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for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.' Unfortunately, this has often been interpreted out of context, and with retribution in mind. 15 But even in Jesus' time it was apparent that there were other verses of the Torah taught that people should not seek revenge. The underlying principle is that God always desires the welfare of all creatures.
We must keep in mind when studying the teachings of the religious leaders—prophets, saints, and mystics—do not search for 'new' truth. Rather, what they do is to simply remove the layers of dirt of accumulated misinterpretations that have corrupted the truth. The saints and prophets interpret the same eternal truth in a new light for their cultural context. The original truth must repeatedly be presented anew to suit the current age. Jesus faced two challenges. First, he would have to extricate the truth buried inside the fabricated norms of the prevalent tradition. Second, teaching the path of inner realization that is attained through self-control.
In the gospel stories we see that Jesus felt a desire to have the association of a true teacher. He had heard about the ministry and teaching of John' who was teaching and baptizing people at the banks of the Jordan River for the remission of their sins. Jesus approached John in his hut in the wilderness. He felt very
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