What is your dominant hand, right or left?
When I was in school learning write, most of us were predominantly right-handed. If a student used the left hand to write, the teacher would put the pencil in the right hand. The use of the left hand as predominant was seen as an aberration and inferior. Thank goodness most people no longer believe this.
In the ancient biblical world, the right hand was assumed to be dominant and superior to the left hand. In scripture, the use of the right hand had multiple meanings. It was often associated with goodness, majesty, honor, strength, power, authority and status.
So what does the following passage from Matthew 5:39 has to do with the right hand? When someone strikes you on the right cheek, offer the other as well, (NAB).
Let’s take a look at the passage from the lens of the cultural milieu of Palestine at the time of Jesus.
Only the right hand, not the left, was used for public tasks. To strike a person on the right cheek, one would have to use the back of the hand. A back-handed slap was used only for those considered “inferior” such as peasants, women, children, and slaves. These people were not considered “free” but the property of the “superior” indicating power and authority over them.
One never struck an equal with the back of the hand, for this was not only an insult but also illegal. By turning the other cheek, the aggressor would have to use the palm of the hand which indicated equality; therefore, daring the aggressor to treat the person as an equal.
From this cultural lens, what is Jesus’ message in this scripture passage from the Gospel of Matthew? Jesus is not implying that his followers become a door mat to abuse. Turning the other cheek is a rejection of being inferior as a human being, a way of asserting one’s dignity deserving of respect, and declaring the aggressor has no power over the person.
Maybe, this could be considered peaceful resistance.
By Sister Marie Leonard, OSB