What Jesus Means by “Turn the Other Cheek”

04/08/24 • 61 min

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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.

Powered and distributed by Simplecast.

View more resources on our website →

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

Powered and distributed by Simplecast.

Previous Episode

Why Does Jesus Say Not to Swear Oaths?

Sermon on the Mount E14 – In Matthew 5:33-48, Jesus offers three case studies about how people can work together in spite of conflict. The first case study focuses on the ancient practice of oath keeping. By the time of Jesus, ancient Israelites no longer spoke the divine name of Yahweh out of respect, but they would still swear oaths by things closely related to God—like the sky, land, temple, etc. Some people used these oaths as a loophole because they felt less serious to break (“I only swore by the temple!”). In this episode, Jon and Tim discuss Jesus’ teaching on oaths, which demonstrates God’s wisdom on the integrity of our words and the danger of even small deceptions.

View more resources on our website →

Timestamps

Chapter 1: The Historical Background of Oaths (00:00-13:22)
Chapter 2: The Heart Beneath Oaths (13:22-30:44)
Chapter 3: Oaths From the Evil One (30:44-46:15)

Referenced Resources

The Divine Conspiracy by Dallas Willard
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
Additional music by UpsiDown
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 also 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.

Powered and distributed by Simplecast.

Next Episode

Why Does Jesus Want Us to Love Our Enemies?

Sermon on the Mount E16 – In Matthew 5:43-48, Jesus shares his sixth and final case study based on the wisdom of the Torah, and it may be the most challenging one yet. The first three case studies focused on treating others as sacred image-bearers of God. The fourth and fifth case studies offered guidance on how to handle conflict. And in the final case study, Jesus concludes with wisdom on how to respond to people who not only dislike us but even desire our harm. In this episode, Jon and Tim discuss one of Jesus’ most famous teachings: “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.”

View more resources on our website →

Timestamps