AMF
International Mailbag
Q: I am under the impression
(if my impression is right or not I do not know) that Jewish people, unlike
Christians, believe in what can be summarized in the saying "an eye for
an eye, a tooth for a tooth" (I am not sure if that's how the saying
goes in English). I don't know much about Jewish culture and beliefs, but
being a catholic and having read both from the old and the new testament,
I can say that there is a striking difference between the frightening and
avenging God that is described in the first and the merciful, forgiving God
described in the later. Just the idea that God can be a Man (Jesus Christ)
makes him so much more compassionate, a God that we can relate to. Anyway
do Jewish people believe in forgiving, 7x70 times if necessary? To Jewish
people is Love, not only to God but to our fellow men - even one's enemy -
, a commandment above all else? Do they consider it to be above any other
rule? And if not, why is that? This is what as always made me pity the Jewish,
if you don't mind me saying so. I find that there is something so incredibly
sad about not knowing unconditional love. Please forgive me if you are Jewish,
I do nor mean to offend. As everything I think is obviously influenced by
my Christian culture, I do not presume to be right. It is just how I feel.?
A: Thank you for writing to AMF International. We appreciate your candid letter.
The phrase an "an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth" comes
from Exodus 21:23-25, so it is part of the Christian Bible as well as the
Jewish Torah. The school of Hillel (an ancient Jewish rabbi) opposed the use
of this verse to justify private vengeance. It is probably best understood
as an instruction to make the punishment fit the crime and not succumb to
the temptation to "one-uppance." Left to their own devices, people
are inclined to answer bad with worse (e.g., "If you poke out my eye
I’ll poke out both of yours."). The Torah (the Five Books of Moses)
tell us here that we are not entitled to any more than has been taken from
us. To refrain from responding to evil with greater evil is only the beginning
of righteousness. Jesus showed the way to more positive righteousness when
he admonished us to return good for evil. (Matthew 5:38).
The way I see it, God did not become a man to know compassion, but to show
compassion. He does not change personality from one Testament to the other
but is the same Loving and Righteous God throughout. The Mercy and Loving-kindness
of God is celebrated repeatedly throughout the Psalms. (See, for example,
Psalms 57, 136, 138 and 145). Through the voices of the prophets he speaks
lovingly of his people with words of comfort such as "When you pass through
the waters, I will be with you" (Isaiah 43:2) He longs to do great things
for his people in Jeremiah 3:19. In the midst of Judgment, the author of Lamentations
wrote "Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed."
(Lam. 3:22) In Isaiah 44:21, he promises forgiveness. In Isaiah 48:6 he promises
the salvation of Israel and the nations.
It was that salvation He came to fulfill in the person of Jesus of Nazareth,
whom we call the Messiah or Christ, and the personality of that Christ is
exactly the same – absolutely righteous and loving, traits of personality
which demand anger against sin. His wrath does not cease in the New Testament,
but is evident in passages such as Matthew 13:40-42, Matthew 11:22, Matthew
10:34, Matthew 23: 33-36, Luke 11:50-51, Luke 17:1-2, Acts 5:1-11, Romans
3:23, Hebrews 10:26-31, Jude 14, 2 Peter 2:4-9, Revelation 15-16, to name
a few.
Forgiveness has always been a part of the Jewish religion. During the High
Holy Days, forgiveness is a central issue. A practicing Jew is expected to
seek the forgiveness of anyone he may have offended during the past year,
and it is very important to attain this forgiveness. It is said that if you
do not forgive your brother, he will not be forgiven. The First Jewish Catalog
says "It should be noted that even more difficult and often more important
than asking forgiveness is being able to give it." Peter probably thought
he was being generous when he suggested extending forgiveness up to seven
times for the same offense, but Jesus said that we should forgive our brother
"seventy times seven times," a figurative way of saying we should
forgive a brother as many times as he repents.
The verse "Thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thy heart"
is from Deuteronomy 6, a passage of such central importance in Judaism that
is recited routinely at least twice a day by pious Jews, as part of their
evening and morning prayers. It begins every synagogue service to this day.
It is bound into their phylacteries and rolled into their mezuzahs.
In conclusion, the teachings of Jesus were not radically new. We should not
expect them to be. As the LORD God incarnate, he had been in communication
with his people since the time he called Abraham. Tragically (but in keeping
with Jewish Scripture), he was not recognized or accepted by his people when
he came to them in the flesh. (John 1:11 fulfills Isaiah 53:3a). What happened
between the Old and New Testaments is not that God changed from an angry god
to a loving god, but that a way was opened so that we could know his love
as we never could before, by humbly accepting his gracious gift of salvation
in Jesus.