An Eye For an Eye

his study is about one of the most misused and abused passages in the Sermon on the Mount. It is a familiar passage to both Christians and non-Christians. It is quoted in secular books, printed in magazines, criticized by some, and yet practiced around the world. The words of the passage are “An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.” These eleven words have been used to justify capital punishment, revenge, and angry hearts. The statement, “I do not get angry; I just get even” is a well-known phrase. Some would say, “I do not get angry; I just get an eye for an eye.”

Ray Stedman describes an event that occurred in South Korea in March 1977. Two soldiers had hired a young man to cook and clean their rented house. These two soldiers liked to play practical jokes. So one day they put Vaseline on the stove handles. The next morning when the young man attempted to turn on the stove, his fingers slipped off the handles because of the Vaseline. On another occasion, the soldiers put a bucket of water over the door so that when he entered the house, he would get wet. One day they nailed his house shoes to the floor. As a result, he had to remove the nails in order to wear his shoes. The young man never said anything. He was quiet and peacefully did his job. Consequently, the soldiers started feeling guilty and finally apologized to the young man and promised to stop. So the young man asked, “No more sticky on the stove? No more water on the door? No more shoes to the floor?” When the two soldiers promised that they would stop, the houseboy said, “Okay, no more spit in the soup!” (Stedman, Ray. How to Hug. Sermon, March 20. 1977)

Revenge. Revenge is everywhere. We see it in our children, adults, schools, politicians, between spouses, and in churches. Austin O’Malley once said, “Revenge is often like biting a dog because the dog bit you.” Yet, revenge can seem like fun as illustrated in the following event.

A story is told about an elderly lady who was driving a big, new, expensive car. She was preparing to back into a parallel parking stall when suddenly a young man in a small sports car quickly moved in front of her and backed into the parking space. The woman was angry and demanded to know why he had done that when he knew that she was trying to pull into that space. He responded by saying, “Because I’m young, and I’m quick.” The young man then left and entered the store. While he was in the store, the car that was in the parking space behind his car departed. The elderly lady pulled into the vacant parking space behind his car. When he came out of the store a few minutes later, he found the elderly lady using her new, big car as a battering ram. She was repeatedly backing up, moving forward and hitting his car. He was very angry and asked her why she was wrecking his car. Her response was, “Because I’m old, and I’m rich.” Revenge can be sweet. The woman enjoyed her revenge. Like the story of the dog, she bit the young man because he bit her.

But if there is any further injury, then you shall appoint as a penalty life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, bruise for bruise. (NASB) Ex. 21:23-25

They twisted the meaning of the passage to satisfy their own hearts. For example, Rabbi Judah is quoted as saying, “If he smacked him, he pays two hundred zuz. If it is with the back of the hand, he pays him four hundred zuz. If he (1) tore at his ear, (2) pulled his hair, (3) spit on him, (4) pulled off his cloak, or (5) pulled apart the hairdo of a woman in the marketplace, he pays four hundred zuz. This was the governing principle: “Everything is in accord with one’s station [in life].” (Mishnah Baba Qamma 8.6). It was no longer an eye for an eye, but money for an eye. It was money for a tooth, money for a hand, and money for a foot. The religious leaders had twisted and changed God’s law in order to make money. But worst of all, they did not even understand the passage.