Dec 12 2014
Eye for Eye
“You have heard it said ‘Eye for eye and tooth for tooth.’ But I tell you …”
‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth’ is one of the most quoted statements of the Bible. People usually quote it as justification to take personal revenge. But this was not the original purpose of the statement. It was originally a legal term know as the Law of Retaliation (Lex Talionis) which limited judges to passing sentences that did not exceed the crime. In other words the judge could only take an eye for an eye, he could not take a life for an eye.
Of course the law was metaphoric, not literal – no one actually had an eye or a tooth removed. More
Jan 20 2016
Tithing – Not Abolished But Fulfilled
Jesus said “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.” (Matthew 5: 17)
To abolish something is to put an end to it. To fulfill something is to complete it, to bring it to reality, or to its destiny.
Let me explain by asking all parents with daughters a question. Why is your little girl pretty? As a parent (especially if you are a father) you may not want to face the answer. The reason your little girl is pretty is because when she grows up she needs to catch a man. Yup, that’s the reason. Her prettiness has a destiny, and one day it will be fulfilled. Her beauty will knock some guy off his feet.
Likewise, when Jesus said he had come to fulfill the Law, he meant that he was going to bring it to its destiny, or what it was ultimately meant for.
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