38 Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth:
39 But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.
COMMENTARY: The principle of retaliation (lex talionis) is common in both Hebrew and other ancient Near Eastern law codes (cf. the of Hammurapi). The judicial penalty of an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth is stated in Exodus 21:24 as a means of ending feuds. However, Jesus is clearly saying this method is not a license for vengeance. The Savior's point is that we should resist not evil. Evil is seen here, not as a state, but rather as the action of the evil ones or the malicious ones. It represents the evil and sinful element in man which provokes him to an evil act. Jesus shows how the believer should respond to personal injury. He is not discussing the government's obligation to maintain law and order. These passages do not mean that a man should not defend his family or his country, but rather that he should not attempt personal vengeance, even through the means of the law, to compensate for a personal injury. Jesus gives five examples (vv. 39-42) of how the believer should react to unfair or unreasonable treatment. In retaliation to physical violence, he is not to turn to him the other [cheek] also. Man's natural impulse is to strike back, but the disciple is not to be a natural man. He is to "overcome evil with good" (Roman 12:21). There is no greater example of this ethical truth than the life and death of Jesus Himself.
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