Hi Anti-Christ (for real?). You asked me to comment on this...
27 “But I say to YOU who are listening, Continue to love YOUR enemies, to do good to those hating YOU , 28 to bless those cursing YOU , to pray for those who are insulting YOU . 29 To him that strikes you on the one cheek, offer the other also; and from him that takes away your outer garment, do not withhold even the undergarment. 30 Give to everyone asking you, and from the one taking your things away do not ask [them] back.
My take on this is that it is in the context of someone who acts against you as an enemy. For instance, say you are a black person in the South during slavery times, or even now. Whites expect to be treated special. They want you to sit in the back of the bus, not look them into the eye, not look at any white women, etc. Sometimes they are violent against you. I don't think this means, if you can, to allow them to just abuse you, sometimes it can't be helped. But in the end, you're still not allowed to hate that person. But in general, like the old rules of ettique were that if you were black, you always had to get off the boardwalk to allow white person, old or young the right of way. Whites were told that, of course, a younger person gives right of way to an older person, a man to a woman. If, the woman is an elderly Indian woman, than a younger white man would give respect. Otherwise, he had the right of way. But even if the woman was elderly and black, in no way was she to be respected by him. Those were the rules. So what black people did, not that they had much choice, was give in. They turned the other cheek, hopefully to have that person reflect back on what type of person and culture the white culture really was. And eventually, they came around to see that all that was unnecessary and that it is better and more noble to respect all individuals as equally as possible.
So I think I'd remember this rule in those situations where I'm dealing with white racists or people in the white culture who sometimes will expect certain things from me as a black man, for me to step back and wait, or not expect to ever be in a position of leadership. It's not fair, but I would turn the other cheek, take less and be happy with that, while at the same time not hating him for acting out rather infantile cultural prejudices. You know, consider them imperfect and flawed as we all are and still consider that God values their humanity and perhaps at one point they will no longer feel a need to impose their inferiority complex on others.
Plus I think it's practical and certainly the common advice when you do have someone being aggressive against you. Like when you're being robbed! They want to take your wallet. They have a gun pointed at you, then offer that. If you have on a watch, it might not be a bad idea to offer that too. You want to satisfy them so that they don't shoot you.
Which is the other thing. What if your enemy strikes you in the cheek and you strike him back? You've got a fight going and your enemy usually is the one who wants to win at all costs so it might end up you'll have to decide to kill him. Then you have all that baggage to deal with. If you can turn the other cheek though, take the insult without cursing back or antagonizing, usually things simmer down and turn out better for you and for them.
Now there are some practicalities too. For instance, I was thinking about the robbery. That person is robbing you, maybe you have five dollars in your wallet and a $25 dollar watch you offer him. I was going to say, offer him your CAR. But that would not be advised unless he comes up with that idea first, since if he steals your car and he gets caught its a stiffer penalty, or at least an additional charge which will result in their having to serve a longer sentence, etc.
I also think Christians must be in mind to help others see that the Christian way is the better way, and by their example of showing what is truly important, the other person is won over. And certainly striking back or arguing back would clearly aggravate things, right?
So in the end, I do think lots of people, given the situation, see this as being quite practical, especially when someone who is striking you has a gun or has a tendency to violence or has 18 of his gangbangers with him. What you want to do is to appease them for the moment and then get the hell away from them! So it definitely works.
Now the Bible says ENEMY here. So someone with some legal issue against you. If this is some bum on the street who just wants to slap you around and take your clothes, well... Use your own discretion.
And by no means is one to presume the "cheek" here is a reference to the buttocks. Christ was not saying is at the Kingdom Hall some aberant elder slaps you on the cheek you're supposed to turn around with a gay grin and present him the other one to slap, perhaps taking off your belt to hand to him with a wink. That's NOT what this is about. Of course, if the elder is kinda cute and you're a young single woman, you might want to turn the other cheek in that case, but make sure he's single and actually interested in a relationship first!
DISCRECTION. Each individual situation depends.
JC
