Though the word “bully” doesn’t appear in the Bible, the idea of treating others in a brutish and insolent manner does. The Bible is full of examples of bullying: Saul’s persecution of David in I Samuel, Ahab’s and Jezebel’s threatening of Elijah in the Book of Kings, Saul (also called Paul) and his relentless bullying and persecution of Christians, and, finally, Jesus himself—being bullied, scorned, and persecuted by the religious leaders of the day.
Proverbs 6:16-19 says, “There are six things that the Lord hates, seven that are an abomination to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that make haste to run to evil, a false witness who breathes out lies, and one who sows discord among brothers.”
These verses reveal the core of a bully’s heart. The bully is proud (haughty). He will lie. He does run sometimes to shed blood. He devises wicked plans and runs swiftly to do his evil works. The bully usually finds his self-worth in making others lower than himself. That is why he keeps bullying. It is a power trip for him. Bullies only focus on their well-being at the cost of others. This sounds a lot like Satan to me.
It is awful to see what bullying does to victims. There can be severe physical, psychological, and emotional trauma to victims that can last a lifetime.
Jesus never said, “I’ve got the solution to bullying.” But a solution can be inferred from the Sermon on the Mount, which begins by acknowledging the suffering of the downtrodden and encouraging them to follow His instructions, enabling them to “inherit the earth.” In other words, it is how the powerless become the powerful.
“You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.' But I tell you not to resist an evil person. But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also." (Matt. 5:38-39)
This teaching is not for wimps. It takes courage to face the one who strikes you without retaliating and to let him do it again. That courage makes a profound impact on the one who has struck you, who senses your fearlessness. And the good thing is that he probably won't strike you again. The “slap” that Jesus says we should endure here speaks of personal slights of any kind. Even in our day, a “slap in the face” is a metaphor for an unexpected insult or offense.
But Jesus is not suggesting that his followers should stand around and take abuse. First, turning the left cheek was a bold rejection of the insult itself.
Second, it challenged the aggressor to repeat the offense. In other words, turning the other cheek strongly declares that the opposer holds no power for condescending shame because the victim’s honor is not dependent on human approval—it comes from somewhere else. This kind of action reshapes the relationship, pushing the adversary to either back down or to treat them as equal.
Third, it’s important to remember that some bullies never give up or treat their victims fairly. If the bully keeps "slapping them in the face" without feeling guilty, the victim should just walk away. Jesus does not, after all, say to offer your left, then your right, then your left again. While it's important to bravely confront bullies without taking revenge, I don't believe Jesus is advising the victim to go to extreme lengths to do this.
Jesus met his opponents face-to-face with creative generosity. In the ultimate declaration of turning the other cheek, Jesus allowed his enemies to falsely accuse, arrest, and convict him before putting him through intense public humiliation and brutal murder on a Roman cross. As it’s all happening, Jesus turns his other cheek to those who strike him, offers up his clothing, and carries his cross the extra mile.
He is not passive or unwilling; he’s not a powerless victim. With tremendous power, he willfully accepts his opponents’ malicious treatment because he knows they cannot ultimately take either his honor or his life.
His instructions are completely different from the teachings of today’s “great comeback line” anti-bullying movement. He doesn’t teach us that if we are victims, other people need to change. He puts responsibility entirely on us.
The Bible shows us what bullying looks like and how we are to conduct ourselves while being bullied in Matthew 5:44-45: “But I say to you, ‘love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in Heaven. For He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.”
We need to stand for what is right by bringing attention to the bullies in society, but even more importantly, we need our children to understand where their self-worth should come from, teaching them to memorize scripture and how to pray for their enemies.
I have personally experienced what it is like to be bullied, and it is no fun. But my heart and soul belong to God, and this is why I am who I am today. If our sons and daughters understand that God will strengthen them in the very hard times, and help them to have the right response it won’t necessarily take the pain of the moment away, but it will encourage them to stay strong and fight the good fight.
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