My point is not that we should have torture as a form of criminal punishment, but that the eye-for-an-eye principle of scripture is justice. It is exactly what is deserved.
The point Christ was making when referencing this principle of justice is that His followers are not supposed to be in the business of exacting justice at every opportunity for the injustices done to them personally. Instead, He demonstrated the higher way of extending grace and mercy to those who have done wrong. It was not a blanket repeal of this law—no more so than His statement that children of the king should not be obligated to pay taxes justifies tax evasion.
This doctrine was for His kingdom which He told pilate was “not from hence”. If His kingdom was from here, He said His servants would fight. His doctrine was not meant to be imposed by Christians upon the governmental authorities of this earth who must mete out justice to wicked men who will never exist in Christ’s kingdom when He establishes it. Further, the laws of Christ were to be written on our hearts rather than being implemented as part of an earthly legal system.
It is also not the job of Christ’s followers to go around demanding that those who have been on the receiving end of great injustices should just “let it go”. Christ taught more on this subject than just this one passage, as I already pointed out.
Luke 18 :1-6
Then He spoke a parable to them, that men always ought to pray and not lose heart, saying: “There was in a certain city a judge who did not fear God nor regard man. Now there was a widow in that city; and she came to him, saying, ‘Get justice for me from my adversary.’ And he would not for a while; but afterward he said within himself, ‘Though I do not fear God nor regard man, yet because this widow troubles me I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me.’ Then the Lord said, “Hear what the unjust judge said. And shall God not avenge His own elect who cry out day and night to Him, though He bears long with them? I tell you that He will avenge them speedily.”
Jesus also taught that it would be better to commit a violent suicide than to do what this woman did when she burned this child alive. There MUST be consequences for crime.
If someone robbed a store at gun point and took $1000 and was later caught, brought to trial, convicted, and then the judged sentenced the robber to pay back $1000 as his only “punishment” it would be a travesty of justice. It would send a signal to all would-be criminals that crime DOES PAY. The worst that could happen to you is have to pay back what you stole.
It is similar when a woman can burn a child alive and not get a severe and painful penalty. But we have the ACLU stepping in and saying that certain methods of administering the death penalty are inhumane because the person being put to death might experience some pain. And what’s worse is we have “Christians” taking the ACLU’s (i.e. Satan’s) side on the matter.
If the death penalty is slow and painful, GOOD! It should be. It’s not supposed to be pleasant. Stoning was one such method in the Bible, and it resulted in most of those on the receiving end having fingers ripped off, eyes put out, huge bruises, gashes, and swelling long before they finally succumbed and expired. This is appropriate for those who have earned it.
Perhaps we are at an impasse over where Christians should stand with regards to criminal punishment. I’ll at least take solace in knowing you would be against the former crimes done in the name of the Church and of Christ in which people were tortured for the supposed crime of heresy. I’m assuming we agree on that much.
It is all too common for sinful man to take the Mafia approach: "You insult me, I break your legs. You put one of ours in the hospital, we put one of yours in the morgue. You kill my brother, I kill your whole family."
The Law of Talion was a OT scribal principle not requiring retaliation, but restraining it to strict equal measure.
A familiarity with Matthew 5-7 is necessary here. Especially Jesus' series of Seven Antitheses, each of which follows the pattern, "You heave heard it said... but I say unto you..."
As people remarked at the time, "He (Jesus) speaks with authority, not like the scribes."