Matthew 5:38-41
“…eye for eye, tooth for tooth…”
~5 min read
In the Old Testament, God gave the law through Moses, eye for eye, tooth for tooth (c.f. Exodus 21:24). The primary purpose of this law was to stop the people from taking their own revenge. Oftentimes, when people got hurt, they would want the person who caused the pain to suffer more than they did. But God’s law did not allow the penalties to escalate or be excessive. The punishment had to fit the crime which was known as the law of retaliation!
In the New Testament, the religious leaders would often quote from Moses saying, “An eye for an eye, that’s it! If you hurt me, I have the right to hurt you! If you take my eye, I will take yours. It is tit for tat. An eye for an eye!” But Jesus said, Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth: But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also (Matthew 5:38-39). Jesus did not contradict Moses, but rather He corrected the religious leaders of His day for their misinterpretation of the law.
To strike someone on the right cheek was much more than an injury, it was an insult. Most people are right-handed, and in order to strike someone on the right cheek, one has to strike him with the back of the right hand. People would not accept such an insult and they would fight back and say, “You insult and strike me on the right cheek, I will insult and strike you back. An eye for an eye!” However Jesus explained, “When it comes to personal injury, if someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.”
Dear children, the purpose of the law was to make things right, not to harm someone else. When we are wrong, we need to make things right and do everything justice requires. But when someone does us wrong, we do not have to insist on justice, instead we have an opportunity to show mercy, forgive and give up our rights to make the people pay for what they have done to us. Jesus showed us by His example when He suffered all kinds of insults and injuries on His way to the cross (Isaiah 50:6), and He even prayed for His persecutor, “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do!” This is the law of love! If we apply this law of love in our lives, family, church and society, then we will truly be a living testimony of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! All to the glory of His precious name!
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