Keeping Receipts
Former president Donald Trump has said on a number of occasions, “I am your retribution.” Woven into this statement are claims of grievance, hatred towards perceived enemies, and claiming the right of revenge for ourselves. His statement is not necessarily surprising given his continual promotion of his grievances and seeking to have his supporters own them as well.
What is surprising are the number of committed Christians who embrace his rhetoric and, as Deion Sanders admits to doing, “keeping receipts” of all the ways they have been wronged. If you look at the conflicts in the Middle East, what drives the constant conflict, both verbal and physical, is that both sides keep receipts for the sake of motivation to exact retribution. The result? A cycle of retribution.
Is this to be the focus of followers of Jesus? The clear, straightforward answer from the Scriptures is a resounding NO! The Apostle Paul writes this to the Roman church:
Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my dear 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. (12:17-21)
And our Lord Jesus says this:
“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? (Matthew 5:43-47)
And this:
“Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me.Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. (Matthew 5:11-12)
In other words, followers of Jesus don’t keep receipts. They don’t seek retribution, but rather to love and to serve, not only the ones we love, but our enemies as well. Justice, which is often how the purveyors of retribution frame it, will be meted out by God in a timing of his own choosing. And we are commanded to leave it to him rather than seeking it on our own.
And if you are tempted by the argument that current times require extreme means, remember the times in which Jesus lived, as well as the early Christians. They were oppressed by both the Roman Empire and a corrupt Jewish religious leadership. Arguably, their circumstances were far worse than practically all American Christians. Yet, the biblical commands are to love our enemies and to do good to those who persecute us (Luke 6:27-28) There are none for retribution under the New Covenant.
There are many voices proclaiming we have the right for retribution because we have the receipts to prove all of the wrongdoing done to us. They are tempting for us to follow because, in the moment, revenge feels good. However, as Walter Scott noted, "Revenge, the sweetest morsel to the mouth that ever was cooked in hell."
We as followers of Jesus are called to love and to be known for it as our defining attribute (John 13:34-35); retribution is to be left for God to exact as his justice. Far better for him to do it than for us to attempt to do it.
© Jim Musser 2023 All Scripture references are from the New International Version, 2011.
