Relationship
•Repay no one evil for evil. Have a regard for good things in the sight of all men (Romans 12: 17).
The law of talion («an eye for and eye» and «a tooth for a tooth») is not limited to the time of Moses. Nowadays, many countries follow a similar principle in their penal codes. Ameneh Bahrami was an university student who studied electronics in Iran when she rejected the romantic and sexual advances of her fellow student Majid Mohavedi. Majid insisted for two years, but the young woman did not give in. One day, he followed her to the bus station and there threw a bucket of sulfuric acid on her face, leaving her blind and disfigured. Following the guidelines of the Islamic law, the court sentenced Majid according to the law of retaliation: an eye for an eye.On the appointed day and under legal supervision, a doctor placed Majid under anesthesia in order to apply the same acid in his eyes so he could receive his sentence or punishment. At the last moment, Ameneh offered forgiveness to her attacker. The court accepted the young woman’s decision and Majid was acquitted, even though he was made responsible for paying the medical bills for Ameneh’s eyes and face treatment. This young woman’s forgiveness exceeded the limits of the law and followed the generous principle of today’s verse.
The law of retaliation was applied in the past not to seek revenge but to protect the offender from self-gratification, because in certain cases the reaction could be incomparable. In fact, the three times the phrase «eye for an eye and tooth for a tooth» appears in the Bible (Exod. 21 :24, Lev. 24:20 and Deut. 29:21) is presented in the legal context, that is, the basic legal code for a judge or court’s decisions but never on a personal level. Even if the law seems cruel and ruthless at first, it was carried out for the exclusive and controlled use of judicial authority.
Jesus presented a revolutionary version of the apparent law of the talion, «Repay no one evil for evil.» How many interpersonal problems would be immediately solved if this principle were applied! But how could the victim who was harmed by anger and fury not pay back evil with evil? It is humanly impossible! Indeed, this is not possible from a human point of view, but it really is from a divine perspective. Pray today that the Lord will make His promise possible in you: For it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure» Phil. 2:13).
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Taken from: Daily Devotions for Junior 2020
“A Cheerful Heart Is Good Medicine”
From: Julian Melgoza-Laura Fidanza
Colaboradores:Ricardo Vela & Emmanuel Tapia
