Wake Up, Look Up

Hello, everyone. Thanks for listening to wake up, look up, a podcast where we connect events happening in real time to the gospel of Jesus Christ. I'm Zach Weirock. And in today's episode, we're asking the question, are you a revenge addict? This is prompted by an article in the Wall Street Journal by James Kimmel Junior called this is your brain on revenge.

Now this is an interesting article, not just for the substance, but for the author's background. Kimmel, was a corporate litigator for a long time, and he talks about how one of the things that drove him into the practice of law was his own desire for revenge, his desire to stick it to his enemies, and has since come out of that career and done some reflecting on both his own heart and motives and society as a whole as it relates to the concept of revenge. And his studies, which are going to be published soon and actually has been part of his teaching career now in his act, are showing some pretty incredible things. Things like, for example, revenge activates addiction centers in your brain. Revenge satisfy some of the same chemical things we're chasing in drug use or alcohol use, meaning that it's possible that the reason we respond with anger and bitterness, the reason we pursue getting even is because we're getting high.

We we are getting satisfied internally by the chemical reaction it's producing. Forgiveness, of course, has the alternate effect. Forgiveness calms our brain circuits and cravings. It produces a peace, not just relationally, but physiologically. And this is what Kimmel is calling us out of.

He's telling us that we chase revenge because it leads to a high, but just like an addict who finds in recovery that sobriety produces a much better and more long term healthy effect than using does, psychological forgiveness, that's Kimmel's term, actually leads to better brain chemistry and better physiological status than pursuing revenge actually does. In fact, Kimmel's become so convinced of this, he's launching what he calls a national movement called make America forgiving again. Now what's interesting about Kemmel is that he will say this is what religions, have been teaching for a long time. He'll even specifically cite Jesus, but, of course, he numbers him among other religious teachers as well. That's halfway there.

Here here's what I would say. Every time I talk about getting even or bitterness or revenge on wake up, look up, our traffic increases. That's because you are dealing with this, and so am I. I mean, this is a struggle for all of us, but I want you to see that Jesus isn't just a teacher who helps us with this. He isn't proposing one way among many of dealing with this.

He gives us the only hope of dealing this. Here's why. At the cross of Jesus, over and against any other religious claim, justice and mercy meet. This is so important and exactly what Peter means in Peter two when he says that by his wounds, we are healed. One of the key elements of forgiveness is not just letting go of a need to punish someone, it is believing that all sins against you go answered.

The cross of Jesus is a reminder that no one gets away with anything. The consequence of sin is death. Those who have hurt you will one day stand before God, and they will give an account to him of their life, including the things they have done to hurt you. There'll be no escaping that and judgment is waiting for them. But even if they go to God in the name of Jesus to receive forgiveness, it's the son of God himself who will die for what happened to you.

Jesus, when the night he's arrested prays, if there's any other way, let's do it that way. And he gets a no from God because what happened to you is so significant to God that someone has to pay even if it's his own son. Justice and mercy. That's why God says in Romans twelve nineteen through the apostle Paul, it is mine to avenge. He's not just telling us to put down vengeance.

He's telling us, I will vindicate you. God cares about victims. He cares about the hurting. He cares about justice. He's the bringer of justice.

God is calling us out of a thin kind of vengeance, whatever justice we think we can bring in this life, and telling us what he's bringing will be a true reckoning. That that's why forgiveness without Christ is so fragile because it can be thin. Sometimes when we say to someone, alright. Fine. I forgive you.

Let's just move past it. We're almost talking ourselves into it. But Christianity isn't sweeping hurt or sin under the rug. It is dealing with it at the cross, believing the price has been paid. It's also creating opportunity for the holy spirit of God to indwell us.

Part of the promise of God in Ezekiel 36 to give us a new heart, a heart that can forgive, a heart that can move on and reconcile. Listen. What we have in Jesus at the cross is not just the ability to forgive, it's the power to forgive and the power to achieve actual relational and internal peace. Camel is putting his finger on the problem of your heart and mine, but for true healing, we have to go to Jesus. Do that today.

Revenge will destroy you, but forgiveness in the name of Christ will set you free. Hey. Thanks for watching this episode of Wake Up Look Up. If you enjoyed it, please help us get the word out by sharing it with someone you think might benefit from it. And while you're here, make sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel to get further content or even download the CCC app where you'll find even more resources to help you grow in your faith and relationship with Jesus Christ.