Getting even? What Scripture teaches us about choosing love over revenge | Opinion

“I don’t get mad; I get even.”

I remember the first time I heard that expression. It was a long time ago, and it was spoken by a woman who was a member of the U.S. Marine Corps. Because this was new information for me, I wondered how it fit with my idea of compassion and fair play?

It didn’t take long for me to agree with the sentiment. At that time, sexual assault was largely winked at; I had been a victim of this myself, and my thought was, “Yes. Get even.”

But now, go with me in your imagination to the greatest example of scheming, injustice, deception and underhanded plotting in human history.

In Christianity, we are taught that Jesus walked the dusty paths of his homeland for a number of years, teaching an entirely new way to fulfill the authentic purpose of human life. He taught compassion as a way of life — for friend and enemy alike. Nowhere is this more evident than in Jesus’ Parable of the Good Samaritan, a radical teaching.

And yet, in spite of everything good and gracious that Jesus was, and every loving action he manifested, he was so despised by the political system under which he lived that he was falsely charged, arrested and executed in the most inhumane manner possible. No one stood with him, even those who were ostensibly his closest confidants are said to have turned their backs and denied even knowing him.

If ever there existed a reason for retribution, this has to be it. Would Jesus espouse the motto my friend voiced?

From the Christian Scriptures, we know the totally unexpected result of Jesus’ ignominious death: It began with his resurrection. That was the kind of recovery from disaster that only the true Son of God could manage.

He had some odds and ends to tie up in the next 40 days. Getting even was far from his list. The resurrected Jesus needed to be with his disciples — with his friends who had lost hope and denied him. He needed to show his scars, break bread and affirm his presence. And he needed to commission them for the grand task before them when he left them in charge.

This part of Jesus’ ministry on Earth was the exclamation point — the last jot that sealed forever the question of how we, his followers, should live our lives. And it had absolutely nothing to do with revenge, retribution, hatred or punishment. The resurrected Jesus was full of the same hope, tenderness and warmth that had epitomized his life before his death.

“The best things said come last,” said actor Alan Alda. Could this be true of Jesus? Did he save something enormously important to the very last second because he wanted it to be remembered?

We do that with our loved ones. When our grown children visit and they’re standing at the doorstep ready to leave, we don’t say “behave yourself,” “eat your vegetables” or “get to work on time.”

The last thing we say — the thing we want remembered above all else — is “I love you.” We leave others with that resounding in their hearts. With love; the most important thing.

And what about Jesus? According to my own reading of the New Testament, Jesus spent intimate time in close conversation with his disciples during his last days among them. There were things that needed to be solidly in place when he left them. He loved not only them, but the entirety of the human race.

In his last exchange with his disciples — addressing Peter, specifically — he asked three times, “Do you love me?” When Peter answered in the affirmative, Jesus said: “Feed my lambs.”

His concern was that his lambs, his followers, be fed, tended, loved and treasured. His last thought was of us.

Having said that, Jesus’ work here was done.

The most important words had been spoken. I like to think he was smiling as he ascended.

Just like my friend in the Marine Corps, Jesus believed in getting even. But he knew that the most powerful, surprising and satisfying way to even a score was to stand for love.

Love is the only thing that lasts. Ultimately, love wins.

Bunny Stevens lives in Modesto, her hometown, and has served on The Modesto Bee Community Advisory Board. She is the opening courtesy clerk at the Safeway supermarket on McHenry Avenue and an ordained minister in the Universal Life Church. Reach her at BunnyinModesto@gmail.com