Justice or Vengeance?
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"...to the last, I grapple with thee; from hell's heart I stab at thee; for hate's sake I spit my last breath at thee..."
These famous last words, spoken by Ahab in one of the greatest novels of all time, Moby Dick, describe an absence of forgiveness that so many of us have known in our worst moments. Ahab is so angry, feels so unjustly injured, that he will stop at nothing to exact revenge upon the whale that maimed him. Had Ahab been willing to forgive, the novel would have come to an abrupt end in some previous chapter. Instead, Ahab destroys himself, his ship, and his crew in his fatal attempt to destroy his hated enemy.
In Alexandre Dumas' book, The Count of Monte Cristo, Edmond Dantes is accused, convicted, and sentenced unjustly. After years of torture, he escapes from prison, finds a buried treasure, and begins to seek "justice" upon his enemies. However, the "justice" that he seeks is vengeance. It is revenge for his pain and injustice that he is really seeking. It is not until he has harmed an innocent man and then nearly destroyed the woman he loved and their son (who are also quite innocent) that he questions his motives. Fortunately for Dantes (and the innocents whom he has targeted), he realizes his error and repents of it. One of the greatest lessons of the novel is summed up by the words, "Hatred is blind; rage carries you away; and he who pours out vengeance runs the risk of tasting a bitter draught."
In the Apostle Paul's letter to the Romans in the Bible, he reminds us not to take revenge: "'Vengeance is mine. I will repay,' says the Lord."
And yet, how difficult that can be. Just as Edmond Dantes is blind to the truth, we can also walk around blindly thinking that our pursuit is justice, when in fact, it is vengeance: vengeance upon those who have wronged us or vengeance upon those who have wronged someone we love.
Or, we may awaken to the fact that we are pursuing revenge and choose it anyway, despising mercy and forgiveness. Of course, we are also despising Christ who preached forgiveness and mercy, who instructed us to pray for our enemies and to be kind to those who have hurt us.
However, we don't need to read Moby Dick or The Count of Monte Cristo to know the damage we can cause. That "bitter draught" does not only poison the one who drinks it, but poisons innocents as well.
C.S. Lewis once said forgiveness sounds like a lovely idea until you have something to forgive. Forgiveness and mercy are far from easy. In fact, forgiving can be one of the most difficult things in the world, but Christ has promised that He will not forgive us if we do not forgive those who have sinned against us.
Christ commands me to pray, "Father, forgive my sins, just as I forgive those who have sinned against me." Embedded in this prayer is both assurance of God's mercy, but also a warning that we cannot expect mercy if we do not offer it to others ourselves. In the angry and unforgiving world in which we live, it is easy to think we are seeking justice - when we are really seeking vengeance and an excuse for our anger. The world does not need vengeance disguised as "justice." Instead, it needs the compassion and love of Jesus Christ.
Fortunately for us, we have a God who has walked in our shoes, who understands the limitations of our humanity, and is more than willing to extend the help we need so that we can daily become more and more like Him.
These famous last words, spoken by Ahab in one of the greatest novels of all time, Moby Dick, describe an absence of forgiveness that so many of us have known in our worst moments. Ahab is so angry, feels so unjustly injured, that he will stop at nothing to exact revenge upon the whale that maimed him. Had Ahab been willing to forgive, the novel would have come to an abrupt end in some previous chapter. Instead, Ahab destroys himself, his ship, and his crew in his fatal attempt to destroy his hated enemy.
In Alexandre Dumas' book, The Count of Monte Cristo, Edmond Dantes is accused, convicted, and sentenced unjustly. After years of torture, he escapes from prison, finds a buried treasure, and begins to seek "justice" upon his enemies. However, the "justice" that he seeks is vengeance. It is revenge for his pain and injustice that he is really seeking. It is not until he has harmed an innocent man and then nearly destroyed the woman he loved and their son (who are also quite innocent) that he questions his motives. Fortunately for Dantes (and the innocents whom he has targeted), he realizes his error and repents of it. One of the greatest lessons of the novel is summed up by the words, "Hatred is blind; rage carries you away; and he who pours out vengeance runs the risk of tasting a bitter draught."
In the Apostle Paul's letter to the Romans in the Bible, he reminds us not to take revenge: "'Vengeance is mine. I will repay,' says the Lord."
And yet, how difficult that can be. Just as Edmond Dantes is blind to the truth, we can also walk around blindly thinking that our pursuit is justice, when in fact, it is vengeance: vengeance upon those who have wronged us or vengeance upon those who have wronged someone we love.
Or, we may awaken to the fact that we are pursuing revenge and choose it anyway, despising mercy and forgiveness. Of course, we are also despising Christ who preached forgiveness and mercy, who instructed us to pray for our enemies and to be kind to those who have hurt us.
However, we don't need to read Moby Dick or The Count of Monte Cristo to know the damage we can cause. That "bitter draught" does not only poison the one who drinks it, but poisons innocents as well.
C.S. Lewis once said forgiveness sounds like a lovely idea until you have something to forgive. Forgiveness and mercy are far from easy. In fact, forgiving can be one of the most difficult things in the world, but Christ has promised that He will not forgive us if we do not forgive those who have sinned against us.
Christ commands me to pray, "Father, forgive my sins, just as I forgive those who have sinned against me." Embedded in this prayer is both assurance of God's mercy, but also a warning that we cannot expect mercy if we do not offer it to others ourselves. In the angry and unforgiving world in which we live, it is easy to think we are seeking justice - when we are really seeking vengeance and an excuse for our anger. The world does not need vengeance disguised as "justice." Instead, it needs the compassion and love of Jesus Christ.
Fortunately for us, we have a God who has walked in our shoes, who understands the limitations of our humanity, and is more than willing to extend the help we need so that we can daily become more and more like Him.
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