Revenge: Sweet or Bitter?

The Romans perfected the practice of turning victory into a show of revenge. They called it the Roman Triumph, and it was a parade through Rome in which the victorious General, his troops and the spoils of war were greeted by cheering crowds. The spoils were not only physical treasures brought back from battle, but the conquered king, his family and nobles who were put on public display and humiliated.

Often, particularly when a rivalry is long or casualties are high, victors feel entitled to extract revenge to regain a sense of justice. History is full of examples. Recently secret documents from World War II were declassified and indicated that when the death camp at Dachau was liberated by battle weary US troops, they were horrified at what they saw. They lined up 75 SS soldiers who had surrendered and machine-gunned them down in cold blood. The event was reported to Gen. Patton who chose to dismiss all charges, apparently feeling justice had been served.

Revenge as a way to regain justice occurs on smaller scales as well. Recently, the History Channel aired a miniseries on one of the most famous revenge feuds of all time, the Hatfields and the McCoys. These two clans engaged in a cycle of killings, beatings and kidnappings over several decades in the late 1800s. What initially set it off? A disagreement about ownership of a hog!

But does revenge really reestablish true justice? The American Psychological Society Monitor recently reported that studies on revenge indicated that it made people more unhappy, not less so. Commonly, media interviews of relatives of murder victims who attend the execution of perpetrators indicate that witnessing the execution does not produce any satisfaction or relief. Rather than being sweet, revenge actually seems to be a bitter pill once swallowed.

Paradoxically, the way to celebrate a victory that seems to bring the most happiness to people, is to forgive those who have wronged them. Nelson Mandela is an excellent example. Imprisoned for 27 years from 1963 to 1990, he forgave those who imprisoned him.

The late Pope John Paul II is another example. After suffering serious gun shot wounds from an assassination attempt in 1981, he later visited his assailant in prison and forgave him face-to-face. The Pope said, “I spoke to the man as a brother whom I have pardoned.”

An important point to remember in both these examples is that neither man had been asked forgiveness by those who wronged him. They extended their forgiveness freely.

Why does forgiveness bring happiness where revenge does not? When we forgive, we are participating in the life of Father God. He is almighty and could have exacted revenge on us, but He demonstrated a better way to deal with injustice. He loved us so much He sent His Son, Jesus, to die for us and show us His forgiveness. He tells us in Matthew 5:44–45, “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you that you may be children of your Father in heaven. For He causes His sun to rise on both the good and evil.”

Please join us this Sunday at 9:00 AM or 11:00 AM. Our pastors Greg and Linda Wallace will be speaking. Pastor Greg’s sermon at 9:00 AM is “Ekklesia: People Called Out to Change the World,” and Pastor Linda's sermon at 11:00 AM is “Undone: Abandoning Ourselves to God.”

Pastor Che