Be Blessed: Revenge

“You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if anyone would sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. And if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. Give to the one who begs from you, and do not refuse the one who would borrow from you." (Matthew 5:38-42)

In a world fractured by anger and division, Jesus sees fit to addresses the heart behind these struggles—not once, but twice—during the Sermon on the Mount. First, He speaks to grudges (Matthew 5:21-26), and now He confronts revenge (Matthew 5:38-42). Most, if not all, of us will be tempted to "avenge" ourselves at some point. We'll be wronged time and time again, but the Lord says to that, "Do not resist the one who is evil...turn the other cheek." It's a popular piece of advice of ours, given in hopes of deescalation. But what is it, exactly, that we're encouraging people to do? A slap on the cheek isn't as popular an insult today as it was two-thousand years ago, but the core of His message—maintain peace, choose good over evil, be founded in love—still hold truth and importance. Do not resist the one who is evil.* Choose to love him instead.

*Note: Scripture is clear about what our attitude should toward the devil. James writes this in his epistle: "But He gives more grace. Therefore it says, 'God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.' Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you" (James 4:6-7). So, in a rush that might seem to be a contradiction—do not resist the one who is evil, on one hand; resist the devil, on another—but there are two different "evil ones" being addressed here. James writes about the devil; Jesus speaks about a person who is doing evil, whoever it is that has slapped your cheek or insulted you. Resist the devil, embrace the person.

Posture of Peace

"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." (Romans 12:17-18)

Part of walking with the Lord is walking away from unnecessary disputes and resisting the temptation to stir the flames of conflict. Of course we'll end up in disputes, we're imperfect people interacting with other imperfect people. Even if the Word hadn't promised that the world would hate followers of Jesus, we'd inevitably butt heads with someone somewhere—I still butt heads with my brother even as we both grow in faith. But even when we get to that point, we're called to maintain a posture of peace and unity. Paul offers that reminder as he lays out the characteristics of followers of Jesus ("the Marks of the True Christian") in Romans 12.

I like to think of it as holding space for people. As imperfect people clash, venting can turn into disrespect and insult. When we're on the receiving end of a verbal attack, and even in some physical altercations, Scripture encourages to take on a posture of peace. Rather than attempting to retaliate or to justify yourself, stand strong and let the insult pass. To say "turn the other cheek" was to encourage a method of graceful defiance, to rise above the insult without retaliation. A slap on the right cheek wasn’t just painful—it was an insult. In Jesus’ day, this gesture signaled disdain, often from someone of higher status. Turning the other cheek wasn’t about letting people walk over you, though; it was a bold, peaceful response that forced the aggressor to see you as an equal. So it is today.

In standing firm and turning the other cheek, we show grace and self-control. We show that we're rooted in faith rather than swayed by public opinion. Like an oak tree that bends but does not break in strong winds, standing firm in peace anchors us deeply in God’s love. Our strength isn’t in retaliation, but in quiet resilience rooted in Him. As we turn the other cheek, we step into a new position—one of strength and respect, as an equal. By walking in humility and grace, we create space for peace and open the door to overcome whatever evil existed with good.

Overcome Evil with Good

"Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, 'Vengence 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 doing so you heap burning coals on his head.' Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good." (Romans 12:19-21)

Now, having turned the other cheek, you have the opportunity to create a positive. It's one thing not to add to negativity, but it's another thing to replace that space with a helping hand. "Don't resist the one who is evil"; instead, embrace him. Take it all as an opportunity to exercise the love of God. This, in my opinion, is the goal we should walk into interaction with: How can I move the Gospel forward here? Notice the pattern in what Jesus says in the Sermon. "If they take your tunic, give your cloak also." "If they force you to go one mile, go with them two." "Give to the one who begs." "Don't refuse he who would borrow." Generous service is the most effective means to the end of peace. So let that be your focus.

And we get to add to that train of thought a bit, some extra muscle in tense situations. Like I said in the "Anger" entry, Jesus' words are meant to humble us; and that's still the case here. There are shades of "count others as more significant than yourselves" and "I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, etc." (Philippians 2, 2 Corinthians 12). I love the reminder Paul offers in his letter to the Romans: God will avenge Himself. At the end of the day, Jesus Christ is the thing. Anything that pulls us from that does more harm than good. "In all your ways acknowledge [the Lord], and He will make straight your paths" (Proverbs 3:6); so let God handle the offense, let Him be the bearer of judgement, and turn your focus to love.

Love is Ultimate

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect." (Matthew 5:43-48)

Love fulfills the Law (Romans 13:8), it's the mark of discipleship under Christ (John 13:35), and it is the knowledge of God Himself (1 John 4:7). Our first responsibility as followers of Jesus is to "love the Lord our God with all our hearts, souls, and minds." Then, it's to "love our neighbors as ourselves" (Matthew 22:34-40). This is good and true, in fact Jesus shares these words at a time after having given the Sermon, as He's continued to reveal His new world order. Here He's touching on an attitude which has been perverted from the 10 Commandments. The heart of the culture at that time was to love neighbors, but to hate enemies. As it is with so many things, this makes sense at first, in a narrow perspective. It's natural to view our enemies as threats to our well-being—sometimes even dangerous. From a worldly perspective, hatred may seem justified. But this pulls our focus away from the Mission: to reconcile all to the Lord Jesus Christ.

So, as He speaks to the crowd, Jesus offers a correction of this attitude. "Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in Heaven." He reminds them, and us, that even those we despise greet their brothers. We're called to be separate, though, to be different—to be holy, as the Lord is holy (Leviticus 20:7, 1 Peter 1:16). Where some are bent on revenge and modern forms of tribalism, we're called to love proactively for the sake of the Gospel, and for the sake of our own identities. The Lord says, "You must be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect." These words—perfect, holy—come across as lofty sometimes, but they're simply calls to maturity and integrity. The Lord has a Way, and we're called to walk in it, even in anger, even in the face of insults and injustice; we're called to love first. This is easiest to do when we maintain our humility.

Simply Put...Stay Humble

"Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped,but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." (Philippians 2:3-11)

I’ve felt anger before and longed for justice in the moment. But this isn’t the way of Christ, regardless of how badly you feel you were wronged, regardless of how righteous you believe your anger to be. We’re allowed to feel anger, but citizenship in Heaven means surrendering our right to revenge. Our focus should remain on inviting others toward Christ, modeling His humility and grace. This isn't to say that you need to tolerate consistent disrespect; if someone is truly harmful to you and your walk with Christ, it’s wise to create distance—but do so with grace and integrity, maintaining your posture of peace. Pray for those who persecute, bless and do not curse them. The Lord avenges in the end; and if it's in His hands, you need simply to focus on peace.

Be blessed.