Romans 12:9-21 - by Don Neuendorf
Just looking at that Jeremiah verse again. You know, I think I could write several more posts about that. I hope you think more deeply about it too.
So... Romans 12. How many times have I misquoted this verse about heaping burning coals on your enemy's head. We tend to use it when the kids come home from school very irate about injustice, about bullying or namecalling or something. I've suggested a good way to "get even" is by being nice.
Hmmm...
On second thought, is that really a misapplication of the text?
If you think about it, Paul is like us. He's dealing with people who are suffering injustice. They have every right to be upset at how they've been treated. Lies have been told about them. Jobs have been taken from them. Some of them have been beaten. Some have been arrested, and some even tortured and killed. They might feel anger - righteous anger - toward their enemies. And they SHOULD.
But how should they respond to that anger? How should they act in their anger? Paul quotes the Proverbs to illustrate not just a wise approach but the essence of Christian reconciliation. Jesus came to be weak and to suffer injustice. Judgment comes later.
If we respond, as Jesus did, with love, then we achieve two things. First, if our love is rejected then it turns into a punishment (not by our doing but by the rejection of the one who has been unjust). Our love becomes like a burning coal on their heads.
However, if our love is not rejected then it becomes a tool of healing and reconciliation. It may not only take away the sinner's guilt, but it can take away our anger and replace them both with joy at the forgiveness and reconciliation that God can provide.
What a fun thing to experiment with! When we respond with love, we can be the adult - and choose to be less hurt by the hurtfulness of others. If they persist, they will be the ones hurt. But if WE persist in our love then at least we, and perhaps they as well, will be blessed.