Are all slaps equal? – September 22
Today’s Readings: AM Psalm 119:97-120; PM Psalm 81, 82; 2 Kings 6:1-23; 1 Cor. 5:9-6:8; Matt. 5:38-48
My reflection from this past Saturday never was penned. While I had many reflection-worthy experiences from which to pull, I was simply too tired. I needed to rest. And so, I did that. Sabbath looks like that sometimes. We have other things pulling at us, and yet, we prioritize health.
Refreshed, I opened the scriptures appointed for today. We meet Jesus in Matthew 5 in the midst of the sermon on the mount, offering wisdom point by point. In verse 38, we read, ’You have heard that it was said, “An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.”’
I remember learning about Hammurabi’s Code in 9th grade history from Mr. Roberts – an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. Gruesome retribution, to be sure. Through the eyes of sibling rivalry, that kind of payback felt good in the very moment. My sisters and I would try to get digs in at each other, one paying the other back for a mean word or kick to the shin. I can still feel the burn in my gut, feeling angry or resentful, and lashing out. The fallout is painful, though. Brokenness and tears. Deepened chasms of angst and separation. And then, somebody tells Mom.
My high horse of physical domination or intellectual superiority over my sisters – who were four years younger than me – quickly would deflate into a pool of fear and dread. Mom’s justice was far from Hammurabi’s mode. She was raised by the daughter of a Presbyterian minister. Mom reminded us about responsibility, connection, and resolution, though her means of delivering that message was not measured in spoonfuls of sugar, but rather was peppered with pointed fingers and sharp tones. And there was probably a “You ought to know better” thrown into the mix, too…because we did.
Jesus offers a different twist on Hammurabi’s Code. Preaching to his disciples and the crowds all around the mountain, this Nazarene woodworker suggests a response in absurdity when met with social injustice. For example, Jesus says, “Do not resist an evildoer. But if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also.” Sometimes this verse is understood as a call to radical nonviolence.
Through understanding ancient Jewish culture, we get a different read on Jesus’ message. Striking a person’s cheek was a way to inflict shame, not just pain, on a person. There were ancient Jewish laws about compensation due to those who were injured wrongly or abused. Those acting unjustly were responsible for making amends, financially and otherwise. Interestingly, a slap on the cheek is one of the humiliating offenses spelled out in the Mishna Bava Kamma, one of the Jewish texts that offered guidance on civil matters:
“If someone slaps another person, he must pay two hundred zuzim. If it was backhanded, he must pay four hundred zuzim. If someone flicks a person’s ear, pulls his hair, spits so that it lands on him, strips his cloak off, or pulls off a woman’s headscarf in public, [the perpetrator] must pay four hundred zuzim.” (m.Bava Kamma 8:6)
In Middle Eastern culture, the dominant hand is the right hand, and so that is the hand with which most activities are executed. Striking a person on the right cheek with the right hand would require using a backhanded motion. A backhanded slap is considered twice as offensive as an openhanded slap, and thus subject to double the fine, as we read above.
A backhanded slap is a sign of deep insult, due to someone of insignificance. An openhanded slap is delivered to someone who is more likely an equal. Jesus tells this crowd – most likely the hungry rabble and not those in power – to offer the left cheek after being backhanded on the right cheek. If the left cheek is then slapped, it is a sign that the person is of higher rank or equal status. Offering the left cheek is a nonverbal way to stop someone in their tracks. Drawn up short, the person wonders, “Wait, is this person my equal?” They are left to question and examine their actions within cultural norms, without one physical blow waged in retribution.
Clever, right?
Jesus was teaching his followers how to love fully and live shrewdly. He taught them to rethink cultural mores and find spaces of empowerment – not for their glory, but for their health and strength. Jesus helped those treated unjustly to seek justice and cultivated an understanding for how God sees each of us, so that we may see one another as siblings.
--Katherine+
Questions for Reflection
How do you react when you feel wronged by someone? Hurl back a punch or an insult? Tell the authority?
What is perplexing to you about Jesus’ call to turn the other cheek?
Daily Challenge
Jesus taught his friends to fully understand the systems around them. He pushed them to examine themselves and the connections in their lives. What is a relationship in your life that needs pondering and prodding today? Pray about a connection that has tension or frustration. Spend 10 minutes journaling about avenues of deeper understanding or where you need to do some work.