Jesus said he did not come to change a single word of God's message; in fact, He came to fulfill it. It can therefore be inferred that what is stated in the Old Testament stands, except where specifically cited (animal sacrifice, as an example).
"Do not think I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. I tell you the truth, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished." Matthew 5:17-18
To understand the relationship of man to God, think back to the beginning. Man is in the Garden of Eden- paradise. Man, because he has free will, disobeys God's rule (Law) and is forced to leave.
In time the population of the earth is such that rules for conduct are necessary (as evidenced by the wickedness of man and the destruction of man through flood). Along comes Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and through them the world begins to be re-introduced to God.
In the proper time Moses is chosen to lead an oppressed nation out of slavery to live by God's will. At this point God has set His people apart from the rest of the world and gives them the Law. The Law is pretty common sense material for the most part, but it does add the novel idea that God is a jealous god and that He demands no other god be worshipped. And so the Jewish people moved on.
In time Jesus comes. He shows that the teachers of the Law have ultimately failed, because they have put the literal translation of the Law before the spirit of the Law. Worse, the teachers had added their own interpretations that obviously were not in line with God's wishes. Jesus would expose this point time and again.
So, to this point man had failed to live in paradise by following his own way. He failed to live in the world by trying to follow the law. It seemed there was no way to get to heaven because no matter what man did he would always fall short of perfection- and God would not allow imperfection near Him.
Then Jesus came. He became the ultimate blood sacrifice for all sins, and as a result became the sole arbiter through which you can be sanctified and allowed to pass into heaven. The Old and New Testament are both relevant, every word, because they trace the steps through which God shows us we need Him. We cannot make it on our own, as the Bible shows.
Now, how does all this relate to the topic? Simple. "Eye for an Eye" as Boroda put it was a simple and direct way to deal with problems in their society. Don't dream for a second it didn't mean exactly what it sounds like it means. As discussed above, Jesus didn't change the word of God. There are still punishments for evil.
David was a man after God's heart. When King Saul was killed, there came a messenger to David bearing Saul's crown and arm band:
David asked him, "Why were you not afraid to lift your hand to destroy the Lord's annointed?
Then David called one of his men and said, "Go, strike him down!" So he struck him down, and he died. For David had said to him, "Your blood be on your own head. Your own mouth testified against you when you said, 'I killed the Lord's annointed.'" 2 Samuel 1:14-16
Remember, Jesus is also God and the Holy Spirit. God is perfection, therefore God does not contradict himself. What fails is our understanding of Him and his Law. Yes, Jesus wants us to love one another. Yes, he wants us to forgive others. Do not let this make you think that wrong goes unpunished, or that it should. Accountability is in the New Testament too, but it is spoken of more in the Hereafter context.
And take that into consideration. Some people who believe in Heaven and Hell somehow believe that earthly punishment can anywhere near compare to the eternal damnation of Hell. If God can damn you to Hell, He can certainly allow you an earthly execution. Further, there is nothing to say that the people here on earth can't be used as God's hand to carry out His wrath- again, this is clearly true, and pointedly illustrated many times throughout the Bible.
I think we have things out of context. I fear eternal damnation far more than any earthly torture or execution. This doesn't mean we have to be bloodthirsty or anything, but we do have to have accountability for our acts. We have to have rules that make our society function smoothly.
"Is it right to pay taxes to Caesar or not?"
But Jesus, knowing their evil intent, said, "You hypocrites, why are you trying to trap me? Show me a coin used for paying the tax." They brought him a denarius, and he asked them, "Whose portrait is this? And whose inscription?"
"Caesar's," they replied.
They he said to them, "Give to Caesar what is Caesar's, and to God what is God's." Matthew 22:17-21
