This is surely one of the Bible’s most well known verses. Its succinct proverb is a part of everyday conversational idiom everywhere. The command might therefore have been rendered in its more familiar form as simply: Turn the other cheek.

Curiously, Jesus did not address the mode and manner of how we are to conduct ourselves in the normal flow of daily conversation. His comments about speech are very specific.

We have spoken several times about Jesus’ use of hyperbole, exaggeration, and metaphor. We do not actually ”eat his flesh” when participating in a communion or Eucharist service. He does not really want his followers to ”cut off” their hands or ”pluck out” their eyes to rid their lives of sin. These are symbols and images which Jesus used skillfully to get his points across.

Again we encounter Jesus making a point with overstatement. No one seriously expects us to go through life saying nothing but yes and no. Jesus himself did not do so either. Once more we gain further insight into his words from the Lord’s brother James, who gave this command in its more familiar form: Let your yes be yes, and your no be no. (James 5:12)

It is easy to hear words such as, ”He who is ashamed of me and my words...of him will the Son of Man be ashamed.” (Mark8:38, Luke 9:26),  and read ourselves right out of the text.

It continues to be astonishing, once we see it, how much of Jesus’ teaching concerned the simple things of life - such ”unspiritual” things. Where is all the theology and doctrine? Of course we can turn to Romans or Ephesians if we want that sort of thing. But where is it in the Gospels? It’s not there.

One of Jesus’ most familiar ”I am” declarations in John’s gospel is, I am the truth. To love Jesus, therefore, one must love truth.

Many of the Commands of Jesus emerged out of free-flowing conversations with those around him. It can therefore be difficult to perceive his higher intent in the midst of a specific exchange.

Most Christians are well familiar with Jesus’ injunction against condemnation: Judge not. We are less acquainted with the form of judgment he does tell us to make.

Literalists eager to discover loopholes in the Commands will easily be able to dismiss a blanket injunction against obscenity.