Meekness?

The Eye of God

Christians have been taught the value of restraint. There are passages in the bible that appear to give substance to this teaching. For example, in Mt. 5:39, Christ spoke about turning the other cheek when an evil person strikes you on your right cheek. Many assume this is an act of meekness, considering that being meek is a virtue (Mt. 5:5). But, is this meekness? Are we being taught to be meek in the face of this kind of abuse? Matthew's specific mention of the "right cheek" is quite intriguing. (Luke [Lk. 6:29] did not specifically say "right cheek" but, just "one cheek".)

Let us explore the nuances of Matthew's passage. Normally, when someone slaps you in the face, the two of you would be facing each other. We must assume that the person is right-handed, as most people are. It would be quite a stretch, under normal circumstances, for Matthew to be referring to all left-handed persons. Now, if that person slaps you on the right cheek, he would have to use the back of his right hand, since it would be very awkward to hit you with the open palm of his or her right hand. (Try doing it, if you can).

The use of the back of the hand is reserved only for those who are low in status as compared to the one inflicting the physical abuse, as in the case of a master striking the slave. If we contextualize the Matthean passage, it seemed obvious that Christ was speaking to the poor, the lower class of people (the Anawim) of His time, as the discourse followed closely on the heels of His Sermon on the Mount (the Beatitudes). These were the shepherds, the vine-dressers, the fishermen (like most of His apostles), as opposed to the Pharisees, and Sadducees. So, Christ was clearly putting things in perspective, making it clear to His listeners their apparent position vis-a-vis those who were higher in status then them. But, then again was He really teaching meekness? Remember, in the Beatitudes He said: "Blessed are the meek for they will inherit the earth." (Mt. 5:5). Let's see.

As we have noted, for a person to be able to hit you on your right cheek he or she has to use the back of his or her right hand. This situation can only occur, in context, when a Master strikes a slave, or when a person of higher status hits a person of lower status. In a face to face situation between equals, the open palm striking the left cheek would be very likely. Now let's consider the second part of the verse which says, "turn the other cheek". This is suppose to be the act of "submissiveness". But, is it? Actually, this is a challenge to the slapper to hit again but, this time with the open palm of the right hand on the left cheek! When the slapper does that, he or she elevates the status of the lower-class person, and considers him/her now as an equal! One can only marvel at the brilliance of the Lord. The underlying message was not clearly obvious, as in the case of His parables, but the subtle slur on the high and mighty Pharisees was very cleverly done.

Restraint, yes. Meekness? No. Meekness maybe a virtue, but in the face of abuse restraint tempered with grace and dignity takes precedence.