Expositor's Bible Commentary Commentary Luke 6:29

"To him that smiteth thee on the [one] cheek offer also the other; and from him that taketh away thy cloak withhold not thy coat also." — Luke 6:29 (ASV)

“You who hear me” means those who are taking in what Jesus is saying. The word “love” must be understood in its classic Christian sense of agape (GK 27), having a genuine concern for someone irrespective of his or her attractiveness or of the likelihood of any reciprocation in kind. Jesus spells out the specifics. In the first instance (v.28), apparently no physical harm has been done; so the response also is not physical but to "bless” and to “pray.” The next situations involve action that must be met by some physical response. Being struck on the cheek probably refers to an insult slap or to a hand blow to the jaw. The injunction is directed to individuals who desire to live as “sons of the Most High” (v.35). Note too that Jesus is not advocating the suspension of normal civil judicial procedures.

“If someone takes your cloak” may refer to a street robbery, though the passage implies that the person has a need or thinks he does. The teaching of the passage as a whole relates not so much to passivity in the face of evil as to concern for another person. Inevitably, to refrain from doing evil often means suffering evil. This was the path of the Lord Jesus (cf. 1 Peter 2:20–24), who prayed for his enemies and died for them (Romans 5:10).