I always get a little nervous when people start invoking the Old Testament in relation to justice or morality. The Old Testament can be a little tricky in this regard. I have heard people justify vengeance and retribution (including capital punishment) by pointing to Exodus 21:23-25: ²³ If any harm follows, then you shall give life for life, ²⁴ eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, ²⁵ burn for burn, wound for wound, stripe for stripe (New Revised Standard Version). This is when I try to gently remind people that Christians are followers of Jesus. For those of us who believe Jesus is the ultimate revelation of God, then it is our responsibility to view the Old Testament through the lens of Jesus to make sense of it. Continue reading