23 But if there is serious injury, you are to take life for life, 24 eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, 25 burn for burn, wound for wound, bruise for bruise.
These verses are taken out of context so often that they need a passport. These verses are talking about justice, not retribution. The Lord is placing fair limits on what can be demanded when a wrong has been committed. If someone breaks your plastic fork at a picnic it is not fair to break their arm, or take their life. We hear in the news of this type of retribution and we know it is unfair. That is exactly what the Lord was saying in these verses. When demanding justice, get justice, not retribution. Don’t go overboard. But this verse gets twisted to mean that when a wrong happens, the Lord demands taking a life for a life. We see the results of this thinking almost daily in the news in Muslim countries. We see the family slaughtered because of some insult that happened in the past. When cartoon images of Mohammed appeared in news papers, hundreds were killed and injured. People strap explosives on their body and walk into a market and blow up innocent people. Over 15,000 such attacks have happened since 9/11, all in the name of Islam. The Lord began teaching His people about justice by setting limits on punishments. Jesus goes much further in explaining the Lord’s heart. He said if someone steals your coat, give him your shirt as well. Don’t demand justice. The Gospel is about mercy, getting what we don’t deserve in a positive direction. We deserve justice, but the Lord extends forgiveness and grace. In fact, He took our punishment. He suffered in our place. If He did this for us, can we do any less? So next time someone misquotes this verse, say to them something like this: “This verse means if someone pokes you in the eye, you can only poke them in their eye. You can’t blind them, deafen their ears, cut off their hands and feet, and kill their family. This verse is about justice, placing limits on sentences, and eliminating retribution.”
The Arnold Journey 