Have you noticed the presence of REVENGE themes…
kinda all over the place?
Maybe you’ve heard (or said) something like,
“One day he’ll get his! God will get him for what he did!”
or
“Wait until judgement day! God says he will repay. He will avenge.”
or
“I just can’t wait until she gets what’s coming to her.”
Sometimes people even use these verses (below) to comfort themselves, or maybe assuage their rage while trying to wait for God dole out paybacks.
Because…You know what they say about paybacks…
Hebrews 10:30-31
For we know him who said, “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” and again, “The Lord will judge his people.” It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
Here’s the final Word on paybacks.
God gives them out, well, he has. God did avenge. God did repay. Justice was served…as grace (for us). God’s due wrath and fury, the full vengeance for all the horrid wrongs was repaid…
In every sickening, flesh-ripping whip strike upon the innocent body of Jesus of Nazareth. In every bash, wallop, wound, thorn gouge, spear stab, and nail pounding. Every pain.
All of sin, then, now, and forever was paid for. Their sin…. And your sin.
It is finished. Really.
The kind of revenge we want for others has already happened, and it was very expensive.
Hold back your hope for paybacks, because Jesus doesn’t need to do it again. Jesus took the blows for their debt, and more importantly for yours.
Let us be aware of how costly our sin is…
…even our sin of hoping for revenge…but calling it “justice”.
Justice is spookier than we’ve realized.
Forgive. When that stops working, forgive again.
So, now what?