John 18:23Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

If the Master of the angels answers and defends Himself before a servant, there is no need to say more.

Only keep these words in your mind, repeat them often, and say, "If I have spoken evil, bear witness to the evil; but if well, why do you strike Me?"

Consider who says this, to whom He says it, and why. These words will become for you a divine and unceasing refrain, able to still every irritation.

Consider the dignity of the One insulted, the nothingness of the insulter, and the excess of the insult.

The servant not only reviled Him, but struck Him. He did not merely strike Him, but struck Him on the cheek. Nothing is more insulting than such a blow.

Yet the Lord endured everything, so that you might learn humility in the best way.

Let us not only speak of this now, but remember it also when the time comes. You have praised what has been said, but show me that praise by deeds.

The wrestler trains in his school in order to show the benefit of those exercises in combat. So you also, when you grow angry, show the benefit of what you have heard here.

Repeat these words without ceasing: "If I have spoken evil, bear witness to the evil; but if well, why do you strike Me?"

Inscribe this in your mind. I keep repeating these words to you so that everything said may be implanted in your soul and remain indelible in your memory.

From this remembrance there will be profit. If we have these words clearly inscribed in our mind, no one will be so stony, ungrateful, and insensitive as to be carried away by anger.

These words, better than every bridle and bit, can restrain our tongue when it passes beyond the bounds of moderation and propriety.

They can calm the troubled mind, dispose it to constant modesty, and establish in us complete peace. May we always be counted worthy to enjoy this peace by the grace and love for mankind of our Lord Jesus Christ.

With Him, to the Father and the Holy Spirit be glory, dominion, and worship, now and ever and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

He feared being suspected of belonging to the number of those who had marveled at Jesus. Therefore he struck Him.

By saying, "I have said nothing in secret," Christ recalls the prophecy which says, "I have spoken nothing in secret, nor in a dark place of the earth" (Is 45:19).

Perhaps He exposes the servant's very great injustice not simply because he struck Him, but because after his former admiration for the Teacher, he now dared to dishonor Him without any fault. If, He says, you had not once been moved by My words, and if I had not been considered by you a teacher of what is most excellent, then your case would be different. If I had not been acknowledged as a wondrous interpreter of the Holy Scriptures, and if you yourself had not then cried out, 'Never has a man spoken like this' (Jn 7:46), then there might perhaps be some ground for showing mercy to your inexperience. Then this fault might not be imputed to you. But since you knew and marveled, perhaps, He says, you would not have risen against My words if you had now thought fit to remember your own words. How, then, can you count your sin blameless? Thus you may understand the saying. Besides this, one may see that in these words the Savior sketches for us a certain incomparable and supernatural image of boundless long-suffering. He also gives us the idea of the highest and immeasurable mercy, presenting Himself as a most glorious example. For He undergoes a slave's blow, though He had power to destroy all the Jews completely by a single nod. Yet He does nothing. He does not repay any of His offenders with immediate punishment, because He is not subject to our weaknesses. Anger and grief have no power over Him. He is not weighed down by the burden of violence. Instead, He gently puts to shame the servant who attacked Him. He says that it is not fitting to strike Him who has said nothing improper. Though He suffers what appear to be the most terrible punishments, He does not forget His own ways and His own teaching. By fitting correction He persuades the servant of Jewish arrogance to withdraw from their folly in this matter. He Himself received 'evil for good,' according to what is written (Ps 34:12), and He repaid good for evil to those who dishonored Him. Our Lord Jesus Christ, even when struck, endures patiently, though He is true God and Lord of earth and heaven. But we, miserable ones, 'earth and ashes' (Gen 18:27), insignificant and small, like the green growth of the garden, behave otherwise. For 'as for man, his days are like grass; as a flower of the field, so he shall fade,' according to what is written (Ps 102:15). If ever one of the brethren sins in word and says something even slightly offensive, we consider it necessary, like dragons, to wound him. For one word we insatiably pierce him with thousands of words. We show no condescension to human faintheartedness. We do not take account of the common weakness of nature. We do not cover our anger with mutual love for one another. We do not even look to Jesus Himself, 'the author and finisher of our faith' (Heb 12:2; cf. Rom 12:19). Instead, we strive to avenge ourselves, and that harshly. Yet divine Scripture says in one place: 'The ways of those who remember wrongs lead to death' (Prov 12:26). Again it says: 'Let none of you remember evil against his brother in your hearts' (Zech 7:10). Therefore let Christ Himself, the Master of all, serve us as the pattern of mercy toward one another and of immeasurable long-suffering. For this purpose He says to us in one place: 'A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master' (Mt 10:24).

Here someone may say, "Why did He not do what He Himself commanded?" That is, He should not have answered the one who struck Him, but should have turned the other cheek to him (cf. Mt 5:39).

But what of the fact that He answered rightly, humbly, and justly? He did not merely offer the other cheek to the assailant, but His whole body, that it might be nailed to the tree.

By this He rather showed what had to be shown. Namely, that His great commandments concerning patience must be fulfilled not by offering the body, but by preparing the heart.

For it may even happen that a man filled with anger outwardly offers the other cheek.

How much better it is, with inward peace, to speak the truth in reply and to be ready, with a tranquil soul, to endure still heavier sufferings.

Blessed is the man who, in everything unjustly suffered for righteousness, can truly say, "My heart is ready, O God, my heart is ready."

From this, of course, what follows will take place: "I will sing and give praise" (Ps 56:8). Paul and Barnabas were able to fulfill this in harshest bonds (cf. Acts 16:25).

If you say that much sweat and labor are needed for an insulted man to bear this, I shall not deny it. Yet I shall say that the greatest labors give birth to crowns.

And if you wish to quench the inflammation of the soul by an easily applied example, call to mind that when a defiled hand struck the sacred face of the Lord, He spoke words better and higher than all philosophy.

"If I have spoken evil, bear witness to the evil; but if well, why do you strike Me?" Do not cease to heal the soul with this saying.

Therefore a blow from the attendant on the other cheek could not have frightened Him. If it had truly been necessary to turn the other cheek, and if His commandments had to be fulfilled literally, He would certainly have turned the other cheek to the man who struck Him.

But He acted otherwise. By a meek question He resisted the evil servant and thereby spared him from repeating a most grievous crime.

These examples prove that Jesus Christ did not understand or fulfill literally His commandment concerning nonresistance to evil. Consequently, He commanded us also not to fulfill it literally.

The Insult to Jesus by the Attendant of Annas. Annas understood that no other answer could have been expected and probably would have ended the interrogation.

But his attendant, standing there, found in this answer something disrespectful toward so important a person as the former high priest. Wishing to show special zeal for his master, he struck Jesus on the cheek.

He insolently said, "Is that how You answer the high priest?"

If Jesus had borne this insult in silence, people might have thought that He acknowledged it as deserved. The overly zealous servant would especially have become proud beyond measure at such silent approval of his deed.

Therefore, in order to cut off evil at its very beginning and make the servant feel the full weight of his sin, Jesus overcame evil by a good word.

"If I have spoken evil," He says, addressing the man who insulted Him, "then bear witness to the evil. Point out exactly what you consider wrong in My answer to the high priest.

But if I have spoken well, why do you strike Me?"

Only when they appeared, and not before, did the true formal trial begin according to Jewish law.

Such savage self-will by an attendant forced even the high priest himself to feel the sting of conscience. This was especially so when he heard Christ's infinitely meek remark.

"If I have spoken evil, bear witness to the evil; but if well, why do you strike Me?"