You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ 39 But I say to you, offer no resistance to one who is evil. When someone strikes you on [your] right cheek, turn the other one to him as well. 40 If anyone wants to go to law with you over your tunic, hand him your cloak as well. 41 Should anyone press you into service for one mile, go with him for two miles. 42 Give to the one who asks of you, and do not turn your back on one who wants to borrow.
Jesus continues the Sermon on the Mount by teaching His disciples how to respond when they are wronged. He begins with the familiar words, “An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth” (v. 38). This teaching came from the Law of Moses and appears in Exodus 21:24, Leviticus 24:20, and Deuteronomy 19:21. Its purpose was to limit revenge. Punishment was not to grow beyond the injury that had been done. In its original setting, this rule restrained violence and prevented personal revenge from becoming a wider spiral of harm.
Jesus now leads His disciples beyond that measured form of retaliation. He teaches them to give up the desire to pay back injury with injury. The disciple of Christ is called to break the chain of revenge by answering wrong with mercy, patience, and generosity. Saint Paul later expresses this same Christian way of life when he writes, “Do not repay anyone evil for evil” and “conquer evil with good” (Romans 12:17, 21).
The examples Jesus gives are concrete and memorable. A strike on the right cheek was a serious insult (v. 39). In a right-handed society, a strike on the right cheek would usually mean a backhanded slap rather than an open-handed blow. This kind of blow was especially dishonoring because it was meant less as a physical injury and more as a public act of humiliation. Jesus tells His disciple to turn the other cheek. This calls for the strength to endure insult without becoming a person ruled by anger or revenge. In the Passion, Jesus Himself is struck and mocked, yet He remains faithful to the Father and does not answer violence with violence (John 18:22-23; Isaiah 50:6).
Jesus then gives the example of a person who wants to take another to court over a tunic (v. 40). The tunic was an inner garment, while the cloak was an outer garment. By telling His disciple to hand over the cloak as well, Jesus calls for a generosity that can accept loss rather than let resentment or revenge take control. The disciple’s peace does not depend on winning every claim or defending every possession.
The next example reflects life under Roman rule. Roman soldiers could force local people into temporary service (v. 41). This helps explain why Simon of Cyrene could be compelled to carry the Cross of Jesus (Matthew 27:32). When Jesus says, “go with him for two miles,” He calls His disciples to respond with a generosity that goes beyond what is demanded. This kind of generosity can expose injustice without imitating it. It also shows that the disciple belongs first to God, even when living under difficult earthly powers.
Jesus ends this passage by teaching generosity toward those who ask and those who wish to borrow (v. 42). This moves the passage from the refusal of revenge to an open-hearted way of life. The disciple should not be hard, closed, or calculating toward every need. God has been generous with us, and those who live as His children are called to reflect His generosity toward others.
These words remain demanding because they touch ordinary life: insults, disputes, unfair treatment, forced burdens, requests for help, and the temptation to repay hurt with hurt. Jesus calls His disciples to a mercy that is stronger than revenge. This mercy is not weakness. It is the strength of a heart formed by the Father’s goodness and by the example of Christ, who overcame evil through obedient love.
Lord Jesus, teach me to give up revenge and to answer injury with mercy. Form my heart in Your patience, generosity, and peace, so that I may overcome evil with good. Amen.
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Sources and References
- The New American Bible, Revised Edition. Matthew 5:38-42 and notes on Matthew 5:38 and 5:41.
- Hahn, Scott, and Curtis Mitch. The Ignatius Catholic Study Bible: New Testament. San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2010. Page 18.
- José María Casciaro, gen. ed. The Navarre Bible: New Testament, Expanded Edition. Dublin: Four Courts Press; New York: Scepter Publishers, 2008. Consulted; no specific commentary on Matthew 5:38-42.
- Brown, Raymond E., Joseph A. Fitzmyer, and Roland E. Murphy, eds. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1990. Pages 643-644.
- Aguilar Chiu, José Enrique, Richard J. Clifford, Carol J. Dempsey, Eileen M. Schuller, Thomas D. Stegman, and Ronald D. Witherup, eds. The Paulist Biblical Commentary. New York: Paulist Press, 2018. Page 921.
- Collins, John J., Gina Hens-Piazza, Barbara Reid OP, and Donald Senior CP, eds. The Jerome Biblical Commentary for the Twenty-First Century. Third Fully Revised Edition, with a Foreword by Pope Francis. London: Bloomsbury T&T Clark, 2022. Pages 1183-1184.
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