Getting even

After hearing the lecture about this weeks lesson which was on Matthew chapter 5 I got to thinking about the idea of "getting even". The speaker explained that the law or retribution found in the old testament was very specific when it said eye for an eye, hand for a hand, etc. She explained that if someone slapped you with an open hand then you had to slap back the same way, you couldn't punch them with a closed fist. Isn't that what we want to do though, get them back in a way that makes them understand that they better not mess with us again. Not just do back what they did to us but add a little bit more pain than we initially received. That is the human nature of getting even, but Jesus turns our world upside down by saying we need to turn the other cheek and go the extra mile. I'll be honest and this is not to boast but I am not very easily offended and no one has physically attacked me lately so I haven't had to worry about turning the other cheek much. However, what does bother me is when someone "messes" with my family. I thought about the movies I have watched where the bad guys are torturing someone to get them to talk, but when it doesn't work they start torturing someone else in front of them, usually someone they love or care about. Isn't that what our enemy does too? If he can't get to us by messing with us then he will start messing with our friends and family. For some reason it's easier to justify revenge if it's done on behalf of another. After all, aren't we suppose to be our "brothers keeper". Unfortunately no matter how we justify it, getting even and revenge are God's jobs, not ours.