The Master used four examples to illustrate this principle. Each teaches that we should not seek personal vengeance.

The Lord commanded, "But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also" (Matthew 5:39). The term translated "slaps" means "strike with the open hand, esp. in the face, slap" (Arndt & Gingrich. 741). This harmonizes with the fact that a right handed person would hit another person on the right cheek by slapping him with the back of the hand.

In all ages, a "slap on the face" has been regarded as the grossest of insults, but it does not imperil one’s life (cf. 1 Kings 22:24; Lamentations 3:30; John 19:3; 2 Corinthians 11:20). The illustration is simple and demanding. When wicked people heap upon us the lowest and meanest insults, we must not retaliate in kind. Any loyal Christian has been called all sorts of demeaning names, has endured ostracism, and has been the object of vicious lies. One must never angrily turn on such an attacker as a dog on its tormentor. When Jesus was so stricken, he rebuked the offender, but refused to retaliate, although all the forces of heaven were available to Him by prayer (John 18:22- 23). He is our perfect example of enduring suffering without retaliation (1 Peter 2:18-24).

The Lord demanded, "If anyone wants to sue you and take away your tunic, let him have your cloak also" (verse 40). The "tunic" denoted "the inner vest or under garment" (Vine. 1:198). Even the poorest of Jews would usually have a change of tunics (Barclay, Ibid). But the "cloak" was "an outer garment, a mantle" (Vine, Ibid) and consisted of "a large square piece of cloth, provided with tassels" which "was thrown over the left shoulder and brought over under the right arm" (Davis. 148). The Jew would usually possess only one such garment and used it both as a robe by day and a blanket by night (Barclay, Ibid). The law forbade keeping this cloak as a pledge for debt overnight (Exodus 22:26-27; Deuteronomy 24:12-13).

This is a case of judicial injustice. It does not forbid the Christian’s use of the court in self defense, as the apostle Paul so employed it. It does teach that, even should one use the courts to persecute us, we should not seek vengeance. Be rather willing to lose that which by right cannot be taken from you than to seek personal vengeance (cf. 1 Corinthians 6:7).

The Master enjoined, "And whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two"(verse 41). "Compel" means "to impress into service" (Vine 1:219) and was applied to the forced transport of military baggage by the inhabitants of a country through which troops were passing . . . . The sense of oppression is involved, subjection to arbitrary military power (EGT).

Palestine was an occupied country. At any moment a Jew might feel the touch of the flat of a Roman spear on his shoulder, and know that he was compelled to serve the Romans, it might be in the most menial way (Barclay, Ibid).

The Romans had erected "mile posts," markers at intervals of one mile, and a Jew could be compelled to carry a load for a hated soldier in this occupying army for one mile, but no more. Jesus taught Jews seething in anger under this hated, foreign power to do more than they require; carry their burden two miles.

This is a case of government oppression, subjection to arbitrary military power. The Roman yoke, starkly obvious when one was compelled to carry out belittling tasks, was especially galling to the proud Jews, who hated their masters and yearned for freedom. How exceedingly unsavory must Simon of Cyrene’s work have seemed, when he was "compelled to bear" the cross of Jesus (Matthew 27:32; Mark 15:21; Luke 23:26). How easy it would be to allow an attitude of bitter resentment to spring up and to seek revenge, as the Zealots did. How tempting it would be to see just how little one could get by with in serving such a master. But the Christian is to submit to arbitrary, even tyrannical power, with cheerfulness. Rather than seeing how little we can cooperate and still get by, we should exceed the demands (1 Peter 2:18-20).

Jesus commanded, "Give to him who asks you, and from him who wants to borrow from you do not turn away" (verse 42). Did the Master teach an unlimited benevolence with our material goods? If so, we would soon be impoverished, and our families would be begging. People who insist that the Lord’s demand "not to resist an evil person" is completely unqualified quickly point out that the context qualifies the statement we are now noticing and that other passages limit it. If this be so for one, why not for the other?

The Lord himself promised, "If you ask anything in My name, I will do it" (John 14:14). Yet, he refused to grant Paul’s request (2 Corinthians 11:8- 9) and informed others their prayers were not heard because they asked through improper motives (James 4:3). Even so here, Jesus teaches an attitude toward giving which is limited and qualified by the context and by other passages.

The Old Covenant taught Jews to lend generously to their poor brethren even if they might not be fully repaid and not to charge them interest (Exodus 22:25; Deuteronomy 15:7-11). The Master teaches us to give without seeking anything in return (Luke 6:30; Acts 20:35) and to give to our enemies as well as our brethren (Matthew 5:43-44; Romans 12:20-21). We must give to the needy cheerfully, not resentfully.

Other passages do qualify the command. In our giving, we must not neglect the needs of our own family (1 Timothy 5:8), we must put spiritual matters first (Acts 6:1-4), we are not to encourage the indolent (2 Thessalonians 3:10-12), we should not use material assistance as an attraction to unbelievers (John 6:26-27), and we must not give beyond our ability to do so honestly (Acts 5:1-11). But these limitations do not negate the fact that, as disciples of Christ, we must give willingly and without resentment to those in need.

Our Lord does not demand that we be passive in the face of onslaught and danger. He does allow us to protect our lives, our family and our property. He does not forbid us to serve in the military or police forces. But Christ does command us not to seek personal vengeance for wrongs suffered. We must be willing to bear the grossest insults, the greatest legal injustice, the most arbitrary power, and the needs of the poor with neither resentment nor personal vengeance. The standard is high and difficult, but if we would be partakers of the righteousness of His kingdom, we must obey.

Arndt, W.F. and F.W. Gingrich, A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament.

Barclay, William, The Gospel of Matthew.

Expositor’s Greek Testament.

Keil, C.F. and Franz Delitzsch. Commentary on the Old Testament (Numbers).

Vine, W.E., An Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words.