The Revolutionary Wisdom of Turning the Other Cheek: A Christian Reflection in Solidarity with West Papua

Almost two thousand years ago, Jesus of Nazareth—teacher, prophet, and the embodiment of divine love—offered his disciples a command that still shakes the foundations of every violent empire:

“Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.” (Matthew 5:39)

To a world that glorifies force and domination, this teaching seems absurd. But for those who listen with the ears of love and conscience, it becomes a moral revolution. In an age of war, racism, occupation, and oppression, Jesus' words remain a powerful challenge—especially for those living under systems of injustice.

Non-Violence as a Form of Active Resistance

Turning the other cheek is not passivity. It is not weakness. It is a deliberate, courageous decision to confront violence without reproducing it. It affirms the humanity of the oppressed and the potential redemption of the oppressor. It is the refusal to allow evil to dictate the terms of struggle.

Christians who follow the crucified and risen Lord are called not to mirror the hatred of the world, but to disarm it with truth and mercy. To turn the other cheek is to assert one’s dignity, to stand firm without striking back, and to say: “You may strike me, but you will not make me like you.”

Dorothy Day and the Power of Gospel Love

One powerful example is Dorothy Day, co-founder of the Catholic Worker Movement. Her Catholic faith led her to a life of radical solidarity with the poor, and a total rejection of war and state violence. Arrested for civil disobedience, often scorned by Church and state, she persisted in her belief that the Gospel demands hospitality for the homeless, mercy for the enemy, and peace rooted in justice. “Our problems stem from our acceptance of this filthy, rotten system,” she once wrote—words as true in today’s West Papua as in her time.

West Papua: A Contemporary Passion

Now let us speak of West Papua, where the Gospel’s call to justice and non-violence is desperately relevant.

For over sixty years, the indigenous people of West Papua have lived under military occupation by the Indonesian state. They have endured killings, torture, racial discrimination, displacement, and the destruction of their ancestral lands. Simply raising the Morning Star flag—a symbol of their identity and hope—is met with imprisonment or worse.

Yet despite decades of violence, many Papuans continue to resist non-violently:

• They organize peaceful protests.
• They speak truth through art and prayer.
• They appeal to the international community, churches, and civil society.
• They carry crosses through the streets instead of guns in the jungle.

And how does the world respond? With silence, complicity, or cynicism—accusing them of naïveté or “terrorism.”

But as Christians, we must see what the world refuses to see: that these men and women, crucified in the forests of Melanesia, bear the wounds of Christ himself. That their non-violent witness is a Gospel in action. That their suffering cries out to heaven.

The Gospel and the West Papuan Struggle

The struggle of West Papua is not only political—it is profoundly spiritual. It is a battle for the dignity of a people created in the image of God. A people who refuse to bow before false saviors or corrupt power. A people who, like Jesus before Pilate, stand accused without raising a hand.

What would it mean for the Church—especially in Indonesia, Australia, the Pacific, and the Vatican—to stand with West Papua in the name of the non-violent Christ?

It would mean:

• Denouncing state violence, even when it’s politically inconvenient.
• Defending the right of a people to speak, protest, and dream.
• Praying not just for peace, but for justice.

Following the example of people like Saint Oscar Romero and Dorothy Day, who all spoke against the dehumanization of the oppressed.

A Final Word of Hope

In the Gospel of John, we read: “God is Love.” (1 John 4:8)

And love, says Saint Paul, “does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth.” (1 Corinthians 13:6)

Love is not indifferent. Love does not say “be patient” to the enslaved. Love walks with the crucified people and refuses to abandon them in Gethsemane.

To all Christians of conscience, I say: West Papua is a test of our faith. Will we turn away, or will we turn the other cheek with them—resisting evil not by returning violence, but by standing in holy, hopeful defiance?

Let us remember the words of Jesus—not as a passive ideal, but as a call to courageous action:

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.” (Matthew 5:9)