E. Stanley Jones, the great Methodist missionary and theologian, relates, “Someone once said to me, ‘I don't think you know when you are insulted.’ I replied, ‘I am not looking for insults and so I do not see them.’"
As a recipe to let go of resentments, Jones concludes, “When Jesus announced his program at Nazareth, he read from Isaiah until he came to the words the ‘day of vengeance of our God.’ Then he closed the book. You do the same. Leave the vengeance to God–use only redemptive goodwill.”
“Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: ‘It is mine to avenge; I will repay,’ says the Lord” (Romans 12:19; cf. Deuteronomy 32:35).
(NEWSER) – A dispute between teens ended in tragedy last weekend, when one high school senior punched another—who never got up after falling to the ground. Victim Jarom Thomas, 18, was with friends at a cabin on Lake Roesiger, Wash., on Saturday night when, witnesses say, Thomas accidentally backed into a car the suspect, another 18-year-old whom KING5 is not naming, was sitting in. After an argument, Thomas agreed to let the suspect hit him to settle things, KING5 reports. They shook hands and smoked a cigarette together first, but after the suspect hit Thomas, Thomas fell backward and hit his head on the pavement. The unconscious teen later died at a hospital, and the suspect was arrested and faces possible manslaughter charges, the Seattle Times reports.
This is a desperately sad story. Somehow, this ill conceived plan to settle the score made sense to these young men.
Conflict resolution needn’t be lethal. But so often our human attempts at quelling conflict are just that—maybe not physically, as in this case, but lethal just the same. When we fight for our own justification, we do damage not only to those upon whom we exact vengeance, but we do damage to our own spirits as well.
God calls us to peace, not vengeance and retribution.
“Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, ‘Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.’ To the contrary, ‘if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.’ Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good” (Romans 12:17-21, ESV).
Everyone is enamored with the idea of justice. Case in point: the 10.6 million people who tuned in to watch the verdict in the George Zimmerman trial. As a nation, we couldn't take our eyes off the proceedings in this infamous trial in which Zimmerman, a 30 yr old Hispanic, was charged with 2nd degree murder in the death of a 17 yr old black teenager, Trayvon Martin.
Zimmerman was on a Neighborhood Watch patrol when he confronted Martin. A struggle ensued, and Martin was shot dead.
The case captivated the attention of the American public who had quickly taken sides in the racially charged tragedy. Which "side" you took dictated your level of satisfaction of justice having been served.
We all say we want justice, but we all want our own brand, our own flavor. We want justice as long as its fateful scales weigh in our favor. What we really want is not justice but revenge. God knows us better than we know ourselves. He knows our proclivity to skew justice, and that there is no such thing as perfect justice in this sin-cursed and fallen world.
While we are all "tuned in" to our own sense of justice, true justice is only meted out by the One and Only truly just judge--God. Whether we feel justice was served or not, in this case or in any other, ours is to place our faith and trust and wait on the One who says, "Vengeance is mine" (Romans 12:19).
"Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: 'It is mine to avenge; I will repay, says the Lord'" (Romans 12:19). "For the Lord is a God of justice; blessed are all those who wait for him" (Isaiah 30:18, ESV). "I said to myself, 'God will bring into judgment both the righteous and the wicked, for there will be a time for every activity, a time to judge every deed'" (Ecclesiastes 3:17).