Turning the cheek

In his book Reading Matthew , David Garland discusses the significance of “turning the other cheek”: “W. Wink argues that the issue for Jesus is not simply resistance or surrender but what kind of resistance. He claims that turning the other cheek is a third way, which he labels ‘nonviolent direct action,’ a ‘practical, strategic measure for empowering the oppressed.’ By turning the other cheek, for example, the victim ‘robs the oppressor of his power to humiliate.’ The oppressor must decide whether or not to slap the person again, but this time not as one would slap a slave with the back of the hand but as one would an equal. Wink contends that turning the cheek ‘seizes initiative from the oppressor, overcomes fear, and reclaims the power of choice, all the while maintaining the humanity of the oppressor.’”