Thread by @trad_west_

“Turning the other cheek” is one of Christ’s most misunderstood teachings.

Many think it means Christians should be passive, weak, or defenseless.

But in reality, it’s something far more profound. It reveals true strength.

Turning the Other Cheek means – a 🧵✝️

Jesus says: “If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.” (Mt 5,39)

At first glance, it sounds like He’s telling us to never defend ourselves.

But that’s not what’s happening here.

In Christ’s time, a slap on the right cheek wasn’t random violence.

Since most people were right-handed, the only way to strike someone’s right cheek was with a backhand slap.

This wasn’t just physical pain, it was a deliberate insult, a way to treat someone as beneath you.

By turning the other cheek, Jesus is not saying: “Be a doormat.”

He’s saying: “Refuse to be humiliated. Refuse to descend into revenge. Force your aggressor to confront you as an equal.”

If the aggressor strikes again, it must be with an open palm, the gesture used for equals in that culture.

This disarms the insult. It shows dignity, courage, and calm strength.

It defuses the cycle of hatred.

So, does this mean Christians can never defend themselves?

No. Jesus is forbidding revenge and hatred, not legitimate self-defense.

Protecting yourself or others from real harm is not condemned.

What Christ commands is this:
> Don’t repay insult with insult.
> Don’t degrade others as they degrade you.
> Don’t let hatred consume you.

Instead:
>Stand firm in dignity.
>Overcome evil with good.
>Break the cycle of revenge.

“Turning the other cheek” is not weakness.

It is strength under control, it is refusing to bow to hatred, it is showing the world that your dignity is in God, not in the hands of your enemy.

That’s true Christian courage.

What turning the other cheek means*

Sorry, I keep re-writting the intros and forget to change some words 🤣