Luke 6:29
To one who strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also, and from one who takes away your cloak do not withhold your tunic either.
English Standard Version (ESV)
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Jesus isn't just saying "turn the other cheek"; he's describing a radical, even scandalous, generosity that completely disarms the aggressor. By offering your inner garment after your outer one is taken, you're not just passively enduring, but actively inviting a deeper level of giving that can leave the thief with nothing left to take, and perhaps, a conscience awakened.
Jesus has just chosen his closest followers, the Twelve Apostles, and now he's addressing a vast crowd on a plain. He's laying out the radical upside-down kingdom of God, contrasting its values with the world's expectations, following his blessing of the poor and hungry and his warnings to the rich.
Jesus calls us to do more than just not fight back. He offers a radical response to injustice that seems almost impossible.
When Jesus says, 'To one who strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also,' he's not prescribing a physical action to be taken literally in every situation.
The Principle of Non-Resistance
This teaching is a powerful illustration of the principle of non-resistance to evil. It's a startling, paradoxical way of saying: don't retaliate, don't return harm for harm. The goal isn't to provoke more violence, but to disrupt the cycle of aggression.
Jesus' Own Example
It's important to remember that Jesus himself didn't always turn the other cheek literally. When struck by a guard, he responded with a question about the fairness of the act (John 18:22-23). This shows that the spirit of Jesus' teaching—prioritizing peace, humility, and refusing to engage in vengeful cycles—is paramount, rather than a rigid, letter-for-letter application.
Jesus pushes us to imagine a response so generous it leaves the aggressor stunned.
The second part of the verse, 'from one who takes away your cloak do not withhold your tunic either,' expands on this radical idea.
Understanding the Garments
In that cultural context, the 'cloak' was an outer garment, and the 'tunic' was the undergarment worn next to the skin. The cloak could be taken as security for a debt or simply stolen. Jesus' instruction implies giving even the inner garment, something much more personal and essential.
The Power of Over-Giving
This isn't about naivety or being foolishly taken advantage of. It’s about a deliberate choice to disarm the aggressor through extreme generosity. When someone takes something from you, and you offer them something even more valuable or personal, it disrupts their intentions and their expectations. It can shame the unjust person and reveal the kingdom's way of responding to hurt with abundant grace.
Understand the original words
himation · Greek Noun
An outer garment or mantle, often of significant value and used as a covering or bed at night. Under biblical law, it was considered essential and was even protected from being kept as a pledge overnight.
chitōna · Greek Noun
An inner garment worn next to the skin, similar to a tunic or shirt. It was considered the most basic necessity of clothing.
This passage, from Jesus' Sermon on the Mount, presents the exact same teaching on responding to a blow, highlighting the consistent message across the Gospels about non-retaliation.
1 Corinthians 6:7Paul directly addresses the Corinthian believers' tendency to sue one another, echoing Jesus' teaching by questioning why they don't simply accept being wronged and defrauded instead of resorting to worldly courts.
1 Peter 2:19-20Peter encourages believers to endure suffering unjustly, even when wronged, for the sake of conscience towards God, which aligns with the principle of offering no resistance to harm.
Romans 12:17-21This passage expands on the concept by urging believers not to repay evil for evil and to overcome evil with good, providing a broader theological framework for the specific actions Jesus commanded in Luke 6:29.
barnesLuke 6:29: "And unto him that smiteth thee on the one cheek offer also the other; and him that taketh away thy cloke forbid not to take thy coat also."
See Matthew 5:39-40 .
pulpitLuke 6:29: "And unto him that smiteth thee on the one cheek offer also the other; and him that taketh away thy cloke forbid not to take thy coat also."
Verse 29. - And unto him that smiteth thee on the one cheek offer also the other. This and the following direction is clothed in language of Eastern. picturesqueness, to drive home to the listening crowds the great and novel truths he was urging upon them. No reasonable, thoughtful man would feel himself bound to the letter of these commandments…
Jesus isn't just saying "turn the other cheek"; he's describing a radical, even scandalous, generosity that completely disarms the aggressor. By offering your inner garment after your outer one is taken, you're not just passively enduring, but actively inviting a deeper level of giving that can leave the thief with nothing left to take, and perhaps, a conscience awakened.
Jesus has just chosen his closest followers, the Twelve Apostles, and now he's addressing a vast crowd on a plain. He's laying out the radical upside-down kingdom of God, contrasting its values with the world's expectations, following his blessing of the poor and hungry and his warnings to the rich.
Jesus has just chosen his closest followers, the Twelve Apostles, and now he's addressing a vast crowd on a plain. He's laying out the radical upside-down kingdom of God, contrasting its values with the world's expectations, following his blessing of the poor and hungry and his warnings to the rich.
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"To one who strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also, and from one who takes away your cloak do not withhold your tunic either." — Jesus isn't just saying "turn the other cheek"; he's describing a radical, even scandalous, generosity that completely disarms the aggressor. By offering your inner garment after your outer one is ta…
