"Turn the Other Cheek": Everyone knows this is BS

There’s a reason people misunderstand Jesus' words in Matthew 5:39.

For centuries, turn the other cheek has been used to justify passivity, blind forgiveness, and even submission to abuse. But what if that’s not what Jesus meant at all?

Because when Jesus said, “If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other also,” He wasn’t telling people to be doormats.

He was teaching a powerful act of defiance—one that exposed injustice, reclaimed dignity, and upended oppressive power structures.

And if that sounds too radical, let’s look at the historical context.

1. The Hidden Meaning: A Slap Was About Power, Not Violence

Most people miss an important detail: Jesus specifically mentions the right cheek.

In ancient Judea, being struck on the right cheek meant one thing—a backhanded slap. This wasn’t an act of assault; it was an act of humiliation. Masters did it to slaves. Romans did it to Jews. The rich did it to the poor. It was the ultimate sign of power—a way to degrade someone beneath you.

To strike someone with an open hand or a fist was different. That meant fighting as equals. But a backhanded slap? That was about dominance.

So when Jesus says to turn the other cheek, what does that do?

It forces the oppressor into a lose-lose situation.

• If they strike again, they have to do so with an open hand—acknowledging equality.
• If they walk away, they lose their ability to degrade.

In other words, Jesus wasn’t telling people to accept abuse.
He was teaching them how to expose it.

2. This Wasn't About Pacifism—It Was About Overcoming Evil Differently

A lot of people assume Jesus was advocating for passivity. But that’s not what He taught.

Jesus constantly confronted injustice:

• He flipped tables in the temple (Matthew 21:12-13).
• He called out religious hypocrisy (Matthew 23:27).
• He refused to answer to Pilate’s power (John 19:11).

He wasn’t passive—He was subversive.

And turning the other cheek fits right into that. It wasn’t about letting evil win. It was about changing the game—refusing to play by the oppressor’s rules and exposing the unjust system itself.

This fits with the rest of Jesus’ teachings:

• “Go the extra mile”—Roman soldiers could legally force Jews to carry their gear for one mile. Going two miles flipped the script, putting the soldier in an awkward position (Matthew 5:41).
• “Give your cloak as well”—If someone sued you for your shirt, giving your cloak as well left you literally naked—publicly exposing their greed (Matthew 5:40).

These weren’t commands to suffer in silence. They were tactics for resistance—ones that put the oppressor in a position where their injustice was undeniable.

3. Jesus Warned About Fake Power and Corrupt Authority

Jesus didn’t just warn about personal vengeance. He warned that power itself would be corrupted—that people would use His name to justify oppression.

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven… Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’” — Matthew 7:21-23

Religious leaders in Jesus’ time claimed to represent God while abusing their positions. And He called them out for it:

• “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs—beautiful on the outside but full of dead men’s bones inside.” — Matthew 23:27

This wasn’t just about first-century Jerusalem.

Jesus knew people would use His words to create fake Christianity—one that protects the powerful, defends abusers, and demands submission in the name of ‘peace.’

That’s not what He taught.

Jesus taught resistance—not through violence, but through truth, exposure, and unbreakable dignity.

4. Turning the Other Cheek Today: Reclaiming Jesus’ True Teaching

So what does this mean for us today?

It means that turning the other cheek is not about letting people walk all over you. It’s about standing your ground without becoming like your enemy.

• In personal relationships → Don’t be consumed by vengeance, but don’t let people manipulate you either.
• In systems of oppression → Expose the corruption. Don’t play by their rules. Force them to reveal their true nature.
• In faith communities → Reject any teaching that enables abuse or injustice in the name of ‘forgiveness.’

Because at the end of the day, turning the other cheek is not about giving in.

It’s about refusing to be controlled.

Jesus never called people to weakness.
He called them to a higher strength—one that doesn’t need violence to win.

And that is a message that still threatens corrupt power today.

Final Thought: Jesus' Message Was Never About Surrendering to Evil

For too long, turn the other cheek has been misused to excuse harm, silence victims, and demand compliance in the face of injustice.

But Jesus wasn’t teaching surrender.
He was teaching how to reclaim dignity in a system built to take it away.

He wasn’t saying “let people hit you.”
He was saying “show them you will not be broken.”

That’s the real discussion we should be having.

Because at the end of the day, Jesus wasn’t telling people to accept oppression.

He was telling them how to overcome it.

TL;DR:

• Turning the other cheek was not about passivity—it was a strategic act of defiance in an oppressive society.
• Jesus was teaching a way to expose injustice without mirroring it.
• He repeatedly warned about corrupt religious power structures using His name.
• Modern Christianity often misuses this verse to justify submission to evil—but that’s not what Jesus intended.
• The real message? Stand your ground, expose false power, and refuse to play by the oppressor’s rules.