Do Not Seek Revenge

“Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against one of your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD” (Leviticus 19:18, NIV)
Our natural tendency is to get even

We want those who hurt us to be hurt too and much more.  This is our natural tendency to get even, to settle the score.  We want justice, we want revenge.  But do you realise that revenge is sin.

Jesus calls us to respond counter-intuitively. Instead of meeting evil with equal or greater force, he urges us to meet evil with a completely different force: with good. Instead of paying back in kind, we are called to pay back with kindness.

There’s a parallel passage in Romans 12 that explains how this works.  Romans 12:17-21 (NIV) Do not repay

[18] If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.

May not be possible, but we should do whatever we can on our side.

But if we do that, if no one stands up to the aggressor, if we don’t give him what he deserves, then he’s just going to keep on doing it! If he gets away with it this time, he’s just doing to do it to someone else. Where does that leave justice?
God has an answer for you:

[19] Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: "It is mine to avenge; I will repay," says the Lord.

God will take care of justice. It may not be when we want it. It may not be how we want it. But He will make sure that justice is done. This policy is not a lack of justice. It is a call not to take personal revenge in order to get justice. Leave justice and revenge to God.

Paul went on to say:  Do not take revenge… [20] On the contrary: "If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head."

[21] Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

We are to answer evil with good. The trap is to be overcome by evil, to be so hurt, so wounded that we too choose an evil path by personally trying to settle the score. But God says, try paying back evil with good. What happens is even more devastating to the person who hurt you.

Let’s go back to our passage in Matthew 5. Starting in verse 39, Jesus gives us four examples of this principle of answering evil with kindness and generosity.

 [5:39] If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.

It means don’t try to get even, be kind and generous even when someone verbally or physically assaults you.

 [5:40] And if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well.
The tunic was a shirt, the garment worn closest to the body. On top of that you wore a cloak which was almost like a blanket. In our day, you might sue someone’s pants off. But in Jesus’ day they didn’t wear pants. So Jewish law permitted a person to sue someone for their shirt. The cloak was actually protected by law. It could not be taken away.

The lawsuit in this verse might be a legitimate case, but I think there is also an overtone in this passage that suggests that it might even be an unfair settlement. Once again, the idea is not that a Christian is some wimp, that if you get unjustly sued that you shouldn’t put on a defense or you should automatically give the plaintiff all he’s asking for and more. The idea is again that we shouldn’t try to get even. Don’t counter-sue to get them back and make them pay. Instead, be generous with what you own. Hold on to your possessions loosely. So loosely that you’re willing to give them up if the only way to hang onto them is to fight for them, stooping to the same level as the one who is cheating you.

In other words, Be kind and generous even when someone unjustly cheats you of your property.

 [5:41] If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles.
In the Roman Empire, a soldier or government official could force someone to carry their luggage for them. However, Roman law said that a person could only be forced to do this service for one mile and then he was free to go.

I’m sure that no one liked this forced labor when it happened. They probably resented it just as much as we do when we’re forced into something. I can just see some slave saying, “Fine. I may have to carry his stuff, but you never know what might happen to it. It could get really dirty if I accidentally drop it in the mud. You just never know.”

But Jesus says, don’t resent it. Don’t try to get even. Instead be generous. Repay evil with good. Offer to go another mile. Give him more than he has the right to demand.

In other words, be kind and generous even when someone forces you to do something against your will.

The final example is in verse 42:

[5:42] Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.

This is another one of those verses that causes so much soul-searching and confusion. At face value, this seems to be saying that we should give everyone whatever they ask for. In fact, I’ll make it even more unappealing. I think that because of the context, it’s probably talking about people who are actually taking advantage of your generosity. What they deserve is nothing. But Jesus tells us to continue to be generous. Don’t try to punish them by cutting them off from help. Be kind. Be generous. Even if they mistreat you or manipulate you or lie to you.

In other words, Be kind and generous even when someone takes advantage of your generosity.

Conclusion

Jesus says, I know that justice is important to you. I know that it hurts when you’ve been wronged. But be careful. There’s a danger here. Never let your thirst for justice turn into a quest for revenge. Don’t get even. You’ve been attacked and cheated and forced and taken advantage of. But answer the evil with kindness and generosity.