In the last few years, Hollywood movies have followed a rather precarious theme: revenge. In 2003, The Punisher debuted with a story of an ex-cop set out to punish those who murdered his family. That same year Man on fire broke the box offices with a tale of a man determined to make kidnappers pay for their crimes. Even George Lucas' latest Starwars film was titled Revenge of the Sith. More recently, the movie Four Brothers tells the story of four adopted brothers who avenge the death of their mother, which leads, like Romeo & Juliet, to an escalation of violence and death.

Why the popularity with movies about revenge? Obviously this topic has struck a chord. The average person sitting in a movie theatre, gulping down loads of buttered popcorn has at some point, undoubtedly, been harmed by another person. Seeing someone else take the revenge that perhaps we would have liked to have exacted is somehow morbidly satisfying. Yet, followers of Jesus are told to live another way.

Romans 12:17-21 (NIV) "Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. [18] If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. [19] Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: 'It is mine to avenge; I will repay,' says the Lord. [20] On the contrary: 'If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.' [21] Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good."

A Washington woman angry about finding her former boyfriend with another woman took out her frustration by seeking revenge. Unfortunately, her revenge was accidentally aimed at the wrong person.

43 year-old Theresa Wilson was driving when she thought she saw her former boyfriend's car pull out in front of her. She forced the car off the street as they entered a bend in the road. Wilson then rammed the other car three times. When the cars stopped, Wilson realized the other driver was not her former boyfriend.

Police arrested Wilson at the scene and police are investigating charges of second-degree assault. They say Wilson apparently mistook a red 1987 Chevrolet driven by 47 year-old Tim Baars for her boyfriend's 1988 Chevrolet when the collision occurred around 6:45 in the morning.

Baars suffered some soreness as a result of the collision. He was on his way to work and thought Wilson just wanted to get around him. He added, "That's not even close to what she was thinking. Things like that just don't happen around here."

—Associated Press, Wash. Woman Takes Revenge on Wrong Man, November 12, 2004. Illustration by Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell.

Proverbs 20:22 (NASB) "Do not say, 'I will repay evil'; Wait for the Lord, and He will save you."

On Monday, June 11, 2001, Timothy McVeigh was put to death for his crime of blowing up the federal office building in Oklahoma and killing 168 people. He served his death sentence as specified by the law of the land of the United States of America. His death was televised to specific groups.

The law specifies the death penalty for certain crimes, but that practice has been under scrutiny for many years. Some do not believe it is right to take another's life for any reason. Others believe the taking of a life is justified in certain cases.

After the dust has settled, I'm left asking this question, "Was Timothy McVeigh's death about justice, or about revenge?" A question everyone who wanted McVeigh to die must grapple with themselves. If it was about justice, that is one thing. But if it was about revenge, that is another. Revenge cannot satisfy the hole in your soul. Revenge only makes the hole deeper.

—http://cbc.ca/cgi-bin/templates/view.cgi?category=Canada&story=/news/2001/06/07/mcveigh010607, Illustration by Jim L. Wilson and Rod Ellis

Romans 12:19 KJV "Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord."

I am not sure if this is a story of revenge or stupidity. Marek Olszewski, a 45 year old Polish man informed his girlfriend that he was leaving her for another woman. His girlfriend, Anna Mackowiak, 34 is a dentist. Only days later Marek went to Anna for a regular exam. She gave him a powerful anesthetic and yanked out all of his teeth one by one. Anna got her revenge.

No word as yet whether Dr. Mackowiak will face any discipline for her indiscretion. Marek, however, lost all around. His new girlfriend left him because he is toothless.

--The Week, May 11, 2012, p. 12 Illustration by Jim L. Wilson and Rodger Russell

Romans 12:19 (ESV) Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.”

An Internet entrepreneur discovered that revenge can be popular. Mat Carpenter started a website where patrons can order an envelope with a folded up piece of paper filled with glitter and send it to people you don’t like. He said the concept is simple. Decide whose day you want to ruin and then enter their address. When Carpenter put the site online, it became so popular so quickly that he had to beg people to stop buying his product because he couldn’t keep up. Carpenter says the idea for sending glitter came from a personal experience. He said glitter gets everywhere, and never seems to come out. Carpenter plans to reopen the site as soon as he can catch up. Carpenter said the idea just popped into his head. He added, ‘It reminded me of a few relatives over the years who used to send small amounts of glitter with their birthday of Christmas cards and how it annoyed me.’—Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell

The founder of this glitter company is begging you to stop buying it, http://www.marketwatch.com/story/the-founder-of-this-glitter-company-is-begging-you-to-stop-buying-it-2015-01-15?link=sfmw, Accessed January 15, 2015.

Proverbs 6:34 (HCSB) “For jealousy enrages a husband, and he will show no mercy when he takes revenge.”

Nick Stafford of Cedar Bluff, Virginia made headlines for making a $2,987.14 payment to the local DMV. Upset over the way they had handled a long disputed court battle concerning the sales tax he owed on two recently purchased vehicles, Mr. Stafford finally paid the bill in full … in pennies.

Stafford arrived in the morning at his local DMV early and wheeled in five wheelbarrows worth of 1,548 lbs of pennies. Because the facility’s automated coin-counting machine could not process the 298,714 pennies, the workers were forced to count them all by hand. Employees ended up counting the pennies into the early hours of the following morning.

What is even more interesting is what it actually cost Stafford to get his revenge. Stafford spent $1,005 in purchasing the five wheelbarrows and in hiring 11 individuals (at $10 an hour) to break open the rolled coins and pour them into the five wheelbarrows.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/man-pays-dmv-pennies_us_5879101ce4b0e58057fe80d7

Romans 12:20–21 (HCSB)“But If your enemy is hungry, feed him. If he is thirsty, give him something to drink. For in so doing you will be heaping fiery coals on his head. ²¹ Do not be conquered by evil, but conquer evil with good.”

When a person feels attacked, mistreated, or socially rejected, they often think that harming someone who has harmed them will bring a sense of catharsis and closure.

David Chester, a Virginia Commonwealth University assistant professor who studies the psychological and biological processes involved in human aggression, has found that while revenge may provide a lift, the positive effects appear to be fleeting. “Revenge can feel really good in the moment,” he says, “but when we follow up with people five minutes, 10 minutes and 45 minutes later, they actually report feeling worse than they did before they sought revenge.” The solution that pays bigger dividends over a lifetime is “making the effort to repair a valuable relationship.” —Jim L. Wilson and Rodger Russell.

Romans 12:19 (CSB) “Friends, do not avenge yourselves; instead, leave room for God’s wrath, because it is written, Vengeance belongs to me; I will repay, says the Lord.”