Monday, November 2, 2009
Sweet Revenge
(Matthew 5:38-42)
Revenge is an all-too-common impulse among even professing believers. The idea of “getting even” so permeates our society as to appear to carry moral weight. According to Jesus, it does not. As we have already seen, personal offenses are not best settled with retribution; rather, they are best settled by reconciliation. Retribution exacts a penalty—“pay backs” for the offense. Reconciliation releases the supposed debt in a flood of forgiveness. Retribution echoes legality; reconciliation reflects grace.
So Jesus taught His followers to resist the impulse for revenge. In fact, He taught that we should “go the extra mile” in seeking reconciliation—especially when the offended party insists upon legal action. Ideally, believers should be willing to do whatever it takes to make reconciliation possible.
Sometimes legal actions are unavoidable. In such cases, Christians should demonstrate their willingness to go beyond the orders of the court to make things right. Certainly, such an attitude excludes the possibility of revenge on a believer’s part. Rather than seeking to “get even” with someone who has sued me, I must seek—the best I can—to “get right” with him. Realistically, I may meet with indifference or resistance, but I should still attempt to make things right. And, most certainly, I must not enact any form of revenge—verbal, physical, etc.—against my enemy. If he refuses the establishment of a right relationship, I at least have the consolation that I have obeyed the Lord.
