4 Eye for eye and tooth for tooth
This is all about revenge.
The Old Testament Law stated:
If anyone injures his neighbour, whatever he has done must be done to him: fracture for fracture, eye for eye, tooth for tooth. As he has injured the other so he is to be injured. Leviticus 24: 19 - 20 [NIV]
The point of the Law was to limit retribution, so that if someone from your village lost a tooth in a fight, for example, the maximum compensation that could be exacted on the other party would be one tooth. Otherwise revenge could run and run and result in deeply divided communities, and more lost teeth.
Jesus does away with retribution completely:
But I tell you, Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek turn to him the left, also. Matthew 5: 39 [NIV]
There is no place for any sort of personal revenge in our lives. And Jesus illustrates what he means with four little examples which involve being insulted, being sued, being forced to do something, and responding to someone who begs or borrows (verses 40 – 42).
These are, perhaps, difficult verses for us to take. We hate being wronged, but Jesus tells us we must leave any revenge to God.
To ponder…
If I don't believe that there is a God who will eventually put all things right, I will take up the sword and will be sucked into the endless vortex of retaliation. Only if I am sure that there's a God who will right all wrongs and settle all accounts perfectly do I have the power to refrain. [Timothy Keller]
Lord Jesus, help me to leave my anger with you, knowing that you will judge perfectly. Amen.
David Long
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