"If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also."" Provoke them to cause outrage and condemnation. Thats a sound tactic and thats whats being advocated here. The context of "do not resist an evil person" is here limited to the tactic itself, and presented in *contrast* to it. Just like a manual might explain what *not* to do in addition to instruction on what *to do*. If this were not the case, then apparently contradictory remarks made elsewhere "I come not to make peace, but bring a sword" wouldn't make sense. Others will argue jesus was only referring to himself in that passage, but I disagree. Were he only refering to himself, rather than making a general statement about where we should all stand, then he wouldn't have also said "If you do not own a sword, sell your robe/cloak (and expensive item at the time), and buy one." He was saying it was better to be armed, and prepared for war, even if it meant you were *straight up naked and cold*, then it was to let evil go unresisted. This is confirmed when he writes "For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law." Jesus was talking about the idea of *total war* here. The "man of variance" here he speaks of, is evil people in general, "the wicked", etc. In this light we can now properly view any talk of peace as what they were: propaganda tactics meant to influence the public, even where peaceful, in the context of a broader war against despotic and wicked authorities (the romans and the pharisees).