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| INSIGHTS FROM SCRIPTURE: It’s tempting for us as “good people” and Christians to take upon ourselves the responsibility of avenging ourselves when evil confronts us. We often identify God’s enemies as those people that displease us. But it isn’t our role to decide that, or to repay evil with evil. God will do the punishing. God will have the final say in everything. Our task is to embody God’s grace to our enemies as the way to reconciliation and peace. This offer of peace to our enemies is one way to bring about repentance. This is what is meant by the phrase “heap burning coals” on someone’s head. This refers to an Egyptian tradition of carrying a pan of burning charcoal on one’s head as a public act of repentance. This was a way to shame someone. It was very embarrassing and it hurt the person’s head. Paul is saying that when we offer peace to our enemies, it is a way to bring about repentance.. When someone overcomes evil with evil, they are no better than the person who did evil to them. They are trapped in a cycle where they will just keep going back and forth doing evil things to each other. By forgiving them and helping them, we can be set free from the bondage of that vicious cycle. These verses give advice on how Christians are to conduct themselves in order to live in harmony with others, as long as that harmony doesn’t come at the expense of our calling to resist evil and not be conformed to the world. In those cases, harmony may not be possible, and we may face emotional, spiritual or physical persecution. Even then, we are called to “bless those who persecute you, bless and do not curse them.” WORKS CITED: Interpretation Bible Commentary, Romans; by Paul J. Achtemeier; published by Westminster John Knox. |
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