Reclaiming the Heart of "An Eye for an Eye": What Yeshua Really Meant

When Yeshua stood on the Mount and taught what we now know as the Sermon on the Mount, he referenced a lot of familiar Old Testament laws. One of the most well-known is the principle of "an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth." At first glance, it sounds like a rule about equal retaliation. But Yeshua was doing something deeper than just repeating old laws—he was restoring their original meaning.

In the Torah, the "eye for an eye" principle appears in places like Exodus 21:24, Leviticus 24:20, and Deuteronomy 19:21. These laws weren't about promoting personal revenge. Instead, they were about ensuring that justice was fair and measured. They were meant to stop blood feuds and personal vendettas. If someone was injured, the injury had to be evaluated by judges, and proper compensation was set. It was about preventing people from taking the law into their own hands and making sure that justice was done fairly.

By the time of Yeshua, some of these laws had been layered with so many traditions that their original intent was sometimes lost. Yeshua wasn't just quoting these scriptures to reinforce a rule—he was bringing his listeners back to the heart of God's law. He wanted them to see that these laws were always about restoring peace and justice, not about promoting cycles of retaliation.

In other words, Yeshua was saying, "You’ve heard it said this way, but let’s understand what YHWH really intended." He was correcting misunderstandings and challenging the way these laws had been twisted over time. Ultimately, he reminded everyone that these commandments were about bringing balance—justice that leads to reconciliation rather than vengeance for its own sake.

We can look at this in today’s world and see how far we’ve strayed from the heart of the matter. Often, something small leads to lawsuits where people demand millions of dollars—far beyond what is equal to the original harm. Instead of measured justice, it becomes an excessive pursuit of gain. People pay extra fines, fees, or damages that don’t reflect the actual injury, which creates bitterness and division rather than peace.

- Have we ever asked for far more than what was fair in a conflict?

- Have we ever gone beyond what was needed to restore peace and instead fueled division?

Yeshua’s teaching invites us to consider how we can bring fairness and love into our own lives. If we cause harm, let’s make it right in a way that truly restores peace and community. That’s how we create a healthy, loving community, just as Yeshua intended.

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Let’s walk this journey together!