Very interesting - some quick searching confirms. Historical context does indeed matter!
https://x.com/JackPosobiec/status/1964708515508826176
Jack Poso 🇺🇸
@JackPosobiec
Correcting a Common Misreading of the Bible:
When people hear the words of Jesus saying turn the other cheek they often think He is commanding surrender. They imagine that Jesus calls us to retreat or to let others walk over us. But this is not what He meant
In the world of the first century a slap on the right cheek was not about injury but about public insult. It was a way of treating someone as less than human, humiliating or challenging them
By telling His followers to turn the other cheek Jesus was not telling them to accept humiliation in silence. He was teaching them to stand their ground in a way that refused violence yet also refused surrender.
He commands us to stand our ground
Think about it. If you strike me on the right cheek with your right hand you must do so as a backhanded slap. That was the gesture of a master to a servant. To turn the other cheek forces the aggressor into a choice. They must either strike with the open hand which acknowledges equality or they must stop. In this way the victim has exposed the injustice without becoming violent, and standing their ground
Jesus is not teaching weakness. He is teaching a higher strength. To turn the other cheek is not to bow down in fear but to rise up in dignity. It is a holy act of resistance. It refuses to mirror hatred yet it refuses to give ground to evil. It shows the world that the children of God will not be defined by insults
Meekness does not mean weakness
So when you hear those words do not picture surrender. Picture courage. Picture a man or woman who will not be broken by the cruelty of others. Picture the strength of Christ who on the cross refused to curse His enemies and yet triumphed over them all
Never surrender
Never submit
This is the way of the Kingdom. Not weak submission but holy defiance. Not revenge but victory through courage and resilience in the face of adversity