Distortions. They hit you on the right cheek, turn your left. If they hit you on your right cheek, turn your left, but - n
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Question: How do we understand the words of Jesus “if someone hits you on your left cheek, turn your right cheek” and that “all earthly power is from God”?
Answer: The words of Jesus Christ, “whoever strikes you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also” (Matthew 5:39) figuratively express the commandment: to respond to evil not with evil, but with good. Judgment and punishment over those who have done evil must be left to the Lord. At the heart of this commandment is the immutable faith in the omniscience and omnipotence of God. The Lord alone knows the measure of what we need to endure. “Are not five small birds sold for two assars? and not one of them is forgotten by God. And even the hairs on your head are all numbered. So do not be afraid: you are worth more than many small birds” (Luke 12: 6-7). If we fulfill this commandment, we will increase goodness in the world. “For this is the will of God, that by doing good we should stop the ignorance of foolish men” (1 Pet. 2:15).
Is this commandment achievable? Yes. First of all, the Savior Himself gave us the greatest example of its fulfillment. By your redemptive feat. “Christ suffered for us, leaving us an example so that we would follow in His footsteps. He committed no sin, and no flattery was in His mouth. Being slandered, He did not slander each other; while suffering, he did not threaten, but handed it over to the Righteous Judge. He Himself bore our sins in His body on the tree, so that we, having been delivered from sins, might live for righteousness; by His stripes you were healed” (1 Pet. 2:21-24). Many followers of Christ sought to fulfill this commandment and defeated evil. The noble princes Boris and Gleb, when their brother Svyatopolk began to fight against them, had their own squads and could, at the cost of bloodshed, try to take over him. But, as true disciples of Christ, they followed the path of sacrificial humility and became saints, and evil soon fell. One cannot think that the fulfillment of this commandment always involves the shedding of blood. Not a day goes by without us being required to reveal ourselves as true disciples of the Savior in small or big trouble, caused to us, respond with kindness and love. How often our spiritual weakness is revealed!
Is all power from God? Scripture answers this question. The idea of the absolute omnipotence of God runs through all the sacred biblical books. The Lord is the only Sovereign of heaven, earth and the underworld “You rule over all the kingdoms of the nations, and in Your hand is power and strength, and no one can stand against You!” (2 Chron. 20:6). If not a single hair from the head can fall without the will of God (“Luke 21:19”), then who can arbitrarily assert his power over any nation? “The kingdom is the Lord’s, and He is Ruler over the nations” (Ps. 21:29). At the same time, you need to differentiate. Some rulers are pleasing to God. The Lord crowns them and anoints them to the kingdom: the prophet David, St. Constantine the Great, Justinian, St. Queen Pulcheria, St. Grand Duke Vladimir and many faithful kings, noble princes and other honest and worthy men. He chooses others to admonish the nations who have fallen into grave sins. Many rulers were such scourges in the hands of God: Sargon II, Nebuchadnezzar, Attila, Genghis Khan and many who lived after them. The Lord Himself speaks about the purpose of such power: “O Assyrian, the rod of My wrath! and the scourge in his hand is My indignation!” (Isa. 10:5). Divine Providence allows such power to establish itself and uses it for Its purposes, but personal guilt for the crimes of the rulers remains. God knows exactly the extent of everyone’s responsibility and will reward everyone at the Judgment. When Pontius Pilate told Jesus that he had the power to crucify Him and the power to release Him, “Jesus answered: You would not have any power over Me if it had not been given to you from above; Therefore he who delivered Me to you has greater sin” (John 19:10-11). At the end of times, to test the faith of people before the upcoming Judgment, the Antichrist will be allowed to temporarily establish dominion on earth: “power was given to him to act for forty-two months” (Rev. 13: 5). Then the Lord will not only deprive him of power, but will also “kill him with the spirit of his mouth and destroy him by the manifestation of his coming” (2 Thess. 2:8).
The well-known truth that every nation has such rulers as it deserves is fully consistent with biblical teaching about earthly power.
priest Afanasy Gumerov, monk Sretensky Monastery
Discussion: 2 comments
Tatyana, good afternoon!
Father Afanasy (Gumerov), now Hieromonk Job, a resident of the Sretensky Monastery, has not been writing the Questions to the Priest column for more than five years.
Parables are examples accessible to people for understanding, therefore Christ expounded with them the deepest truths of salvation. He wanted to create interest in the Kingdom of God, and he knew that sincere people who really wanted to know the true path in life would not rest until they understood the true meaning of His teachings. These parables awakened the sleeping mind and forced it to think intensely. In the presence of opponents of the truth, Christ used the technique of allegory.
Christ also spoke in parables because the Jewish elders followed His words, looking for a reason to accuse and condemn Him. If He had spoken more clearly and openly, He should have stopped His ministry much earlier.
The Jewish Passover is a celebration of the deliverance of the Jews from captivity in Egypt.
We advise you to purchase books from any church store Orthodox church, where you will learn a lot of useful and educational information.
God bless you!Answer
Father Afanasy, hello!
Due to the fact that Jesus uses parables a lot, many questions arise about their interpretation. So why does Christ speak in parables? And what kind of Jewish Passover is mentioned on the pages of the Bible, which was celebrated before the crucifixion of Christ on the cross?
Thank you.
Answer
This post appeared thanks to some entries and discussions in my feed, comments left, as well as this photograph seen on the Internet, which depicted nuns with weapons. Italy - Rome, Vatican, 1937.
There was a "Vatican Women's Shooting Team", which was disbanded in February 1938 because Pope Pius XI did not think that the existence of a shooting team would advance the pious image of the Catholic Church.
So. Is it necessary to turn the other cheek if you hit one?
There are many interpretations of this phrase, but they all practically boil down to the fact that one should not get angry or offended in response to aggression. Some have even gone so far as to refuse to take up arms, but! It is not always possible to stop evil only with words or inaction. And as you know, unpunished evil gives rise to new evil, thanks to which it only multiplies.
Do you know what the problem with most interpreters is? From direct perception of the text. A person simply interprets literally the words spoken almost 2000 years ago from the point of view modern concepts, without taking into account the traditions and customs that once existed.
So. Let's go back to the source. Gospel of Matthew:
“You have heard that it was said: “An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.” But I tell you: do not resist evil. But whoever strikes you on your right cheek, turn the other also to him; and whoever wants to sue you and take your shirt, give it to him and outerwear; and whoever forces you to go one mile with him, go with him two miles. Give to the one who asks from you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.” Mf. 5.38-42.
Few people think about why it is said "who will hit you" on the right cheek yours》. Don't think that the right cheek is indicated just like that. There are reasons for this.
Imagine a slave in ancient Palestine standing before his master, who is about to hit him. He cannot hit a slave with his left hand, since it is intended only for performing unclean work. For example, washing yourself after going to the toilet is not a whim, but a commandment of faith. The owner can only hit the slave with his right hand. He cannot hit the person standing in front of him on the right cheek with the fist or palm of his right hand, because in this case he would have to twist or otherwise direct his hand. Therefore, if he wants to hit the slave on the right cheek, he will have to do it the other way around - with the outer side of his palm. In the time of Jesus, striking with the outer side of the palm had a special meaning. This gesture was used only by people with great power, wanting to humiliate the weaker. External side masters beat their slaves, Romans beat Jews, men beat their wives, and parents beat their children. Thus they said: “Know your place... you are below me.”
If, having obeyed the words of the Gospel, you turn the other cheek, that is, the left one, then the owner, who is obliged to hit only with his right hand, will no longer be able to hit reverse side palms. Wanting to hit again, he will have to hit with his fist or palm, which is the same thing. However, only people who were equal to each other fought with fists.
Now is the meaning of our phrase clear? And this meaning is not at all about humility.)
In this regard, we recall a parable that is known in different options. I present here one of several.
A boorish-looking young man enters the temple,
approaches the priest, hits him on the cheek and, smiling maliciously, says:
- And what, father, it was said, they hit you on the right cheek, turn the left one too.
Father, a former special forces soldier, sends the insolent man into the corner of the temple with a left hook and meekly says:
- It is also said that with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you!
Frightened parishioners:
- What is happening there?
Deacon important:
- The Gospel is interpreted.
In addition, our ancestors understood and knew the true meaning of this phrase. How else can you explain this proverb? "If you are hit on your right cheek, turn your left but don't let me hit you"
This means that you don’t need to get angry, but just fight back while maintaining your dignity. Indeed, the man jumping around you, waving his arms and spewing curses, because he cannot hit, is ridiculous and absurd and can only be compared with an annoying fly.
And one last thing. In ancient times, monks actually wandered around the world, seemingly unarmed, but... they always had a staff in their hands, and they themselves, as a rule, owned one or another type hand-to-hand combat. That's it.)
Just as when the Savior says that “Whoever says, “You are a fool,” is subject to fiery hell.”, means not only this offensive word, but also any reproach in general, so here He not only prescribes that we generously endure only strangulations, but that we are not embarrassed by any other suffering. That is why, just as there He chose the most sensitive offense, so here He mentioned a blow on the cheek, which is considered especially shameful and constitutes a great offense. By giving this commandment, the Savior has in mind the benefit of both the one who strikes and the one who suffers them. In fact, if the offended person arms himself with the wisdom that the Savior teaches, then he will not even think that he has suffered an offense, he will not even feel offended, considering himself more of a warrior than a person who is being beaten. And the one who offends, being ashamed, will not only not strike a second blow, even if he were fiercer than any beast, but he will also blame himself extremely for the first. Truly, nothing restrains those who offend so much as the meek patience of the offended. It not only restrains them from further impulses, but also makes them repent of the previous ones, and makes them move away from the offended, marveling at their meekness, and finally, from enemies and enemies they become not only their friends, but even their closest people and slaves. On the contrary, revenge produces completely opposite consequences. It causes shame to both, embitters them and inflames their anger even more, and the evil, extending further, often leads to death. That is why the Savior not only forbade the one who was struck from being angry, but also commanded him to satiate the desire of the one striking so that it would be completely unnoticeable that you suffered the first blow involuntarily. Indeed, in this way you will strike the shameless one much more sensitively than if you hit him with your hand, and you will turn him from a shameless person into meek.
Conversations on the Gospel of Matthew.
St. Hilary of Pictavia
But I tell you: do not resist evil. But whoever strikes you on your right cheek, turn the other to him as well.
The Lord wants the hope of our faith, directed toward eternity, to be tested by such things that the very ability to endure offense would testify about us at the future judgment. The law kept unfaithful Israel at bay with fear and subdued their desire to commit injustice [with the knowledge] that they would receive the same in return. Faith does not tolerate strong grief due to an insult and does not allow revenge<…>, since at God’s judgment great consolation awaits those who have suffered offense, and severe punishment awaits those who inflicted it. So, the Gospel commands us not only to refrain from committing injustice, but also demands that we get rid of the secret desire to take revenge for it. For we are commanded, having received a blow [on one cheek], to offer the other [and that, having carried the burden a thousand steps, we continue to carry it two thousand steps, so that by increasing the offense they increase the retribution], since the Lord, to increase His glory, offered His cheeks for blows and back for scourging.
Commentary on the Gospel of Matthew.
St. Isidore Pelusiot
If you are wounded by words and moved by them to uncontrollable anger, then how can you become a worker of the Lord’s grapes? For He recognizes as such a worker only the one who, when he was hit on one cheek, can convert the other, who has suffered a burden day and var(Matthew 20:12), as having fulfilled all the work of the commandment of the Lord. Therefore, if you desire these great rewards, then do not be indignant at small labors, but learn to love great labors, so that you will receive the reward only by witnessing the perfection of your labors...
Whoever wants to win a brilliant victory must not only courageously endure insults and insults, but even give in to the offender more than he wants to take, and with the excess of his own generosity, extend beyond the limits of his evil wishes. And if this seems strange to you, then we will bring a decision on this from heaven and from there we will read this law. The Savior did not say: lest someone hit you on the right cheek, bear it bravely and calm down. This was done even without a commandment by others who were famous for their wisdom and who were guided in life by an innate law. But he added the command - to expose the striker to the other cheek with readiness to accept the blow. What a brilliant victory! The first is wise, and the last is supernatural and heavenly.
This: an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth(Exodus 21:24) was legitimized by the Jews by a nature filled with meekness, I think not so that they would be merciless and cruel to those who offended, as the Manichaeans believe, condemning Old Testament, but in order to be afraid of enduring what they themselves were doing, they did not dare to take offense. Although this legalization is fair and strictly in accordance with reason, nevertheless, Divine Silence, observing meekness and not abandoning goodness, and also encouraging people to do it, through the legalization to take revenge for what they had done through the fear of punishment, prevented falls: because if there is no one who offends, then there will be no one who takes revenge. Therefore, let them discern the depth of wisdom of the Lawgiver, and not rashly accuse Him of cruelty and inhumanity. For what is said in the Gospel: If someone hits you on the right side of the gum, give him the other one too., is not the opposite of this, but only higher and better, and constitutes the rule of the highest wisdom.
There it is legal not to do evil at all, but bloodthirsty people could not even hear about willingly enduring evil, but here the sophisticated teaching about voluntary tolerance of evil is set forth. The comparative image of speech does not place the person being compared in opposite rows, but shows superiority and disadvantage in the same row. It is good not to do any evil, but it is better to even willingly endure evil. Marriage is a good thing, but virginity is better. The moon is good, but its sun is more beautiful. Therefore, just as there is one Creator of the moon, which is good, and the sun, which is better, so there is one Lawgiver of the Old and New Testaments, who legitimized everything wisely, usefully and in accordance with the times.
Letters. Book I
St. Macarius the Great
If someone hits you on the right side of your cheek, give him the other one too.
It is not difficult to tell someone that this bread is made from wheat; but it is necessary to explain in detail exactly how the bread is prepared and baked. Few people can talk about dispassion and perfection. The Gospel puts it succinctly: do not be angry, do not covet. " If someone hits you on the right side of your cheek, give him the other one too."; And if someone is suing to take your robe, give him the swearing too. The Apostle, extending further, how it is necessary to gradually complete the work of purification with patience and generosity, teaches at length, first feeding him with milk, like infants, and then leading him to growth and perfection. The Gospel said that clothing is made from waves; The apostle explained the details of the preparation.
Collection of manuscripts type II. Conversation 17.
St. Maxim the Confessor
As for "right cheek", then under "right" I mean [spiritual] doing. Arising in us through [the implementation of] the commandments divine life completely determines this doing, and [naturally] that it is subject to the blows of the evil one, who anticipates the moral nobility produced by doing. It is scourged by conceit [arising] from this, inflamed by vanity and exalted in relation to those who have not acquired such [life]. Therefore, one should, as it were, turn the other, left [cheek and turn] the already past life, which has defiled us with the lies of this century, - and constantly expose it to blows by remembering. It is better for those who do not possess humility, which is, as it were, the sacred foundation [of piety], to moderate themselves and be subjected to humiliation as sinners, than to be exalted as saints and then fall through pride. And let this, done in a bodily way for the sake of the commanded Lord, be revered along with [the speculations] perceived during contemplation, and even be preferred to them, since [it serves] sacred readiness and preliminary purification. Those who perform this are granted the skill of spiritual nobility, and thereby the disbelief of the striker is limited, for the zeal to strike is reflected by the readiness to accept it, and it is possible that [the striker] will be ashamed, if nothing else, then by a similar excess of humility. He who is able to do this never resists, being restrained by the command [of the Lord].
To Theopemptus the scholastic.
Art. 39-41 I say to you, do not resist evil: but if someone hits you on your right cheek, turn the other one to him, and to the one who wants to sue you and take your robe, let him go and the cheek: and if anyone understands you in strength There is one race, go with him two
Chapters about love.
What do the words mean: If someone hits you on the right cheek, turn the other to him as well.
If demons, says [the Lord], through thoughts strike you on the right cheek, instilling pride in right deeds, then turn your left, that is, bring to your gaze the wrong deeds that we have committed.
Questions and difficulties.
Blazh. Hieronymus of Stridonsky
But I tell you: do not resist evil. But whoever strikes you on your right cheek, turn the other to him as well.
Blazh. Theophylact of Bulgaria
But I tell you; do not resist evil. But whoever strikes you on your right cheek, turn the other to him as well.
The Lord here calls the devil evil, who acts through man. So, shouldn't the devil be resisted? Yes, it should, but not with a blow on your part, but with patience, for fire is extinguished not with fire, but with water. But don't think that's here we're talking about only about a blow to the cheek, but also about any other blow, and about any offense in general.
Interpretation of the Gospel of Matthew.
Evfimy Zigaben
I tell you not to resist evil: but if someone hits you on the right side of your cheek, give him the other one too.
He commands not only not to take revenge, but rather to expose oneself to the striker in order to curb him with patience and generosity. Seeing this, he will not only not strike another blow, but will repent of the first one and reconcile, and if you resist, he will become even more inflamed and embittered. Why did the Law specifically speak only about the eye and the tooth, while there are so many members in the body? Because those who strike preferentially hit one member, since they are less protected, are in plain sight and are easily damaged. But through them the Law also extends to other members. And the right cheek is more convenient for a blow, falling easier under right hand offending. This commandment equally applies to all other members.
Interpretation of the Gospel of Matthew.
Origen
But I tell you: do not resist evil. But whoever strikes you on your right cheek, turn the other to him as well.
Adding to the right cheek and another, He speaks not only about patience, for to strike at it is unnatural and offensive. The one who is ready give an answer to everyone(1 Pet. 3:15), having met an evil person, will not confront him regarding his faith, but if he strikes him on the right cheek, he will offer him logical and ethical teaching, shaming him and [encouraging] him to stop blaming, for prosperity in the divine [commandments] confuses those who do not see [their] very meaning.
Fragments.
Ep. Mikhail (Luzin)
But I tell you: do not resist evil. But whoever strikes you on your right cheek, turn the other to him as well.
Don't resist evil. An evil action caused by an unkind or evil person, and since the culprit of evil is the devil, then by evil we can understand here “the devil acting through a person causing offense. So, shouldn’t we resist the devil? It must, but not in the same way, but as the Savior commanded, that is, by the willingness to endure evil. In this way you will truly defeat the evil one” (Chrysostom, Theophylact).
Who will hit you. The feeling of love and meekness, which responds to an insult with a readiness to accept a new insult, satisfies the wrong pretension purely (cf. Matt. 5:41) and is ready to give to the one who asks (Matthew 5:42), is hallmark perfected in the spirit of the Christian Law. But it goes without saying that all these commandments about tolerating insults, about renouncing retribution, as directed specifically against Jewish vindictiveness, do not exclude not only public measures to limit evil and punish those who do evil, but also the private personal efforts and concerns of each person about the inviolability of truth, about admonishing offenders, about ending the opportunity for malicious people to harm others, for otherwise the very spiritual laws of the Savior in the Jewish way would have turned only into a letter, which could have served to advance evil and suppress virtue. The love of a Christian should be similar to the love of God, but the love of God limits and punishes evil; and the love of a Christian must endure evil only to the extent that it remains more or less harmless for the glory of God and for the salvation of his neighbor; otherwise, it must limit and punish evil, which is especially the responsibility of the authorities (Rom. 13:1-4). The Lord Himself, when He was hit on the cheek, said to the offender: Why are you hitting me?(John 18:23), and commanded His disciples to escape from oppression and persecution by flight. The Holy Apostle Paul, in case of injustice done to him, instead of suffering resignedly, turns for judgment to the authorities (Acts 16:35-40; Acts 22:23-29; Acts 25:9-11) and the high priest who ordered him beat, responds with reproach (Acts 23:2-4).
The Explanatory Gospel.
Lopukhin A.P.
But I tell you: do not resist evil. But whoever strikes you on your right cheek, turn the other to him as well.
(Luke 6:29 with missing words “Do not resist evil”). John Chrysostom and Theophylact suggest that by “evil” here we mean the devil acting through a person. Theophylact asks: “Shouldn’t we resist the devil?” and answers: “Yes, but not by striking him, but by patience. Because fire is not extinguished by fire, but by water. But do not think that the Savior is talking here only about a blow on the cheek; He talks about all sorts of other insults and, in general, just about danger.” Other exegetes by τῷ πονηρῷ mean an evil person, and moreover in the dative: “do not resist to an evil person”.
Morison asks: “Should we never resist an evil person?” and answers: “Yes, we must resist often and to the last degree. But this opposition should never be a matter of personal revenge; and here the Savior speaks precisely about personal revenge, and only about it.”
According to Dan, what is at stake here is resistance not to the devil, nor to man, but to the evil that exists in the world, to the extent that it reveals its power to us, i.e. that we should not overcome evil with evil; because resistance to a hostile attack on us, even in cases of necessity, constantly tends to increase the enemy’s forces. By τῷ πονηρῷ, according to Tsang, one should understand not ὁ πονηρός, which would mean the devil, but τὸ πονηρόν, because the Savior could declare resistance to the devil only as a sacred duty. You prove this position of Tsang by the fact that with ό πονηρός (in the masculine gender) they usually put, to avoid ambiguity, άνήρ (husband), διδάσκαλος (teacher), δούλος (slave). These interpretations are no doubt good.
But we are still let's understand better, what’s the matter if we imagine how the disciples and common people standing near Him could understand the words of Christ. They could not understand His words in any abstract philosophical sense, but, naturally, they understood only some specific evil that threatened them. What exactly it consisted of is, of course, difficult to say, although in further words its definitions are given: “to hit on the cheek”, “to sue”, “to take”, “to force” and so on. These four definitions well characterize the Palestinian evil of that time. From this we can conclude that the “evil” that the Savior speaks about must always be concrete, and only in this way can the question of which evil should be resisted and which not be resolved. If Christ had spoken about “world evil” and about non-resistance to evil in general, then, undoubtedly, His speech would have been incomprehensible to His listeners. In addition, they could see in the words of Christ the contradiction of His own actions, because it is certain that all the activities of Christ were opposition to evil. Meanwhile, we do not find any hint of this contradiction in the words of the evangelists. By indicating that in specific cases one should not resist evil, Christ in fact indicates ways not of non-resistance, but of resisting evil with patience and meekness.
In our country, the abstract doctrine of non-resistance to evil is revealed especially by gr. L. N. Tolstoy. Main mistake This teaching lies precisely in the fact that it is distinguished by abstraction. A good analysis of this teaching can be found, by the way, in the book of the late prof. A.F. Guseva “The main religious principles of Count L. Tolstoy”, Kazan 1893 (p. 33-108), although we cannot agree with all the author’s conclusions. For example, the text being analyzed cannot be translated the way the Kazan professor Mr. Nefasov translated it, to whom Gusev refers: “But I am telling you not so as not to give in to an evil person, but, on the contrary, whoever hits you on your right cheek, substitute one and the other,” Although the verb άνθίστημι is sometimes used in the meaning prospere cedo = I yield with success, such use of the verb is alien to the New Testament (see Luke 21:15; Acts 6:10; 13:8;
But I tell you: do not resist evil. But whoever strikes you on your right cheek, turn the other to him as well.
Wanting to show that the Old Testament Law was, in essence, based on love for one’s neighbor, that it was not given to please human vindictiveness, but, on the contrary, to curb it and extinguish evil, Christ the Savior pulls out the very root of evil - vindictiveness, and directly indicates in what disposition of heart a Christian must face insults if he wants to act according to the spirit of the Law, and not according to its letter: But I tell you: do not resist evil. This does not mean that there is no need to punish all evil; to protect the innocent and punish the wicked is the sacred duty of the authorities, and the Apostle Paul calls the leader of God a servant, an avenger as punishment for those who do evil(Rom. 13:4) . Christ the Savior Himself with a scourge expelled from the temple of God the offenders of His holiness. When it comes to the glory of God, the salvation of your neighbor, then resist evil, do everything you can so that evil stops; but when the offense concerns only you, when it does no harm to anyone else, and a feeling of revenge begins to boil in your heart, then do not resist the evil. “He does not say: do not resist your brother,” explains St. John Chrysostom, “but to the evil one, showing that your brother is offending you at the instigation of the devil, and thus placing the blame on another (the devil), greatly weakens and suppresses anger against offended. Resist the evil one as the Savior Himself commanded, that is, with a willingness to endure evil. In this way you will truly defeat the evil one. For fire is not extinguished with fire, but with water.” But whoever strikes you on your right cheek, turn the other to him as well.. Defeat the enemy with generosity and kindness. “If you do this, you will not feel offended, and your offender, even if he were fiercer than any beast, will be ashamed and will not strike you another blow; even for the first one he will blame himself extremely, for nothing restrains those who offend so much as the meek patience of the offended: from enemies and enemies they become their closest friends.” This is what the holy saints of God did. One day, Saint Tikhon of Zadonsk arrived at the house of a landowner he knew to intercede for the peasants who were offended by him. The landowner, a proud and hot-tempered man, began to argue. The saint answered with meekness, but firmly. He lost his temper and finally forgot himself to the point of hitting the saint on the cheek. The saint left, but soon returned and fell at the feet of the landowner, asking his forgiveness for leading him into such temptation. This amazed the landowner so much that he himself burst into tears, fell at the feet of the kindly saint, begging him to forgive him, and from then on began to give the peasants all sorts of benefits. The Monk Isaiah said: “Whoever wants to repay evil for evil can offend his brother’s conscience with one wave.” “Don’t think,” notes blessed Theophylact, – that it only speaks of a blow to the cheek; no, but also about any other offense.”
Trinity leaves. No. 801-1050.
Next interest Ask from our readers, namely from Vladimir: ... m I don’t like this state of affairs, I have always been convinced that one must defend one’s honor, that blows must be repelled and hit back, and that the villain must be put in his place. Especially if you are attacked by some frankly vile force, some vile and unscrupulous person. What do you think? Please comment... Best regards, Vladimir...
An interesting question is why the Bible says - “If you were removed on your left cheek, substitute right”?
2000 years ago times were different. , vendetta, returning evil for evil was the norm, it was even considered correct. Probably, then, the most relevant from the point of view of the spiritual development of people was. So that people learn to forgive evil and not return evil for evil. Christ’s task was to switch people from hatred, anger, resentment and revenge to love, kindness and forgiveness, so that people would stop accumulating evil in their souls. Therefore, this formulation was the best at that time.
But that was more than 2000 years ago. Now people have become different, more intellectually developed, more informationally spoiled, evil itself has become an order of magnitude more sophisticated. And society as a whole is now completely different from what it was then. Therefore, now, turning the other cheek will clearly not be enough. And not punishing evil, condoning it - according to the Spiritual Laws will definitely be considered a crime.
I would say that this statement “If you hit one cheek, turn the other”– this is only half the Truth. After all, it must be punished, otherwise, feeling its impunity, it becomes impudent, grows to unimaginable sizes and then devours everything in its path. If you turn the other cheek to it after the first blow, it will bite your head off, and it will bite off the heads of your loved ones one at a time.
Basic principles, how to approach this correctly?
1. As Christ said, the first thing to do is! Do not keep Evil in your heart!
2. Learn not to lose your dignity and defend your honor. Because a person must be strong, because evil devours the weak or makes them slaves! About who the Strong Man is.
3. It is necessary to learn to punish Evil. Act in such a way that justice prevails and justice is definitely done. And for this there is different methods, which must certainly be pure and worthy. How exactly to punish must be looked at in each specific case individually.
“I want to be a real man, I want to be able to stand up for myself. Father, bless me to practice martial arts. Is this not a sin?” - young people sometimes turn to priests with this or a similar question. But in fact, the problem is more serious and deeper: how compatible are martial arts and Orthodoxy, is such a “connection” possible? And how should we generally approach the problem of resisting external aggression and evil in our extremely difficult conditions today? Let us decide to offer our own version of the answer to these questions that are so pressing today.
The desire for security
The desire of a young man or young man learning self-defense techniques is quite understandable, especially these days, when it is often difficult to walk down the street without hitting anyone, or running into someone’s unfriendly, or even downright threatening, gaze. The chronicles of incidents are replete with reports of robberies, beatings, group fights and the like. And even the most peace-loving person begins to think: “Isn’t it true what they say? The best way defense - attack? And shouldn’t you prepare for war if you want peace?”
Martial arts of the East (karate, wushu, taekwondo, judo, aikido, etc.) quickly entered the life of Europe, including Russian society and firmly established themselves in it. This was facilitated by both active advertising of this “product ancient culture” film industry and media, as well as a huge number of dedicated enthusiasts. With all the diversity of these combat systems, they are united general principle: training that requires great physical and moral effort, allowing you to master a technique that makes it possible to fight with one or more opponents. Conventionally, schools are divided into “soft” and “hard”, but the goal of all methods is the same: to teach the adherent of the school to defeat the enemy, blow by blow, while remaining the least vulnerable.
What is the secret of such popularity of martial arts? Probably, there is a whole complex of reasons that determine the love for them on the part of not only men, but also representatives of the “weaker sex” who are trying to get rid of their weakness. However, I would like to dwell here on the most essential. As noted above, the world around us today is scary world. And the people of this world afraid, - they are afraid of life, they are afraid of people like themselves. And they are looking for protection, or rather, a feeling of security.
And the image of, say, a karateka in a snow-white kimono, rapidly moving across the tatami and striking with his feet and hands lightning strikes, from which boards split with a crash and bricks crumble into orange dust in the hands of “assistants” - the image of a man in highest degree protected, able not to be afraid of anyone or anything. This image attracts and becomes an example to follow; a teenager, a young man, a young man who is just entering adulthood really wants to become “like that.”
The Gospel and the Art of Combat
But we don't speak in in this case about how appropriate this method of “protection” is from outside world for non-believers, non-church people, who do not see any moral problem in such a choice. The question is different: what should a Christian answer when he approaches a priest in a church and asks him for his blessing to master the art of martial arts?
The first thing we turn to in this case is the Gospel, which contains answers to all questions. Whoever strikes you on your right cheek, turn the other to him as well.(Matthew 5:39) Is it appropriate for a Christian, after such words of Christ, to purposefully learn not only how to prevent a blow on the right cheek, and even more so on the left, but also how to deliver a crushing blow in return?
Everyone knows the common statement: “Goodness must come with fists.” But the whole point is that, having learned to use them, it gradually ceases to be good. The Apostle Peter, wanting to protect Christ from the encroachment of soldiers sent by the high priests and elders of the people of Israel, draws a sword and cuts off the ear of one of the high priest's servants. And what? The Lord stops him: return your sword to its place, for all who take the sword will perish by the sword(Matthew 26:52). Moreover, He heals the wounded.
One could say that the example of Christ is unattainably high; one could refer to the fact that He was moving towards fulfilling the goal of His earthly ministry, preparing to suffer for the human race, to be crucified, to die and to be resurrected for three days. But the fact is that we see following the example of Christ in the lives of a whole host of not only saints, but also simply pious Christians who sincerely believe that, according to the word of the Lord, blessed are the meek for they will inherit the earth(Matthew 5:5). One of the most striking cases of such meekness is the well-known episode from the life of St. Seraphim of Sarov, when he, being in a deep forest, being extremely strong man and having an ax in his hands, in the full sense of the word he gave up his hands and allowed himself to be beaten half to death and crippled for life by the robbers who attacked him. We agree that not everyone will decide to do something like this with the fearlessness of a saint; someone will try to defend themselves, perhaps successfully. But even in this case, for church man The correct reaction to such an incident would be repentance for the fact that he could not fulfill the commandments of Christ, and not proud arrogance: “Like I did them!”
The most frequently heard objection from those who are trying to “ennoble” the art of combat sounds something like this: “But it is not necessary to apply the acquired skills. You can just own them.”
However, a believer knows what temptation is. And a very big temptation is precisely to apply such skills.
No matter what is said about martial arts, no matter how they are presented as a “system harmonious development personality,” the fact is obvious: they precisely deform a person’s personality, and in a very specific way.
An athlete who practices martial arts (even if it is “traditional” boxing or wrestling) inevitably develops what could be called, in the words of the famous church writer Archimandrite Raphael (Karelin), a “combat complex.” It manifests itself, in particular, in the fact that a person begins to evaluate any situation from the point of view of his physical (read - combat) capabilities. The approach to everything that irritates, turns out to be contrary to his will, already contains a certain internal aggression, based on the ability to implement it efficiently.
What does the training of an athlete-fighter consist of? Necessary complex exercises to develop strength, flexibility, coordination... And what else? Practicing defensive movements (they, however, are never considered in isolation from striking or attacking techniques) ... And - staging a strike. It takes years to “deliver” a blow that can “turn off”, knock down or knock out, and finally kill the intended opponent. If the highlight for an athlete is a jump maximum height or maximum acceleration at the finish line, for an attacker in football - a goal scored, for a chess player - checkmating an opponent, then for a fighter - this is a blow into which all the forces are invested, after which the opponent can no longer continue the fight. In such a blow, in addition to ordinary human (or inhuman) cruelty, there is also an obvious occult-mystical moment. What, for example, does a heartbreaking scream mean? “Ki” is energy, “I” is movement. The movement of energy in this blow... What energy, whose? Divine? This question is probably unnecessary.
The occult-mystical moment is generally inseparable from the practice of martial arts, even if they are extremely freed from religious content and are as close as possible to a sports discipline. “Kata” in karate is a kind of meditation in motion, the same meditation is concentration at the beginning and at the end of training. And what is “worship of the spirit of the school (or teacher),” if not outright paganism? What are postures and movements that copy the movements of representatives of the animal world - up to the adoption of some behavioral characteristics?.. But even where all this is not there, the spirit itself is present - a certain thread that connects all fighting traditions - the spirit, frankly speaking, not Christian at all. And therefore there is little “positive” difference between, for example, hand-to-hand combat and karate, judo or aikido.
Trust in God or non-resistance to evil?
And yet, even after all the above reasoning, the question of “security”, the ability to “stand up for oneself” remains open for many. For some, the reason for this is pride and pride, for others it is all in the same fear of the cruel and therefore frightening reality that surrounds us.
Why I refused the opportunity to “stand up for myself” Venerable Seraphim? His words are known: “As iron is surrendered to a blacksmith, so I surrendered myself entirely to God.” They contain the trust in God, His all-good Providence, necessary for every Christian, the belief that the Lord never leaves a person who has decided to fulfill His commandment, that without His will not a hair will fall from our head (see Matthew 10:30) .
In this faith for a Christian there is the basis of his security, such as no one has, not even the owner of a black belt and himself. high dan in Kyokushinkai karate.
But, of course, Christianity is not Tolstoy’s “non-resistance to evil.” And there are cases when, not even for one’s own sake, but for the sake of other people, one has to resist evil. Including on the physical level. However, it is one thing to do this out of necessity, and another to have it as the main content of life.
There is also such a terrible reality as war. War is always evil, even when it is liberating. But, according to the rule of the Holy Fathers, when two evils are presented, you must have the courage to choose the least of them in order to avoid the greater and deliver others from it. And in war you have to not only kill, but also... learn to kill. This is truly a scary reality.
But war is war. And the people, who do not want to feed their army, feed someone else’s, and this always results in even greater evil. Therefore, if a Christian who refuses possible self-defense for the sake of the Gospel commandment shows virtue, then politicians who do not care about the presence of an army capable of protecting the state from external aggression betray their people. And, perhaps, the only place where the art of hand-to-hand combat and other martial arts in the full sense are justified by necessity itself is the army and those units and services that are responsible for the security of the country. Although, if the person guarding this security is a true Christian, then he will always regard his duty as a sorrowful duty, generated by the imperfection of our existence, damaged by sin. Therefore, a completed task and a won duel or fight will make you not only and not so much rejoice as repent of an involuntary, “necessary”, but still sin.
And also - a small but eloquent piece of evidence from life, which also helps to clarify the problem posed. Practice shows that people who practice martial arts (including very seriously) come to the Church. And then their activities often gradually fade away. But it also happens that Christians who have already become churchgoers begin to train in martial arts sections, and this necessarily reduces the intensity of their church and spiritual life, if it does not lead them away from the Church completely.
Therefore, it seems that we need to listen to the words of the Apostle Paul: Everything is permissible for me, but not everything is beneficial(1 Cor 6:12) and do right choice, at least for myself.
The author's argument does not lose any of its significance due to the fact that the blow to right cheek (respectively the back of the hand) was a ritual insult among the Jews. In essence, any blow is not only physical damage, but also an insult to the dignity of man as the image of God. - Ed.
Regarding the traditional nature of boxing and wrestling, it seems necessary to make a reservation: when women engage in them, this is not only a violation of tradition, but also a gross violation of the ontological status of women in the created world. - Ed.