What Jesus Means by “Turn the Other Cheek”

Sermon on the Mount E15 – In Matthew 5:38-42, Jesus offers wisdom from the Torah about retaliation, justice, and nonviolent resistance to injustice. He references a series of laws in Exodus 21, Leviticus 24, and Deuteronomy 19, all of which contain the familiar language of “eye for eye, tooth for tooth.” Jesus reveals the surprising wisdom within these laws, using real-life scenarios that would have been familiar to oppressed Israelites living under Roman occupation: turning the other cheek, giving your cloak, and going the extra mile. In this episode, Jon, Tim, and Michelle discuss how these actions can open up our imaginations for boldly standing against injustice in creative, nonviolent ways.

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Timestamps 

• Chapter 1: Cultural Background of “Eye for Eye” (00:00-20:45)
• Chapter 2: The Meaning of “Do Not Resist” (20:45-28:13)
• Chapter 3: Turn the Other Cheek (28:13-39:20)
• Chapter 4: Give Up Your Coat (39:20-45:30)
• Chapter 5: Go the Extra Mile (45:30-01:01:00)

Referenced Resources

• The Gospel of Matthew: A Socio-Rhetorical Commentary by Craig S. Keener
• The JPS Torah Commentary: Exodus by Nahum M. Sarna
• Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare
• Strength to Love by Martin Luther King Jr.
• Check out Tim’s library here.
• You can experience our entire library of resources in the BibleProject app, available for Android and iOS.

Show Music 

• Original Sermon on the Mount music by Richie Kohen
• BibleProject theme song by TENTS

Show Credits

Jon Collins is the creative producer for today’s show, and Tim Mackie is the lead scholar. Production of today’s episode is by Lindsey Ponder, producer; Cooper Peltz, managing producer; Colin Wilson, producer; and Stephanie Tam, consultant and editor. Tyler Bailey, Frank Garza, and Aaron Olsen are our audio editors. Tyler Bailey is also our audio engineer, and he provided our sound design and mix. JB Witty does our show notes, and Hannah Woo provides the annotations for our app. Today’s hosts are Jon Collins and Michelle Jones.

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