospel message had gone to the whole world including the,,, Eskimos, Peruvians, Japanese and Amazonians.

Now maybe an Apostle paddled up the Amazon river and we just have no record of it (biblical or historical) or maybe words like “all” and “whole” shouldn’t be interpreted in a strict literal sense.

Perhaps “all” doesn’t mean all and “whole of creation” does not mean the entirety of creation. Perhaps it means the whole known world or perhaps the entirety of the ruling Roman world.

So as Bible students when we run across words like “all” or “whole” we should at least consider that those words might not be literal and in so doing not paint our selves in a position that does not seem to be probable.