Mercy

Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with God's people who are in need. Practice hospitality.

Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited.

Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. 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. 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."

Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good (Romans 9:12-21).

Everyone reading this has been hurt by someone. You might have been the victim of bullying at school. You might have been neglected by a parent or caretaker. You might have experienced betrayal at the hands of someone you trusted. You might have been abused by someone you loved. You might have been lied to. You might have been taken advantage of.

Such treatment leaves scars—scars on your soul. Maybe you find it hard to take others at their word. Maybe you carry bitterness inside of you like stomach acid that never goes away. Maybe you are timid and afraid of getting hurt again. Maybe you are cynical and expect the worst from everyone. Maybe your life has lost its color and warmth, and you live in a cold landscape of depressing grayness.

When someone hurts you, the last thing on your agenda is offering them forgiveness. How can you ever trust them again? How can you put away the resentment that still lingers? How can you wish them well, for heaven’s sake?!? Yet that is exactly what our Savior asks you to do.

Here is something that is important to remember: forgiving is not the same as condoning. The Apostle Paul says hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Our heavenly Father hates it when we sin; and while He sets His anger aside to show us mercy, that forgiveness in no way excuses our bad behavior. Forgiving someone is to let go of your anger, your resentment, your bitterness. These strong emotions are playthings in the devil’s hands. Whether you are boiling with rage or keeping it on a constant simmer, Satan can use your raw emotions for his own dark purposes. He can make you suspicious when you should be trusting. He can make you snap at others instead of being patient. He can trap you in thoughts of plotting revenge when your energy should be directed towards serving the LORD in gladness. Anger, resentment, bitterness—these are dangerous emotions that no one should carry around with them

Paul says, bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. To be persecuted is to be singled out for personal, repeated attack. People are persecuted for all sorts of reasons. A boy might wear glasses, be real smart, or have trouble with sports. A girl might be overweight or excessively skinny or covered in freckles. A man might be black or gay or mentally retarded. A woman might be saving her virginity for her wedding night. And every one of us can be a target for those who reject the Lord Jesus Christ. The point is, we are targeted for who we are. The attacks are personal and repeated.

Why does God tell us to bless the people who treat us this way? For one thing, responding to hatred with more hatred won’t make things better in the long run. Hatred does not forge relationships. Hatred does not build mutual respect. Another reason to bless our enemies is that it actually to our benefit. If their behavior changes because the love of Christ has touched their heart, we have one less enemy and maybe even a new-found friend. And by asking God to bless our enemies, we focus our thoughts on love and kindness instead of lingering on the bitterness that can suck all joy from your days.

But the most important reason that we bless and do not curse is because that is what Christ Himself did on the cross. After being arrested on false charges, being brutally manhandled and made fun of, and finally having large nails pounded through His hands and feet, Jesus offered this prayer for His tormentors: Father, forgive them (Luke 23:34). Jesus offered that prayer for everyone who brought Him to that bloodstained cross—including you and me and the people who have wronged you terribly. All of us are sinners. All of us contributed to the pain and suffering that Jesus endured at Calvary. Yet Christ did not curse us; instead He blessed us with heavenly mercy.

Paul writes, if it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Can we live in peace with our enemies? Not always, but Paul says to make it our constant goal. We do have an obligation to point out sin when it rears its ugly head. God commands us to do this, because silence implies consent. Most people do not respond well to criticism, especially if they do not recognize Jesus’ authority over their lives. Urging a change of ways often provokes hostility instead of compliance to the will of God. Yet we speak out anyway, because sinners need to realize how dangerous it is to anger the Lord God Almighty.

Can we live at peace with our enemies? Sadly, there are times when drastic action is needed to protect the vulnerable. This is why we have people serving in the military and in law enforcement. Sometimes lethal force is the only protection we have against terrorists and criminals. But responding to violence with more violence just legitimizes and perpetuates it. Mohandas Ghandi showed the world that peaceful protest can shame the enemy into abandoning violence. When it comes to personal attacks against us, Jesus said if someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also (Matthew 5:39). Our Lord demonstrated this when He was crucified; the prophet Isaiah writes (in chapter 53) He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth.

When you are hurt, it’s tempting to seek revenge. But looking for vengeance is fraught with problems. First off, can you be absolutely sure you’re going after the right person? How many innocent people have been falsely convicted for one reason or another? Even if you are sure who is responsible, what were their motive? Can you be sure it was malicious? Did they act out of panic, or because someone was pressuring them to do what they did? Is revenge the best response?

Another problem with vengeance is that it just perpetuates a cycle of violence. You hurt me or someone that I love, so I need to hurt you in return—back and forth it goes. We’ve seen it in Northern Ireland and among the street gangs of Los Angeles; the desire for vengeance made Germany rise from the ashes of World War One to fight again in World War Two.

Worst of all, the craving for revenge fills you with bitterness, not peace or love. So Paul says, 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 doesn’t make mistakes. God’s heart never gets poisoned by dark emotions. So He takes sole responsibility for executing vengeance on sin. Retaliation is not up to us.

Forgiving our enemies, blessing them, letting go of our anger—it’s hard to do. So Paul urges us to never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. If you are a child of God through holy baptism, if you are a follower of His Son Jesus Christ thanks to the sacrifice of His body and blood, this should fill you with a passionate commitment to the Lord, an outlook on life that is front and center as you interact with others. Some Christians wear a cross as a piece of jewelry; others like the bracelet that asks, “what would Jesus do?” These serve as reminders that we don’t respond to others according to our hostile impulses or the expectations of the world; our behavior ought to be at a higher level. Sadly, we often fail to live up to this standard of conduct, especially when under personal attack. Praise the LORD that He shows mercy to all sinners, especially us!

It’s one thing to humble yourself before Christ and ask His forgiveness for breaking God’s law. It’s a bit tougher to humble yourself before a friend or loved one and ask their forgiveness when you’ve treated them badly. But it’s extremely difficult to go to an enemy that you’ve wronged and humbly ask their forgiveness. To admit your failure is to expose yourself as vulnerable. But what better way to illustrate what being a Christian is all about! And regardless of whether they forgive you or laugh at you, Jesus expects us to take ownership for our mistakes and express sorrow to those we’ve wronged—to God, to our loved ones, and to our enemies. Even if no one else forgives us, we know for certain that Christ forgives us.

If we expect God to forgive or sins, we have to share His gift generously. Jesus put it right into the Lord’s Prayer—forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. In Mark chapter eleven our Master says, when you are praying, if you are angry with someone, forgive him so that your Father in heaven will also forgive your sins. To hold a grudge is to oppose what Jesus died on the cross to achieve—forgiveness for sinners.

Rest assured, evil does not go unpunished. Jesus paid the penalty for all sin on the cross, an awful price of suffering that God alone could bear. But there are many that do not hold the benefit of Calvary in their hearts. Without faith in Christ as your Savior, vengeance is coming from the LORD, and it is terrible. Hell is dark, painful, lonely, and filled with endless regrets. As much as we might feel that someone deserves it, it is sobering to realize that we all deserve it. Jesus endured the cross because He loves us and wants to spare us from the punishment that we ought to receive. As His followers, concern for our fellow man calls out for the same loving kindness, a compassion that is willing to do the hard thing. Forgive. Bless. Tell about the Savior. This is how good overcomes evil.