omitting vengeance
Do you respect God less for not punishing the wicked ones who hurt you?
Isaiah 61: 2
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn
According to Luke, Jesus chooses this section of Isaiah to inaugurate his ministry. It is a hopeful text about the coming of the messiah and Jesus claims it is fulfilled in the attendees’ hearing that very day.
But he makes an interesting omission: he cuts this second verse short. He ends his reading at “proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor” and does not include the part about “the day of vengeance”. He does not name getting even as one of the things he’s here to do.
Jesus leaving that part out says something about who he is: a different kind of messiah. One who delights those who mourn without doing so through vengeance.
And since Jesus is also God, this omission says something about who God is, too: someone who can change Her mind about what she wants to do to - and for - us, and our enemies.
Do you respect God less for not punishing the wicked ones who hurt you?
Funny, I tend to do a bit of cut-and-paste when using scripture [particularly in public settings]. I've always felt a bit apologetic about it-like, "OK, let me explain." But this method was, in the 1st century, fairly common. It is encouraging to see Jesus/Luke move toward the space of omitting vengeance. Thank you for the reminder [and the freedom], Kate. GTG-time to practice...
God takes care of all in own time and own way. New Testament replaces OT revenge taking us down with love and forgiveness to lift us all up. If we live for the ideal, reality may hurt more, but do we really want to be as selfish as many others? The question is how best to get others to see error of selfish ways and become fellow imperfect disciples loving God and all neighbors. Even male or female God feels exclusive and inaccurate. Most of our problems are not deliberate evil, but lack of education to experience walking a mile in someone else’s shoes.