REACHER’s Alan Ritchson is breaking down the meaning behind the idea of turning the other cheek.

“Jesus was an expert at wading into the most heated, controversial topics of His day and, in provocative and often hyperbolic ways, challenging the listener, His audience, to rethink modern, conventional thought,” he said in a recent YouTube video posted to his InstaChurch channel. “An example of this is a very common phrase, ‘Turn the other cheek.’”

Ritchson continued, “Jesus turns that upside down…when somebody wrongs you, He’s saying, ‘Instead of thinking about this means at which we limit kind-for-kind retaliation, maybe we go about it in a different way…If somebody violates you…instead of responding in kind, I call you to do something different.’”

In Jesus’ time, the actor explained that turning the other cheek would mean challenging your attacker to hit you with an open hand rather than the back of the hand. Hitting someone with the back of the hand signified that they were in a lower socioeconomic class than you were.

“Thus, by turning the other cheek, the persecuted was demanding equality,” Ritchson said. “This is not just letting somebody beat you up. This is somebody staying in a peaceful act of defiance.”

He continued, “What Jesus is calling us to do — He’s not calling us to avoid confrontation. He tells us to go and spread the good news, and He often waded into these places where religious or political debates were happening, but He does call us not to respond with violence….to respond when we’re met with violence — whether that’s emotional, verbal, physical — we respond with love. We continue to challenge the prevailing thought of the day, but we do it with love.”

Ritchson frequently posts videos breaking down his thoughts on the Bible. Movieguide® previously reported:

REACHER star Alan Ritchson delivered a powerful message on his YouTube channel, InstaChurch, exploring the Biblical relationship between human suffering and chokmah—the Hebrew word for wisdom.

In the video, he builds a case that God’s ultimate plan always works for good.

“God says…the universe is built on chokmah wisdom, and we have to, like Job does, accept that we maybe don’t have the perspective that God has, and while we cannot answer that very painful question of why suffering exists, instead of hating God for it or refusing to believe in God because of it, we must accept that God in due time will have a response for each and everything that happens that that proves that it was ultimately for good,” he began. 

“That things happen the way that they did because the universe is ordered with Hokma wisdom, built on wisdom that wisdom will ultimately prevail to prove good,” Ritchson continued. “That is the leap of faith that we need to take.”

Ritchson is currently promoting his latest movie, THE MINISTRY OF UNGENTLEMANLY WARFARE, which tells the true story of the first-ever special forces organization in World War II. Ritchson plays Danish soldier Anders Lassen.

“I’m excited for people to see the juxtaposition between this almost seemingly light-hearted, gentle giant in brutal action, when the switch is flipped and he can go into this savage mode,” Ritchson told Entertainment Weekly. “I think that’s really who Anders was. It’s going to be a lot of fun for audiences to see that kind of work.”

He also recently revealed that the third season of REACHER is “nearing completion” while appearing on THE TONIGHT SHOW.

A portion of the Movieguide® review for the fifth episode of REACHER Season 2 reads:

Episode Five of REACHER: Season Two is an exciting, slam-bang episode. Season Two is one of the more gripping action series available on the major streaming outlets. Best of all, Episode Five has strong Christian, pro-family, patriotic values and overt references to resurrection and eternal life through Jesus. The best scenes, which are extremely moving and uplifting, are smack dab in the middle of Episode Five.

Now more than ever we’re bombarded by darkness in media, movies, and TV. Movieguide® has fought back for almost 40 years, working within Hollywood to propel uplifting and positive content. We’re proud to say we’ve collaborated with some of the top industry players to influence and redeem entertainment for Jesus. Still, the most influential person in Hollywood is you. The viewer.