Reclaiming the Gospel, Part 6 – Eye for an Eye

Whether or not you have any background in Christianity, you have most likely heard the phrase, “An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.” It is something Jesus quotes from Exodus about limiting retribution to the same degree of injury one has received. Exodus got the concept from Hammurabi, a king of Babylon. We often hear the phrase used in terms of supporting retribution or retaliation for insult or injury. The original purpose of the concept, however, was to limit retribution. It was a progressive concept attempting to create a more just society.

When Jesus quotes the phrase, however, he takes the idea further. He cites it in response to common notions of retributive justice. In so doing, he tells his listeners that the code limiting retribution and revenge did not go far enough. Simply limiting revenge does not resolve conflict, manage anger, or teach us to move beyond retributive justice. True justice, per Jesus’ teaching, shifts from taking revenge to offering a surprising initiative based on not accepting offense. Rather than punishing those who do wrong and wield violence, Jesus proposed a different way forward. He told us to offer the other cheek to an aggressor who strike on the first cheek.

Yes, the Bible talks about returning injury to those who harm us, but Jesus’ good news centers on moving us past any penchant for revenge. The good news seeks justice from the perspective of meeting the needs of all, including those who act against us in violence and anger. On one hand, we understand that as a higher ethic by which to live. On another, it grates against the nerves, calling us to silence our normal impulse to resolve conflict with violence, meet aggression with greater aggression, and fight fire with fire. Justice requires that we assess the needs of others, especially those withh whom we are in conflict. The adage that hurt people hurt people, comes into play as we seek to better understand the motivation or driving force behind another’s aggression, or even our own.

If limiting retribution is a good thing, the good news of the gospel calls us to do something even better. Jesus not only spoke of setting aside revenge in the Sermon on the Mount. He also addressed it on teaching about forgiveness. He told Peter that forgiveness should be extended over and over to the same person who continues to harm us time and again. Then Jesus demonstrated how that principle applied to even violently aggressive behavior. He allowed himself to be beaten, whipped, and crucified. On the cross, he declared forgiveness for those who were actively doing him wrong. Paul looks back on this as an expression of God’s love for us, in that while we were busy displaying our enmity toward God, Jesus died on our behalf for our reconciliation and redemption.

That is no expression of “an eye for an eye.” Rather, it is limiting violence and revenge taken to its logical conclusion. If it is good to limit my violent responses to others, it is even better to eliminate my violent responses, altogether. Rather than focusing on the harm I have suffered or am suffering at the hands of another, I should be looking at how I might be part of my aggressor’s redemption. When I can look upon one who is acting out in consideration of what needs of theirs are going unmet, I can resolve so much more. We can actually be reconciled to one another, find peace, and live in harmony.

No, I would not expect everyone to respond well to my initiatives or responses designed to be restorative instead of vengeful. Jesus did not, either. On the other hand, God in Christ deemed it worth taking surprising initiative for our reconciliation and redemption, regardless of how many of us accept it.

“As far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.” (Romans 12:18) “Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing.” (1st Peter 3:8) When Zacchaeus recognized the harm he had done to others, he volunteered to repay those he had wronged four times over, doing what he could to make them whole. That is the flip-side of restorative justice. It is also akin to Jesus’ example of how to deal with others when we are the ones who have been harmed. Making others whole becomes more important than revenge, power, or control, is where the good news of Jesus’ gospel would take us.

#Retribution #Jutice #RestorativeJustice #Restoration #Redemption #Reconciliation #Forgiveness #Hammurabi #Gospel #Vengeance #Revenge

— ©Copyright 2023, Christopher B. Harbin 

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