Why Doing Righteous Good Instead of Taking Revenge Is The Jesus Way

The Word of God warns us against the idea of revenge, taking matters into our own hands, paying evil for evil, or any other similar phraseology. Plotting your revenge against someone who has wronged you is not the Jesus way. It leads to irrational decisions and if executed, potential life-altering results. When he was an attorney, Abraham Lincoln was once approached by a man who passionately insisted on bringing a lawsuit for $2.50 against a man who owed him some money but was totally impoverished. Lincoln tried to discourage him, but the man was bent on revenge. When he saw that the man would not be put off, Lincoln agreed to take the case and asked for a legal fee of $10, which the vengeful man paid. Lincoln then gave half the money to the impoverished man, who pled guilty to the debt and paid the vengeful man his $2.50! The funny part about it is that the man was satisfied — he got paid back with his own money!¹ Lincoln was wise to deter this man’s vengeful ways and is just one example of ‘Why Doing Righteous Good Instead of Taking Revenge Is The Jesus Way.’ Understanding this is what our focus will be on this week’s Light on Life.

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Each week’s podcast contains a call to action. The Word of God will not produce in your life unless you put it into operation.
This week’s call is:

Revenge and retribution are not matters for the Jesus follower. They are solely to be left in the hands of God, the righteous judge.

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Testimony is vital to a believer’s life. We overcome by it (Rev. 12:11). Each week’s podcast also contains a question designed to encourage testimony.
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Question: What’s your testimony in this area of repaying good for evil? Share your story of walking in love.

Episode Resources:

We are currently teaching in the book of First Thessalonians. You can click on the links below to listen to some of these podcasts.

About Emery

Emery committed his life to the Lord Jesus Christ over 47 years ago and has served as both a full-time pastor and an itinerant minister. He and his wife Sharon of 40 years emphasize personal growth and development through the Word of God. The ministry of the Holy Spirit is the focus and the hallmark of their mission. Read more about them here.

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Prayer

Father God, thank you today for another opportunity to fellowship with you around your Word. You are the great Judge who balances all — you are the great defender of your children. Your eye is upon all. Help us to rest in your sense of justice and not take matters into our hands in revenge. We give you the glory for all of this in Jesus’ Name, Amen.

The Instruction to Not Take the Way of Revenge

So, we are in First Thessalonians chapter 5 where Paul ends this letter to this young church with a plethora of commands.
We saw in last week’s podcast and the one from the week before that there were four commandments given in verse 14 for Jesus’ followers.
Picking up from there, we have an additional commandment in verse 15.

1 Thessalonians 5:14–15 (ESV) — 14 And we urge you, brothers, admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all. 15 See that no one repays anyone evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to everyone.

Revenge Definitions

‘See that no one repays anyone evil for evil’ — that’s what we’re focusing on today.
Revenge and retribution are not matters meant for the Jesus follower to execute.
These are areas solely to be left in the hands of God, the righteous judge.
We are not equipped in these areas — we don’t have enough knowledge or insight into the what or why of people.
We are developing still in our love walk and in the fruits of the spirit.
How do you know that you won’t make a mistake? — that you won’t err in judgment?
Do you have perfect knowledge?
Haven’t you been wrong in matters you thought you were absolutely sure of?
So, what we just read in the Word of God is what we are focusing on, and with that thought, here is the Definition of the Day.

Revenge and the Greek Word Repay

So, here are some definitions that we want to focus on – let’s start with the word ‘repay.’
The Greek word ‘repays’ means to recompense someone, whether positively or negatively, depending upon what the individual deserves—
It means ‘to reward or to recompense.’² No
And there you have the thought we’ve been trying to get over to you.
How do you determine what an individual deserves?
That kind of determination is baked into the definition of the word ‘repay.’
Repay, recompense someone, reward — if we’re talking revenge — we are talking about all of this in the negative area.
But, you have to make value judgments that only a person who knows the end from the beginning can accurately make.
That person is the Omniscient Most High God — your heavenly Father — my heavenly Father.
He’s the righteous judge.
He’s the perfect combination of love, grace, mercy, and patience.
So here’s an individual, they do something super bad to someone, and that person now turns around and says I’m going to pay you back for what you did to me ‘eye for an eye’ style.
The Spirit of God is saying ‘no!’ — He is saying you do not belong in these areas.
Repay evil for evil to no one!
No matter how deserving.
And, I’m telling you absolutely there are people that are deserving.
There are individuals who willingly yielded to devils and demons who deserve to dwell in the lowest realms of hell.
The Lord says ‘butt out’ – stay out – I will handle it.

Revenge and the Word Evil

The next word we want to look at is the word ‘evil.’
This word ‘evil’ and there are several words in Greek for evil means means something that is bad in nature or condition, worthless, corrupt, displeasing, undesirable, or inadequate.
Evil is misfortune, particularly injury or threat of injury to life or standing in society.
It means to do someone harm.
Now, the word evil is translated in the New Testament in several ways.
Let’s consider how this word is translated so that you can see the nuances of this word and understand why you should never use evil as a tool for payback.
Consider the following examples.

Revenge and ‘Wretches’ Another Word for Evil

Let’s jump over first to the book of Matthew.

Matthew 21:33–41 (ESV) Hear another parable. There was a master of a house who planted a vineyard and put a fence around it and dug a winepress in it and built a tower and leased it to tenants, and went into another country. 34 When the season for fruit drew near, he sent his servants to the tenants to get his fruit. 35 And the tenants took his servants and beat one, killed another, and stoned another. 36 Again he sent other servants, more than the first. And they did the same to them. 37 Finally he sent his son to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ 38 But when the tenants saw the son, they said to themselves, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him and have his inheritance.’ 39 And they took him and threw him out of the vineyard and killed him.

So here you have a violent and abusive landlord — an individual who murders for money.
Doesn’t the scripture say the love of money is the root of all evil?
You have it expressed here.
Would you say this is an example of severe evil?
What’s the outcome of this story?

40 When therefore the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?” 41 They said to him, “He will put those wretches to a miserable death and let out the vineyard to other tenants who will give him the fruits in their seasons.”

This parable is a picture of Israel and the prophets.
Examine it closer.
The Lord sends a single prophet to Israel with a God message.
That prophet is beaten.
What is God’s response? — Revenge? Judgment?
No, He sends another prophet.
This one gets murdered.
What is God’s response? — Revenge? Judgment?
No, He sends yet another prophet.
Do, you see the patience of God?
Are understanding why you shouldn’t take revenge and repay evil for evil?
Do you have this kind of long-suffering and patience with people?
Now, the books do get balanced.
God sends His only begotten and when He does that they kill Him and judgment falls.
But, we are talking hundreds of years where God’s messengers were abused before judgment fell on Israel in 70 AD.
But, where is the word evil in this passage?
It’s in verse forty-one — the word ‘wretches.’

‘What will he do to those tenants?’ is the question asked. ‘He will put those wretches to a miserable death and let out the vineyard to other tenants who will give him the fruits in their seasons.’

You could have translated the word ‘wretches’ as evil people — ‘He will put those evil people to death.’
Repay no one evil for evil.
Let’s look at another Jesus parable.

Revenge and ‘Wicked’ Another Word for Evil

Matthew 24:45–51 (ESV) — 45 “Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom his master has set over his household, to give them their food at the proper time? 46 Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes. 47 Truly, I say to you, he will set him over all his possessions. 48 But if that wicked servant says to himself, ‘My master is delayed,’ 49 and begins to beat his fellow servants and eats and drinks with drunkards, 50 the master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know 51 and will cut him in pieces and put him with the hypocrites. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Where is the word evil in this parable?
This one is a little more obvious.
Do you see the word wicked in Matthew 24:48?
Wicked — evil, same word.
But again notice the revenge piece and how it plays out again in this parable.
You see a man doing harm to someone else — he’s beating his fellow servants — he’s partying, getting drunk which was a heinous expression in the 1st century.
This guy lives like there is no God and there is no tomorrow.
But, do you also see that this evil man reaped what he sowed and that the books were balanced?

Revenge and ‘Bad’ Another Word for Evil

So far we have seen that people who take revenge, who impart evil for evil, are people accounted as wretches, or wicked.
The revenge business puts you in the wrong company.
Here’s another Jesus Parable, an extremely familiar one, the Rich Man and Lazarus.

Luke 16:19–25 (ESV) — 19 There was a rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. 20 And at his gate was laid a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, 21 who desired to be fed with what fell from the rich man’s table. Moreover, even the dogs came and licked his sores. 22 The poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried, 23 and in Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side. 24 And he called out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in anguish in this flame.’ 25 But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that you in your lifetime received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner bad things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in anguish.

What do you think?
Where is the word evil in this story?
It’s the word ‘bad.’
The rich man received good things and shut up his bowels of compassion towards Lazarus, only feeding him crumbs.
Jesus is saying that this lack of compassion is evil.
It’s bad and evil.
Again, though, do you see how the books have been balanced?
The tables are completely flipped around.
The rich man sowed evil and now has reaped evil.
The beggar Lazarus received evil and now receives the blessings of Paradise.
Ask yourself the question — how many years did Lazarus suffer at the hands of the rich man?
In that answer, you find the patience, long-suffering, and mercy of God to the rich man and yet another Gospel picture of why you should not take matters into your own hands in your everyday life.

Revenge and ‘Wrong’ Another Word for Evil

There are more words translated as evil.
Look in the book of Romans.

Romans 13:10 (ESV) — 10 Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.

Love does no wrong to a neighbor — love does no evil to a neighbor is how you read this.
So, doing evil for evil is what wretches do.
It’s what wicked or bad people do.
It’s what those people who are totally in the wrong do.

Revenge and ‘Harm’ Another Word for Evil

So, we are going through the New Testament and looking at how the word ‘evil’ is being translated using English words.
Now, we are in the book of Acts.

Acts 16:25–28 (ESV) — 25 About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them, 26 and suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken. And immediately all the doors were opened, and everyone’s bonds were unfastened. 27 When the jailer woke and saw that the prison doors were open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, supposing that the prisoners had escaped. 28 But Paul cried with a loud voice, “Do not harm yourself, for we are all here.”

So here in this passage is another example of a different way that the word evil is translated.
Did you hear the word ‘harm?’
Do not harm yourself.
Harm is the word evil.
A person who does harm is a person acting evil.
Here doing evil to yourself – suicide is doing harm to yourself.
The jailer is getting ready to fall on his sword.
And, with that thought, here is the Historical Background of the Day.
In the first century, the Roman penalty for letting a prisoner escape was death.
Doing the deed to oneself was considered noble in Roman society and falling upon your own sword was the preferred method.
Paul stopped this man from doing evil to himself.
In a second letter written to Timothy, Paul talks about another man who did him evil.

2 Timothy 4:14 (ESV) — 14 Alexander the coppersmith did me great harm; the Lord will repay him according to his deeds.

This is perfectly in line with what we’ve been saying.
Who is Alexander the Coppersmith, anyway?
Well, Paul mentions him in his first letter to Timothy.

1 Timothy 1:18–20 (ESV) — 18 This charge I entrust to you, Timothy, my child, in accordance with the prophecies previously made about you, that by them you may wage the good warfare, 19 holding faith and a good conscience. By rejecting this, some have made shipwreck of their faith, 20 among whom are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I have handed over to Satan that they may learn not to blaspheme.

Paul was in prison when he wrote the second letter to Timothy – where he says Alexander did him great evil.
How did Paul come to be incarcerated?
Was it at the hands of Alexander the Coppersmith?
Did he betray him?
Paul doesn’t tell us what the evil was that Alexander did.
But whatever he did it was on a large scale – Paul says, ‘He did me great harm.
The Greek word ‘great’ here means great in quantity degree or extent.
Alexander the Coppersmith did Paul a high degree of harm.
Instead of repaying him, ‘eye for an eye’ style, Paul knowing the character and nature of God says, that God will repay him according to his deeds.
If you know that, it’s easy to pray Father forgive them for they know not what they do.
That’s what Jesus did on the cross.
That’s what Stephen did when they stoned him in Acts seven.

Acts 7:59–60 (ESV) — 59 And as they were stoning Stephen, he called out, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” 60 And falling to his knees he cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” And when he had said this, he fell asleep.

Revenge and ‘Resentful’ Another Word for Evil

1 Corinthians 13:4–5 (ESV) — 4 Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant 5 or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful;

The word resentful here is the Greek word evil.
So to repay someone evil for evil, to take part in a vengeful act is completely opposite to the love of God.
Love is not evil — love is not resentful.
Love, God’s love in you, will not take part in revenge.
If that doesn’t put the cap on it, I don’t know what will.

Summing Up the Concept of Not Taking Revenge

So, this concept of not taking revenge, of not being a judge and executioner is in the Word of God way more than one may realize.
Don’t take revenge — leave this business with God.
Wait on Him.
He will make everything right.
How long do we have to wait?
That question helps us get to the core of the issue.
Impatience because we are heated hot with the intent of getting even — or making things right in our eyes is precisely what these words from Paul are trying to address.
How do we know that?
We know that we are to wait on God to take action, to take the proper steps to right wrongs because the last words we have preceding the commandment not to repay evil for evil is that we are to be patient with all.
Remember? — That’s verse 14.
Be patient with all – repay no one evil for evil.
It takes patience not to retaliate — not to take vengeance.
You know we read passages like the one in Romans twelve.

Romans 12:17–19 (ESV): — 17 Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. 18 If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. 19 Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.”

Did you hear that?
Pay no one evil for evil.
What does the word ‘no one’ mean?
It means ‘no one.’
Maybe in the past, we have read this and didn’t think much about it.
Maybe this podcast will help you to realize how much we are not to be over in these areas.
Now you would think people would know that revenge is bad business in the Kingdom of God but yet we have so many verses that address the issue.
So, it’s obvious that people’s passions must be tempered and God warns us along these lines.
Slow to anger — slow to speak is the Word of God.

1 Peter 3:9 (ESV) — 9 Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless, for to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing.

So, God is so good because not only does He tell us what not to do but, at the same time, He lets us know what we are to do.
In First Thessalonians Five, we are to replace doing evil for evil with doing good.
In Romans twelve, we are to do what is honorable and live at peace instead of repaying evil.
And in First Peter, we are to bless so that we may obtain a blessing.

Proverbs 20:22 (ESV) — 22 Do not say, “I will repay evil”; wait for the Lord, and he will deliver you.

Leviticus 19:18 (ESV) — 18 You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your own people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord.

If you do it, if you repay evil for evil, be warned.

Proverbs 17:13 (ESV) — 13 If anyone returns evil for good, evil will not depart from his house.

Balancing the books is a God thing.
Being patient and kind to people who deserve less is your thing.
Did you get anything out of this podcast?

Now, Father God, I thank you for the clear direction that we have in your Word. You made it plain for us. SO plain, that we had to have help not to understand it. We thank you for your will and your plan and we ask you to continue to have mercy on those who absolutely don’t deserve it. We ask this in Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Why Doing Righteous Good Instead of Taking Revenge Is The Jesus Way.
You guys have a great God Week and we will see you next time for another edition of Light on Life.

Why You Should Not Pass Up the Opportunity to Destroy Little Giants

___________
References:

Daily Walk, May 22, 1992 – Ten Thousand Sermon Illustrations ↩
Johannes P. Louw and Eugene Albert Nida, Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament: Based on Semantic Domains (New York: United Bible Societies, 1996), 490. ↩

emeryhorvath.com

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Why Doing Righteous Good Instead of Taking Revenge Is The Jesus Way

Podcast: Light on Life Season Ten Episode Forty

by Emery Horvath

Listen to the Audio

Click to Listen | Right Click to Download |Subscribe in PlayerFM

Read the Notes

Accept the Challenge

Join the Conversation

Episode Resources:

We are currently teaching in the book of First Thessalonians. You can click on the links below to listen to some of these podcasts.

About Emery

Subscribe to the Podcast

Share the Love

Prayer

The Instruction to Not Take the Way of Revenge

Revenge Definitions

Revenge and the Greek Word Repay

Revenge and the Word Evil

Revenge and ‘Wretches’ Another Word for Evil

Revenge and ‘Wicked’ Another Word for Evil

Revenge and ‘Bad’ Another Word for Evil

Revenge and ‘Wrong’ Another Word for Evil

Revenge and ‘Harm’ Another Word for Evil

Revenge and ‘Resentful’ Another Word for Evil

Summing Up the Concept of Not Taking Revenge

Listen to the Audio

Click to Listen | Right Click to Download |Subscribe in PlayerFM

Read the Notes

Accept the Challenge

Join the Conversation

Episode Resources:

We are currently teaching in the book of First Thessalonians. You can click on the links below to listen to some of these podcasts.

About Emery

Subscribe to the Podcast

Share the Love

Prayer

The Instruction to Not Take the Way of Revenge

Revenge Definitions

Revenge and the Greek Word Repay

Revenge and the Word Evil

Revenge and ‘Wretches’ Another Word for Evil

Revenge and ‘Wicked’ Another Word for Evil

Revenge and ‘Bad’ Another Word for Evil

Revenge and ‘Wrong’ Another Word for Evil

Revenge and ‘Harm’ Another Word for Evil

Revenge and ‘Resentful’ Another Word for Evil

Summing Up the Concept of Not Taking Revenge

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