Turning the Other Cheek

In the fourth century AD people began to leave the great city of Alexandria and move deep into the desert regions. They went there in search of God. Some would live in small clusters, each in a "cell," relatively close to one another. Others, the hermits, lived alone, weaving baskets like the others in an attempt to scrape together enough money to keep body and soul together. They did not require much because they starved the body to feed the soul. They were Christians who believed that the evils in the city posed a deep threat to their faith. As one historian suggests, they fled to the desert because the ship of Egypt was sinking. Some of these desert "fathers," as they were called, became famous as spiritual guides. Though they tended to resist such adulation, they were looked to for advice. Their advice was sparse; they didn't waste words.

One of these men was called John the Dwarf, for obvious reasons. Born around 339, John lived in a cave under ground. He was highly respected and eventually was ordained a priest, unusual for desert fathers. He lived into the fifth century. He did not write but many of his sayings, such as the one below, were recorded by his pupils. It is said the following took place outside a church in the community where John the Dwarf lived. Some brethren were talking with John, asking his advice.

One of the old men who saw it (the discussion and the attention John was getting) became a prey to jealousy and said to him, 'John, your vessel is full of poison.' Abba John said to him, "That is very true, abba, and you have said that when you only see the outside, but if you were able to see the inside, too, what would you say then?¹

"Your vessel (body) is full of poison," a pretty good insult in those days, especially since these men were devoting their "vessels" (bodies) wholly to God. It would be like someone calling us a hypocrite. That might ruffle our feathers. One of the older abbas (spiritual father) gives way to jealousy, still known occasionally among the faithful and even among the clergy. The insult was meant to hurt John, but what does he do? The Lord Jesus told us to turn the other cheek when insulted. That is what John the Dwarf does by saying the older man is right with what he sees. If he were to look inside John's heart the older fellow would really see hypocrisy.

John avoids anger by seeing some truth in the older man's accusation. Instead of taking offence at the brother's statement and perhaps firing back at him, John turns the other cheek. John knows that in a sense the older guy is right. John falls far short of God's glory. Even the saints are continually working on their own agendas, bringing their sins and shortcomings to God. That is what spiritual life is supposed to do, bring to our consciousness the depth of our own folly so we can offer that to God's mercy, and then go back to bringing some more stuff up to God. It will never stop until we enter the heavenly kingdom.

John's response is the proper one. He accepts insult as spiritual advice. He shows some real depth in his walk with God when he does so. And by agreeing John also avoids pride. What do the younger students think by John's statement? That is not John's problem. If they are perceptive they understand what is going on and learn from it. They, too, will be in the same place someday; now they will know how to act. You and I also learn from the response of this desert father. Actually we learn from the Lord, don't we? Turn the other cheek and avoid strife.

Jerry Mercer