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| Vengeance and Justice A woman became sick and went to her doctor. After a battery of tests the doctor said to her, "I’m afraid you have rabies." "Rabies!" The woman couldn’t believe it! The doctor left the exam room and then returned to find the woman writing on a piece of paper. "What are you doing?" the doctor asked, "Writing your will?" "No," said the woman. "I’m making a list of people I want to bite." Ever since September 11 our nation has been wondering out loud about getting back at others who hurt us. I’ve seen such thoughts on bumper stickers and T-shirts and forwarded emails. Suddenly we hear a lot about words such as revenge, retaliation, and justice. Perhaps there have been moments when our anger moved us to want to inflict similar pain on those who committed such despicable acts of terror. Have you felt anger over this crime? What should motivate our actions as a nation now? Should it be anger and revenge, a sense of justice? What does it mean to bring people like Osama bin Laden to justice? And how should we respond as Christians? As I wrestled with these questions I went to our main source of wisdom and guidance…the scriptures. I did word studies on several words and was surprised at what I learned. For example, the word "revenge" is only used twice in the entire Bible. These two usages are in reference to the revenge, not of Israel, but of Israel’s enemies. So it is clear, even in the Old Testament era, that revenge is not appropriate for the Jew and Christian. Then I looked up the word, "avenge." Several Hebrew and Greek words are translated into the English, "avenge." These words have meanings that range from "to give out vengeance", "to cause punishment to return", "to give ease or safety", "to breathe out", "to look over", "to judge", "to save", "to plead the case of someone". In the New Testament in the Greek the word "avenge" means "to give full justice." The word "justice" in both Hebrew and Greek means "rightness". To do justice is to "make things right." Do you see the picture shaping here? Vengeance does not mean vindictiveness or revenge or retaliation. Rather it means restoration of wholeness and integrity to the community. Cries to God for vengeance in the Bible are cries for redemption, restoration, health, and healing. I don’t know about you, but I was amazed at this! When we have been wronged it is okay to be angry. It is okay to be mad. There is such a thing as righteous anger. And it is okay to not be able to forgive right away. But when we combine deep feelings of anger with a desire for vengeance, what we get is revenge, not redemption. We want to punish another and hurt them the way we have been hurt. When punishment is done in anger there is a sense that we want them to feel pain for a long time. When vengeance is applied it is always with a desire for justice. Eventually justice leads to a desire to bring the offending people to wholeness and healing in the community. We may want another to feel hurt, but vengeance and justice sees a limit to their pain and at some point envisions restoration and wholeness. If we apply this teaching to our present situation, as Christians, we are called to act differently, perhaps, than governments. Bringing terrorists to justice in order to make things right is a good and necessary thing. But as Christians somewhere in our minds and hearts there needs to be a desire, even if it is a tiny flicker, to see those who commit acts of terrorism restored to wholeness. Consequences for acts of murder will always need to remain in place, but this should not stop the Christian from seeking reconciliation with the perpetrators. Jesus said to pray for your enemies. I didn’t make up these hard things. I’m only reporting them to you. In light of September 11 it seems almost absurd to think about any kind of restoration or reconciliation. But isn’t this exactly what the people of God are called to envision? Aren’t we called to dream of a world where the lion lies with the lamb? Aren’t we called to dream of a world where swords are beaten into plowshares? Aren’t we called to dream of a world where people live in the light of God’s love? When he was an attorney, Abraham Lincoln was once approached by a man who passionately insisted on bringing a suit for $2.50 against an impoverished debtor. Lincoln tried to discourage him, but the man was bent on revenge. When he saw that the man would not be but off, Lincoln agreed to take the case and asked for a legal fee of $10, which the plaintiff paid. Lincoln then gave half the money to the defendant, who willingly confessed to the debt and paid the $2.50! But even more amazing than Lincoln's ingenius settlement was the fact that the irate plaintiff was satisfied with it. Psalm 137 is a poetic lament following the forced exile of the Israelites in Babylon. "How can we sing the Lord’s song in a foreign land?" In a way our country is in a kind of "foreign" land now. We are not living in the same country prior to September 11. We live now in a land where some of our security has been shattered. We live in a land where we know that terror is here and will likely happen again. How can we sing the Lord’s song in this new place? Randolph Nugent, the head of the General Board of Global Ministries of the United Methodist Church, tells this story. A number of years ago, just after the Soviet Union crumbled the leaders of Russia invited the United Methodist Church to come and help set up different opportunities for mission. One of the groups that went into Russia was a medical group made up of doctors and nurses. They worked side by side with Russian doctors and nurses for two weeks. As they worked, they taught scriptures and songs. They even prayed together. One morning, when the busses arrived to get the U.S. doctors and nurses they were all told to get on the bus. Today they were going to a new place. They were not going to work in the hospital. When they asked where they were going, no one answered them. They got on the bus. They drove through the city. They drove past the suburbs. They drove through the country. They continued to drive through beautiful forests. They drove for hours. At one point, they got to the edge of the forest and the bus stopped. They were ordered out. They all got out. They were told to start walking, and they walked down the path with the doctors from Russia. They walked for a long time on that path. They walked past the trees. Finally the trees thinned out and the path continued on. Eventually they arrived at a point where virtually nothing was growing. Eventually they stopped in a place that was utterly destroyed and devoid of life. One of the Russian doctors turned to the team of United Methodist Missionaries and said, "This is ground zero. This is where our government tested its nuclear weapons. Tell me, can you sing your songs of faith, even here?" There was a long, very pregnant silence. Finally, one of the missionaries began to sing, "Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so." And the others started to sing as well, "Little ones to him belong, they are weak but he is strong. Yes, Jesus Loves me, yes Jesus loves me, yes, Jesus loves me, the Bible tells me so."'" Sometimes our words fail us. Revenge, justice, vengeance, retaliation. What does it all mean? In times like these what we can do is to sing the Lord’s song. Listen to God’s song playing in your heart. Learn it. Memorize it. And then take that song and sing it for a world in desperate need of hope and peace. |
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10/14/01 - Vengeance and Justice (Romans 12:14-21 Psalm 137:1-6)
