Jesus does not strike back, but neither does He turn the other cheek as He had instructed His disciples in (Matt 5:38-39). Augustine notes that “those great precepts of His are to be fulfilled not by bodily ostentation, but by the preparation of the heart. For it is possible that even an angry man may visibly hold out his other cheek. How much better, then, is it for one who is inwardly pacified to make a truthful answer, and with tranquil mind hold himself ready for the endurance of heavier sufferings to come.” In other words, it is possible to turn the other cheek physically and yet harbor hatred and revenge in your heart. Jesus wants us to have a heart attitude of turning the other cheek. That may come out by our doing so physically or by us speaking the truth in love and accepting whatever may come.

Matthew 5:38-39  “You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’  But I tell you, Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.

When Jesus told His disciples and us to turn the other cheek, He was not telling us to not defend ourselves. The Old Testament law allowed for judges to give judgments of reciprocity (Lev 24:17-20). They were to give to the evil-doer a punishment equal to what he had done to the victim. The Pharisees had extended that Old Testament precept to include individual retaliation for wrongs, but Jesus refuted that concept: “You have heard that it was said” refuted with “but I tell you”. Christians are indeed to defend themselves, but never to avenge themselves. We are never to stop fighting evil; we are just not supposed to fight evil with evil (Rom 12:17). Jesus wants us to defend ourselves from the attacks of our enemies and when we have successfully done so, to then treat them with overwhelming kindness and to not do to them what they did or tried to do to us (Rom 12:20). Defense is a good thing but retaliation is not. Our greatest weapons are righteousness and love. What it all boils down to is this: don’t act like the world; act like Jesus.

Leviticus 24:17-20  “‘If anyone takes the life of a human being, he must be put to death.  Anyone who takes the life of someone’s animal must make restitution—life for life.  If anyone injures his neighbour, whatever he has done must be done to him:  fracture for fracture, eye for eye, tooth for tooth. As he has injured the other, so he is to be injured.

Romans 12:17  Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody.

Romans 12:20  On the contrary: “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.”