You asked

what current social issues might require both justice and non retaliation?

The passage, plainly, with room to sit with it.

Matthew 5:38-39

““You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I tell you, don’t resist him who is evil; but whoever strikes you on your right cheek, turn to him the other also.”

This passage is part of Jesus' Sermon on the Mount, recorded in the Gospel of Matthew. Jesus is speaking to his disciples and a larger crowd, reinterpreting and expanding upon ancient laws and ethical teachings, contrasting them with his new instructions for living as part of God's kingdom.

What might it mean to seek justice in social issues while also embodying a spirit of non-retaliation?

Keep thinking

Read alongside it

Romans 12:17-21
Paul echoes a similar call to 'repay no one evil for evil' and to overcome evil with good.
Leviticus 24:19-20
This is one of the Old Testament passages where 'an eye for an eye' is stated, usually understood as a limit on retribution rather than a command for revenge.
Isaiah 1:17
This prophetic passage calls for actively seeking justice for the oppressed, showing that justice is also about positive action.

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