Revenge and Enemies

by Irene Cernik

Day 1 - Read Matthew 5:38-39
An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth-at first glance this passage looks radically violent, gruesome at best, if one subscribes to non-violence. On the other hand if a person condones retaliation for wrongs they have incurred then clearly this passage sets a limit to retaliation. According to ancient Jewish law the original intention was to set reasonable limits to retaliation and to the crime. For judges it formed the guideline for punishment-it was to be proportional to the crime. And so it seems that society needs justice and the law enacts it accordingly.

But hold on, the very next verse requires us not to resist, gulp, an evil person. Jesus says-yes the ban on retaliation holds but we must do more-we may not harbor hatred for our enemies and we must show personal kindness to evil doers! Could Jesus really mean that? Does this make any sense? Paul reminds us in Romans 12:17, “Repay no one evil for evil.”

Although these passages were familiar I never personalized them. Then a few years ago a close friend forced the application of these verses to my circumstances. The friend violated our family and many others with his evil. Initially I was full of disbelief followed by fear which later was replaced with rage and loathing. Naturally, justice would be upheld in a court of law, I assured myself. And then the “legal system” revealed its limitations and restrictions, according to the law, leaving me with...nothing. Nothing from a human perspective. At the point of utter personal despair and perceived failure of the justice system, God was able to fill me with his words and his ways. Through prayer, wise counsel and study of God’s word a heart of revenge and hatred was replaced with a heart for God. “When you go through deep waters and great trouble, I will be with you” Isaiah 43:2. “Your heavenly Father...will give you all you need from day to day if you live for him and make the Kingdom of God your primary concern” Mathew 6:32-33. “When your faith is tested your endurance has a chance to grow” James 1:3. Today, I no longer hate my former friend. In fact the opposite has happened. I pray for his welfare and restoration with Jesus. And, no, we haven’t reconciled.

Day 2 - Read Matthew 5:40-42
One Bible commentary refers to these verses with “four extreme cases follow in rapid succession”. If you are insulted by a slap to the face, go against the natural human tendency, and give the assailant the other side of your face. Huh? Jesus wants us to endure a slap in the face for HIS sake, maybe even two slaps. No reason is given. We are to follow Jesus’ example. Can you think back to a time when you were unfairly treated but you didn’t protect yourself, your personal honor? No one may have even noticed your non-reaction but if you took this stance for righteousness sake surely your father in heaven sees.

If anyone would sue you and take your coat let him have your cloak as well. Perhaps Jesus uses the example of the lawsuit since either it can be offensive to be taken to court or because lawsuits can involve false accusations. The strange logic of being stripped naked is possibly yet another reminder that we ought not be overly concerned about defending our honor nor avenging wrongdoers.

If anyone forces you to go one mile go with him go two miles. Readers of the bible will know that the cruel Roman occupiers forced Hebrew citizens to carry the Roman soldier’s equipment for a thousand paces. Complete humiliation-the Jews carried the weaponry that ultimately was used against them!

Resistance, Jesus says, is futile. After the Romans forcibly extract this service, Jesus says, freely give them another mile. Dear God, may we also go the extra mile for those that exploit us. Jesus, help us to not to stop at the point of anger and humiliation and dwell there. Allow us the grace to understand that you, Jesus, died for all-the cruel oppressor as well as the prideful and the innocent. Forgive us as we forgive those that sin against us. Amen.

Give to him who begs a loan from you and do not refuse him who would borrow from you. Give to the one who asks. Okay, so now we are to follow Jesus’ teaching and forget about checking credit, references, interest rates, deposit insurance, and contracts. Are you kidding me? Is there no limit? Once again Jesus demands reckless giving, free sharing, open door helping, nothing held back. Here we see this upside down world of Jesus in another astonishing way. He hits the wallet, the savings, the retirement, our worldly possessions, our home-everything we have worked for. It’s ours, we shout.

But what if it really isn’t ours? Then, we are God’s conduit on earth for the disbursement of His provisions. Nothing can be claimed/possessed by us in this kind of thinking. Radical thinking-yes indeed. But that is what Jesus was-radical love. Dear Lord, help us to be compassionate individuals and churches, help us with ministry to the needy and to the poor. Allow us to model your generosity. Amen.

Day 3 - Read Matthew 5:43
You shall love your neighbor. How do you define neighbor? Is it a physical address closest to your home? Is it your family members, perhaps your nuclear family and not your extended family? Is it the group of folks you spend the most time with, those that accept you as their own? Is it those that share the same continent as you? Do you still consider those once close to you as neighbor...your ex-spouse, that jerk next door, the friend that betrayed you, the boss you loved that put you on unemployment, etc.?

Day 4 - Read Matthew 5:44-48
Love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you.
“I command you to love each other in the same way that I love you” John 15:12. Loving others as Christ loves you is costly. Think about the price Jesus paid to love us. He left heaven to live among us. He came to earth and was ridiculed, rejected, beaten, spit upon and crucified. Loving wasn’t comfortable nor convenient for him. It cost him everything.

Jesus calls us to love others the same way he loves humanity. So what are you willing to spend to love others? Will you give up comfort, convenience, popularity, time, energy or money? Will you step outside your world to get into the lives of others? Will you love the people that the world doesn’t love? What will it cost you? Are you willing to pay the price?

Day 5 - Read Proverbs 25:21-22
We close the week with words of wisdom from the journal: “A One Year Road Trip with Jesus”. “Inaction and avoidance are never options with Jesus. Neither is resentment or bitterness. Nor judgment.

You and I were once enemies of God, being dead in sin and unresponsive to the voice of God. And what was God’s way of relating to us? God initiated to us:
Mercy, not retaliation Blessing, not cursing Prayer, not gossip Good, not evil Forgiveness, not grudges Love, not avoidance.”

As you stay sensitive to the Holy Spirit’s teaching you “let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will know what God wants you to do” Romans 12:2.