Monday, November 5, 2018

Revenge

Monday, November 5, 2018

Never pay back evil with more evil.  Do things in such a way that everyone can see you are honorable.  Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone.  Dear friends, never take revenge.  Leave that to the righteous anger of God.  For the Scriptures say, “I will take revenge; I will pay them back,” says the Lord.  Instead, “If your enemies are hungry, feed them.  If they are thirsty, give them something to drink.  In doing this, you will heap burning coals of shame on their heads.”  Don’t let evil conquer you, but conquer evil by doing good.  Romans 12:17-21(NLT)

There are so many illustrations of how we humans despise the idea that our enemies get away with anything.  A bombing, or jet crashing into twin towers requires a response.  A murder requires lethal injection.  A bop on the head during recess requires running to the teacher and demanding justice!  We are hard-wired, it seems, to default with eye-for-an-eye revenge!  The first thing a recruit is taught when learning to be a good soldier is that the enemy must die!
Doing good to your enemies makes no sense at all, does it?  Yet, that is exactly what the Apostle Paul is saying.  And the idea wasn’t his at all!  In fact, when Paul was still Saul, the Pharisee, breathing out threats against the church, righteous revenge was his stock-in-trade; he worked tirelessly to inflict religious vengeance on the blasphemous Christians[2].  But when Jesus caught up with Saul on the Road to Damascus, the Lord not only changed his name to Paul, this newly commissioned apostle had his mind changed as well.  Jesus taught him what he’d taught on the Olivet hillside:

“You have heard the law that says, ‘Love your neighbor’ and hate your enemy.  But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you!  Matthew 5:43-44(NLT)

Now, that sounds altruistic, and even heroic, to walk on the high side of revenge; forgiving instead of killing – but does it work in the real world?  Well, that depends upon in which world you prefer to live – this world’s system of grab all you can and dispose of anyone in your path who is an obstacle … or the Kingdom of God.  The two worlds are polar opposites, and you cannot live with one foot in the Kingdom, and the other in the world.  Trying that will make you a Thanksgiving turkey wishbone!  You’ll get pulled from both sides, and the split will be painful.
So, let’s entertain a slightly different view of meeting the needs of hungry, thirsty enemies; a view that makes sense.  It has to do with what the apostle said about heaping burning coals of shame on someone’s head.  At first hearing it sounds like you’re calling fire down from heaven on someone’s head…get that sucker, God; it’s a real revenge party! 
But the meaning couldn’t be more opposite.  In Eastern culture of two millennia ago, the fires were always burning.  It was much easier to keep a fire going than get a new one started.  Smoldering coals were used to transfer fire from one place to start up a new blaze at another location. 
If, by chance, or laziness, your fire went out during the night, requesting some coals from your neighbor was the first thought.  Doing the neighborly thing you’d put some fiery coals in a pot, and your neighbor would carry them home, balancing the pot atop their head. 
So, Paul’s imagery contains goodness with a barb.  Fiery coals are a good thing when your fire has gone out.  But these fiery coals of shame turn it upside down; given to an enemy, a good deed becomes their shame in counting on the kindness of one to whom they have shown no kindness.  That kind of response changes hearts from revengeful to kindly. 
And changed hearts changes lives, communities, and whole cultures.  It can change the world!
For You Today
Burning coals; it only takes a spark to get a fire going.
You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road; have a blessed day.

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[1] Title Image: Courtesy of Pixabay.com
[2] See Acts 8, 9 & 22

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