Revenge!

Ron Writes

Revenge is such a strong emotion. Someone has done you wrong! They’ve hurt your feelings. As the Count of Monte Cristo says "Death is too good for them. They must suffer as I have suffered.” Have you ever noticed that one of the strongest emotions that drives the plot of most action movies is revenge? Payback! Unforgiven! Why is that? Do you think we get a vicarious sense of satisfaction watching someone rewarded with revenge. The wrong was righted. Justice is done. The pain has been healed, or has it?

It just doesn’t work that way in real life. The OT principle of “an eye for an eye” was meant to prevent excessive revenge. Human nature is to retaliate, plus more. Jesus taught in the Sermon on the Mount that God doesn’t want us to take revenge at all. This demands forgiveness. Too many don’t want revenge, but they refuse to forgive.  

The opposite of forgiveness is not unforgiveness. It’s bitterness. How does bitter taste? What does bitter look like? Unfortunately, we all know bitter people. You don’t want to pet a bitter dog. They snap at everyone. Not forgiving affects you more than the one you won’t forgive. It’s like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die.

The Christian life must be motivated by the gospel of the grace of God. God forgave you. He forgave your past wrongs. He forgives current sins. He gives you a hopeful future. As Max Lucado says, “The key to forgiving others is to stop focusing on what they did to you and start focusing on what God did for you.” Even amongst Christians who desire to be transformed into the likeness of Jesus, not one has fully reached that goal. No one is free from sin. No one is fully mature. At times we can all be irritable, hard to please and lack patience. We all need forgiveness. “Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger…. Forgive one another, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you” (Eph. 4:31-32).