“An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.”
It is one of the most famous lines in the Bible, but also one of the most misunderstood. Many people think it means, “If someone hurts you, hurt them back.” But that was never its purpose.
In ancient Israel, it was a legal principle. The idea was simple: the consequence should match the offense, not go beyond it. In today’s terms, if someone burned your car, you could not justify burning down their whole house.
The goal was fairness. We still see this idea in everyday life.
β’ Law: A shoplifter should not receive the same sentence as a murderer.
β’ Sports: A small foul should not get a player kicked out of the game.
β’ Parenting: Coming home a little late should not mean being grounded for a month.
β’ School: Failing one subject should not get a student expelled.
β’ Work: One unexcused absence should not cost someone their job.
β’ Business: One late delivery should not end a business partnership.
In every case, the idea is the same: the consequence should not be greater than the offense.
But when it came to personal revenge, Jesus called His followers to go beyond simply getting even. Instead of asking, “How can I get even?” He taught them to forgive and show mercy.
The same idea of keeping score can make us think about something very different: giving.
Imagine someone gave you a loaf of bread when you were hungry. You could simply give them another loaf someday. Or you could surprise them with a whole fried chicken.
When it comes to giving, keeping score may be fair.
Generosity changes the story.
β¨ α΄ΚΈα΅β±βΏα΅ α΄α΅α΅ α΅αΆ α΅Κ°α΅ ΚΛ‘α΅α΅ α΅α΅Κ³α΅α΅ α΅α΅Λ’β±αΆ α΅Λ‘α΅α΅
