Luke 6:29-31 29To one who strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also, and from one who takes away your cloak do not refuse your tunic also. 30Give to everyone who asks from you, and from one who takes away your things do not ask for them back. 31And as you wish that people would do to you, do likewise to them.
Jesus gives four examples of how disciples should respond in love to certain situations, which is the opposite of the typical and natural response. Kingdom values call disciples to love when it is difficult. The natural response when someone hits us is to hit them back. Playground fights get started in that way. People do not grow up much because adults respond the same way, though not very often with fists. Verbal attacks are most common. It is safer to attack someone when he or she is not around us by using unkind words, ridicule, or gossip. Jesus goes even further by charging disciples to become vulnerable. Turning the other cheek should not be interpreted to mean we willingly become victims but more that we do not fight back. The implied reason is that hitting back is not a sign of unconditional love but self love in the form of revenge. Turning the other cheek leads a person to trust in God to bring justice to the other person.
The next example of cloak and tunic has a similar message. The cloak was the outer garment that was very important to ancient life, for it functioned as protection from the elements and could be used as a blanket at night. Jews were not to take someone’s cloak without returning it by the end of the day (Exodus 22:26-27). In modern terms, a cloak would be equivalent to a jacket in cold climates or outer clothes in a warm climate. The tunic was the inner clothing; one might even say in modern terms, the “underwear” in warm climates or the clothes in a cold climate. The illustration is not difficult to picture. Jesus’ point is more difficult to live out. If someone takes something important from us, we should not fight to keep it but let them have even more. There is no indication if this is by theft or if the person needs a coat. The point is not about justice and stealing but on how to express love when our natural response is the opposite.
Verse 30 extends verse 29 and deals with the question of stealing or compassion implied with the last scenario of verse 29. Jesus gives two situations that deal with both of these situations. The first is a matter of compassion. If a person needs our cloak, we should not withhold it but willingly give it to him or her. Whatever a person needs, if we have it, we should give it to them willingly. The second situation extends the possibility that verse 29 was referring to stealing. If someone takes something from us, justice demands we get it back because it is ours. Jesus’ point does not deal with justice so much as it deals with the willingness to become detached from our possessions. We need to realize that all we have is a gift from God. The issue from a kingdom perspective is built on the stewardship of love. Love considers ourselves as stewards of God’s gifts. If someone takes what we own, God knows, and so we can trust in God’s justice. God also knows our heart and if we harbor unkind or evil thoughts about the person who took something from us.
Verse 31 gives the “golden rule,” which is a paraphrase of the law of love. Although the basic idea of this “rule” is found in other literature and religions, it is usually expressed negatively. Jesus puts it in a positive way and goes beyond other renditions. Other statements approach the rule from the perspective of self-preservation, do not hurt others so that they will not hurt you. The worldly approach to relationships is governed by the need to keep oneself from harm. Jesus’ statement is the kingdom perspective of self-giving love. The disciple’s response is proactive by doing positive actions to even one’s enemies. The way a Christian acts is not dependent on what others do but on what God leads.
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