The Big Pay Back: REVENGE

Since Donald Trump has taken office, it seems we live in an atmosphere of hoping people get what they deserve and not in a good way. Retribution and vengeance, or the BIG PAY BACK, is awaited. Promises of ending government overspending of taxpayer's money are in full affect with thousands of people being fired from federal jobs. As people are being fired without discretion, there is a deep hope those doing the firing meet a horrible fate. For Trump that would be impeachment and for Elon Musk, deportation.

Take Luigi Mangioni, a young man people have found handsome, is accused of killing Brian Thompson, the CEO of UnitedHealthcare allegedly because of how insurance companies deny people much needed health insurance. He is experiencing an enormous amount of public support with people advocating for his release. People are on the side of the accused murderer because they believe the CEO and other CEO's are mistreating people in the name of greed. They believe the CEO deserved what he got. During Mangione's court appearance, there were large groups of people outside chanting "Free Luigi!" A fundraiser for legal expenses for Mr. Mangione - an Ivy League-educated member of a prominent Baltimore family - has raised over half a million dollars since his arrest.

An enormous image of Luigi Mangioni covered a building in Manhattan ahead of his upcoming court hearing Friday. The image reads “Free Luigi” and depicts Mangione as a saintly or Christ-like figure touching a heart at the center of his chest with a halo around his head.

As a Christian who is engaged in politics, I have advocated for a more Christian attitude towards the political madness. I often quote the Bible verse, "be angry and sin not" which appears in Ephesians 4:26, and continues, "do not let the sun go down on your anger". Anger is okay but what ACTIONS you put WITH your anger can get you into trouble (do I sound like a broken record?). The Bible advocates for the Christian to DEAL with what is making them angry and to have it reconciled before they go to sleep at the end of the day. 

Can public support for what is viewed as a crime be accepted in the case of Mangioni? Good luck with that in this political chaos where wrong is right, right? Things are so backwards nowadays who can say.

People's emotions want pay back but there are no exceptions to the rule of law and where the Bible is concerned. If you are angry about something, anything, you MUST not let it make you sin. Unresolved anger LEADS to sin. It OPENS the door to un-Christian behavior. Then I thought, wait a minute, what about the large book of Psalms in the Bible, is this the exception? It is nothing but prayers for bad things to happen to David's enemies. David was hand selected by God to be the second king of Israel, something the first king, Saul, was not on board with and pretty much hunted David to kill him.

Psalms is a book of praise but the prayers for harm to an enemy are vicious. It is a book about "an eye for an eye". "An eye for an eye" in Hebrew which the Old Testament is written in, is translated as "עַיִן תַּחַת עַיִן" (pronounced as "ayin tahat ayin" or as I say, THE BIG PAY BACK. No words or imagery is spared in how painful David wants the pay back to be. When Christians are mad, they WANT to be a David in their prayers.

In the Bible, David prays for his enemies to die in Psalms 3, 55, 35, 59, and 71. He asks God to defeat, humble, and judge his enemies because they are evil. 

• Psalm 55:15: David asks God to defeat his enemies and take them to the land of death. 
• Psalm 3:7: David asks God to strike his enemies on the cheek and break their teeth. 
• Psalm 35:8: David asks God to destroy his enemies by making them suffer the same fate they tried to bring to him. 
• Psalm 71: David asks God to confound, consume, and cover his enemies with reproach. 
• Psalm 59: David asks God to consume his enemies in wrath until they are no more.

In the New Testament we see this same idea of "an eye for an eye" as the law of exact retaliation. The law of exact retaliation (Latin: lex talionis), or reciprocal justice, bears the same principle that a person who has injured another person is to be penalized to a similar degree by the injured party. In softer interpretations, it means the victim receives the [estimated] value of the injury in compensation. The intent behind the principle was to restrict compensation to the value of the loss.

It is human nature for a person to want justice when they have been wronged, but it is not lawful to take matters of retribution into our own hands in most cases. Well, what about David you say? David did NOT do any of the "eye for an eye." he prayed to God and left it in God's hands because he knew ALL of God's word. When David had a chance to kill King Saul, he didn't do it (1 Samuel 24). In Proverbs 20:22 (the book of wisdom) it says, "Do not say, 'I’ll pay you back for this wrong!' Wait for the LORD, and he will avenge you." VENGENCE BELONGS to the Lord.

In the New Testament, which is the guide for the modern-day Christian, Romans 2:6 says, God “will repay each person according to what they have done. To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, he will give eternal life. But for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger." Romans 12:19-21, "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."

I know I've ruined being angry for you. I'm sorry. But it had to be done because the consequences of anger can cause you more harm than what someone else is doing to you. Anger can lead to stealing to get what was taken from you back which is against the law. Anger can lead to murder which is against the law. Anger, when left unmanaged, can lead to a variety of health issues including high blood pressure, increased risk of heart attacks and strokes, headaches, digestive problems, weakened immune system, anxiety, depression, insomnia, skin conditions like eczema, and potential aggravation of existing conditions like irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and gastroesophageal disease (GERD), of which I have all. Am I dealing with my anger? Anger is not a friend.

Social media seems to be a dumping ground for anger. People who have never met have WORDS with each other. Letting off 'angry' steam may feel good every now and then but there are people who camp out on social media spending every minute of free time engaging in angry back and forth. It is not healthy, and it is not biblical.

The Bible tells us the HEALTHY way to deal with anger which keeps us from sinning. Praying for those who wrong you to be well and even have THEIR needs met is the instruction. Praying for the wellbeing of others DISSIPATES anger INSIDE of you. WHAT is going on inside of you is what concerns God because he only wants GOOD for YOU which may LOOK different to you. In the Bible, Jeremiah 29:11 states, "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

The phrase "God will see completion of good for you" is essentially referencing the Bible verse Philippians 1:6, which states "being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.". This means that God will not only start good things in your life but will also ensure they are brought to fruition and fully completed."

Knowing the Bible and the nature of God allows you to release anger with peaceful faith that God sees and knows all and will handle things and people as he sees fit. This is not to say we let lawlessness and injustice have free reign. No. It is to say to know your part in the equation. We are not to support evil, and we are not to MATCH evil with EVIL. In the Old Testament David prayed for God to be ruthless when dealing with his enemies. In the New Testament, the Christian is shown another way. It's all about OUR OWN actions and our actions can be far reaching.

Waiting with bated breath for the BIG PAY BACK and becoming frustrated when it doesn't come in the way you want nor as soon as you want is living in an unhealthy space. Living in an angry state most times is done without the person you are angry with even being aware of your anger towards them or at least how deep it is. YOU are suffering and not them. Even if they do know, your anger can cause you to go down in flames with them. Don't live like that people. Have righteous anger against evil. Handle things within the law. Follow biblical principles of living. Get rid of anger daily. Trust in the Lord.  

MAD MAGA

 

MAGA needs anger management!

    It seems MAGA are mad about Taylor Swift and her influence in the political arena, immigrants flooding the border, Trump being investigated for several crimes, and the list goes on and on. MAGA gets angry daily by something. All one has to do is tune into FOX news to know the latest topic MAGA is encouraged to rise up against and be angry. 

    People are afraid this angry group of people may put action to their negative, and at times, hostile speech. The majority of those belonging to the MAGA faction claim to be Christians, but how can that be when their religion speaks about not being angry.

    For those belonging to MAGA, who say they are Christian, their Bible gives them guidelines about anger management. Ephesians 4:26-27 "In your anger do not sin. Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold." Being made in the image of God we must assume correctly that we all have the emotion of anger just like our creator. In the New Testament we are told not to become so angry to the point of sinning and once angered, do our best to reconcile it and not carry it over into another day. 

    How does the Christian respond to this guideline of controlling their anger? How is MAGA suppose to react to things they believe must be addressed because in their eyes it is wrong or even sinful and against God?

    During my Christian academic studies, many male Christians have made the point of saying the Bible has become feminized. They are advocating for a 'masculine' look at the truth of Scriptures that God and Jesus became angry at times. They say Jesus wasn't all flowery and sweet. They back their claim of Jesus being 'masculine' by pointing to Bible passages such as Matthew 21:12-13: "Jesus entered the temple area and drove out all who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves. 'It is written,' he said to them, 'My house will be called a house of prayer, but you are making it a den of robbers." 

    In this passage Jesus was upset because many people had come to the temples to make sacrifices which was the standard for the Jews to do at that time. Those making their sacrifice were being ripped off, having their sacrifices devalued in the monetary exchange of goods by the men in the temple set on making a crooked handed profit from the devout people of faith. This angered Jesus and he overturned the table to show his displeasure.

    Even in marriage relationships, counselors advise not to focus on the 'anger' but the issue or root of the anger. In the same manner we should not focus on Jesus' anger, but the reasoning behind His anger. Jesus, as well as God, was always upset about the way the poor and the widow were treated.

    There are more examples in the Bible of people getting angry and how they handled their anger.          In the Bible the Apostle Paul was a straight shooter and did not care about public response when it came to his ministry for God. In Galatians, Paul addresses the issue of circumcision and that it was a step backwards for the Galatians in their faith in Jesus. Circumcision was instituted under the Law of Moses in the Old Testament. After Jesus' ministry, death, and resurrection, the Law of Moses was no longer to be adhered to. As Paul gave point after point as to why circumcision no longer factored into the following of the teachings of Jesus, he said those that were teaching them such were wrong for doing so and their belief and the following of such instructions were inexcusable. 

    One thing that struck me as I read the entire chapter in Galatians was when Paul was coming to the end of his letter to the Galatians. It says in Galatians 5:7-12: "You were running a good race. Who cut in on you and kept you from obeying the truth...As for those agitators, I wish they would go the whole way and emasculate themselves!" Oh, my goodness!!! Paul said for those advising you to just cut off the foreskin of your penis in circumcision, I wish they would just go ahead and cut off their entire PENIS. I believe Paul was a little hot under the collar at those continuing to preach circumcision. 

    This example shows even a great man of God can become frustrated in his ministry at those doing wrong. Paul had a problem with aggressive actions before God called him on Damascus Road to be a servant of God and to spread the Gospel. His aggressive zeal continued after he became a follower of Christ.

    Pretending we do not have issues with anger does not make us more holy. It is how we deal with our anger that makes us more Christ like. Paul had a powerful ministry. He was a strong personality and may not have been as effective if he did not possess all of the characteristics that made him in the image of God, which included having a temper at times. God gives us guidance in all areas of our lives, including the area of anger. 

    I have said jokingly, more than once, the holier many women present themselves to be, the more soft, and angelic their voices tend to be. To be holy does not mean being an angel. The Bible has not become feminized, or 'soft' and on that same note its masculinity does not have to be protected. Anger is a natural course of living, but its management is a part of Christian living. 

    As 2024 has dawned, I find myself calmer, not easily rattled by things that use to push my buttons. I have always tried not to pitch a tent in the neighborhood of anger once angered. I purposefully try to find ways of diffusing my anger, not trying to win the argument or change the offender. My anger is about me in the end. Dr. Martin Luther King is a prime example of a Christian being angry and advocating for change. He demonstrated his anger at the government and society at large, peacefully and with love for his fellow man. Hate and violence were not a part of his dissatisfaction with unjust laws and actions of people. MAGA needs to take notes.

    I have a right to be angry, but I do not have a right to allow my anger to cause me to sin. MAGA, if Christian, does not have the right to to be angered to destructive behavior. As Christians, they do not have the right to use hostile and abusive language on social media attacking people or threatening people. Ephesians 4:29-32 "Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you."

     It is my prayer that MAGA become released from the bondage of anger. Many people will declare almost with pride that they have a 'short fuse.' We all are different. We all are capable of anger. But we must strive to be the MASTER of ANGER and not mastered by it. Let's face it; if you choose to, you can be mad 24-7. There is just that much in this world to keep you involved in anger. MAGA can continue to be angry, but it is not Christ-like. Psalm 37:8 "Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret—it leads only to evil." 

    MAGA, in demonstrating their anger, by using hate speech and threats, is leading them to do and be evil. FOX news encourages such behavior. Hopefully, with constant prayer, my fellow Christians will be reminded what the Bible says to them, "If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land." 2 Chronicles 7:14.

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Philippians 4:8 "Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things."