"You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.' But I say to you, do not resist one who is evil: If anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other to him also. And if anyone would sue you and take your coat, let him have your cloak as well. And if anyone forces you to go one mile with him, go two. Give to him who begs from you, and do not refuse him who would borrow from you . . . . Love your enemies, for if you love only those who love you, what merit is that? . . . Be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect." (Matt. 5:38-42, 46, 48)
Ah, the verses of peace, forgiveness....weakness? Of course Jesus supported whole-heartedly a life of forgiveness and love, but was He condoning abuse or being a doormat? Please, take another look at the context in which He spoke the above words.
Let's first look at turning the other cheek. In the times Jesus lived in, the Roman government ruled over several other peoples, including the Jews. If a Roman soldier gave orders that a Jew disobeyed, it was typical of the soldier to backhand him or her across the face. The slap became known as a symbol that they looked at the Jews as inferior. Since most people are right-handed, if they backhanded someone, their right hand would strike a right cheek. However, if a soldier was ready to strike an equal, he would usually punch, which would strike a person's left cheek. This practice of slapping was so pervasive that Jesus gave Jews advice on how to deal with it.
Don't fight them and don't meekly accept their behavior. Turn the cheek. It was a sign of passive defiance. It's saying, "I demand to be treated as an equal." It forces the soldier to either hit them as an equal (instead of as a superior) or at least take a moment to realize how they are treating another human being.
Next, what about handing over a coat when a person only sued you for the shirt off your back? Basically, that's a way of saying that if someone sued you for a great sum, voluntarily give them literally everything. Why on Earth would we do this?
An outer coat also served as a poor person's blanket, and it was illegal to take someone's coat overnight as they would be possibly exposed to the elements. It was inhumane. Also, by the way, if they had your shirt AND your coat, you were left naked. Nakedness was taboo in Judaism, and if creditor actually went through with causing a debtor to be naked just to repay his debt, it made the creditor look bad. It was a peaceful way to expose the evils of their greed and corruption. It flipped the humiliation to the other party as the debtor stood unashamed.
Now, concerning going two miles when you're forced to go only one: Roman soldiers had to travel many miles for various reasons, and to make that work without wearing out the soldiers carrying heavy equipment, they could force Jews, or any foreigner, to carry their backpacks and belongings for a mile, legally. A person being forced to do this had to stop whatever else they were doing and take time to walk a mile there and a mile back. However, Jesus is exhorting people to "go the extra" mile.
There's actually a good reason the soldiers needed help with carrying things, but Jesus didn't want the Jews to act like this was a pain to help. He wanted Jews to recognize that even in their protests, they were reflecting their God. He wanted them to go above and beyond. In this way, the soldiers saw they weren't going the extra mile because they were legally forced to but because they had genuine desire to assist others. Maybe in this way, the soldiers would see beyond their own pre-conceived prejudices and superiority complexes and see the good that came from God's people.
An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth is a cycle that never really ends. Violence begets violence and vengeance begets vengeance. Yet, paying back evil with good is the way of God, and it's a form of glory and peaceful protest. I believe Jesus was saying that you should never stand for being abused or subjugated, but you should never react violently either. Your rebellion will be heard better when you stand above the cacophony of anger and revenge.
Sources other than Bible:
https://www.reenactingtheway.com/blog/turning-the-other-cheek-jesus-peaceful-plan-to-challenge-injustice
https://www.thorncrownjournal.com/timeofchrist/romans.html
https://www.cpj.ca/defiance-not-compliance-turning-other-cheek
https://www.touchstonemag.com/archives/article.php?id=06-03-023-v
https://dustinfjames.wordpress.com/2010/09/21/if-someone-asks-for-your-cloak/
http://storage.cloversites.com/makinglifecountministriesinc/documents/What%20does%20going%20the%20Second%20Mile%20mean.pdf
