Monday, June 17, 2013

Matthew 5:38,39

"You have heard that it was said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth: but I say unto you, resist not violently the misery gushing: but whosoever smiteth thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also."

Occasionally, very literal translation requires an additional word to clarify the meaning of the original one.  In the passage above, the Etymological New Testament makes the meaning clear with the translation "resist not violently."   Jesus' point is not to forbid all resistance to evil (gushing misery), but that we not employ violence as we resist.  To miss this sense of the original can make a critical difference in how we engage society around us. In this way, the turning of our cheek is not mere passivity to evil aggression, but a strategic part of our resistance to miserable evil around us in this world...as followers of Jesus' way.