Teaching of Jesus - On Retaliation

Sermon on the Mount

Teachings of Jesus

On Retaliation

"You have heard it said, 'An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.' 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.  If anyone wants to go to law with you over your tunic, hand him your cloak as well.  Should anyone press you into service for one mile, go with him for two miles.  Give to the one who asks of you, and do not turn your back on one who wants to borrow."  (Matthew
5:38-42)

“This may sound like passivity in the face of evil, but it is not.” In his following sermon, Fr. Robert Barron explains this teaching of Jesus as “a very effective means of resistance.”