"...do not resist an evil person." (NIV)
"...you must not oppose those who want to hurt you" (CEB)
Arlette shared the following link with some thoughts from a Hebrew scholar, David N. Bivin, on what Jesus might have meant by those infamous words: https://www.jerusalemperspective.com/2699/. Bivin suggests, based on similar proverbs from the Old Testament, that:
In idiomatic English, Matthew 5:39a might read simply, “Don’t try to get even with evildoers.”Bivin continues,
Our response to evil does have to be resistance—it is morally wrong to tolerate evil. However, we also must continue to show love for the evildoer.
It should be noted that loving and praying for one’s enemies in no way precludes defending oneself when one’s life is in danger.Brigitte brought us additional perspective on the various specific examples used in the passage (turning the other cheek, walking the extra mile, etc...) as acts of peaceful protest or non-violent resistance. This seems very much in keeping with Bivin's perspective. The passage may be about how to respond to evil without either ignoring it or exacting revenge.
The explanations of how the actions describes in the Matthew passage could be viewed as non-violent resistance (as opposed to non-resistance) can be found in Walter Wink's work: Jesus' Third Way.
