Eye For Eye

By nature, we do not want justice; we want retaliation. When we are wronged, our instinct is not to seek what is measured and right. We want to strike back harder, longer, and deeper. That impulse is restrained by God’s law in Exodus 21.

The LORD says, “But if there is harm, then you shall pay life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth” (Exodus 21:23-24, ESV). This was never permission for personal revenge, but a declaration that punishment must be measured, restrained, and just, not driven by rage or wounded pride. Yet we want others to suffer more than they deserve, while hoping God will be gentle with us. In Christ, we see that the just punishment for our sins is placed on the only One who does not deserve it.

Christ suffered far more than He deserved so that those who deserve judgment might receive mercy. This sermon considers Exodus 21:12–36 and Matthew 5:38–48 and shows how God’s exact justice and Christ’s willing suffering meet in the gospel.