Sean Connery famously described “the Chicago way” in the movie The Untouchables. Al Capone seemed untouchable and going after him required bravery in the face of great risk, and boldness of action. It wasn’t going to be pretty.

“An eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth” is from the mouth of Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:38-42). Jesus was teaching something different, but the law wasn’t some kind of Old West, Chicago way of personal revenge. That wasn’t Jesus’ point nor was it the purpose of the law.

The role of law was designed to fulfill two very important tasks. One was to restrain the lawbreaker by setting punishment that would be executed timely. The other was to restrain vengeance by making sure the punishment fit the crime, rather than satisfying an escalating scale of retribution. Jesus was quoting the law, which was given at Mount Sinai to restrain punishment from going beyond what was fair and equitable (Exodus 21:23-25).

Thankfully Jesus came to deliver a message of mercy and forgiveness. Which path will we choose: the Chicago way or the way of mercy?