“If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also.”
— Matthew 5:39
Before you get all huffy at the idea of standing there letting somebody smack your face twice, understand exactly what Jesus was talking about.
More people are right-handed than left-handed, so Jesus was referring to a righty. If a right-handed person slaps a person facing him or her on the right cheek, the slapper has to do it with the back of his or her hand, not the palm. In Jesus’ day, a backhanded slap was meant more to insult than to physically harm.
So — if someone insults you, Jesus said, don’t insult her back — even if the best come-back ever springs right to your tongue. Instead, just look her right in the eye, not in a “bring it on” way, but with a gaze that clearly says, “You didn’t hurt me with that; you can’t hurt me.”
She may keep on. That’s okay. It’s better to be insulted twice than to get into a big fight where somebody is really going to get hurt. If she can’t get to you, she won’t be back for more. Turn away from her, and take your cheek with you.
More To Explore: James 1:19 – 20
Girl Talk: How do you respond when someone insults you?
God Talk: “God, help me to turn the other cheek when girls are mean to me. I want to be an example of your love to them. Amen.”
From That Is So Me by Nancy Rue