You will have a hard time finding a recent movie about forgiveness. From some time on, brutal revenge became a popular theme of the entertainment industry. Not only movies but also reality TV shows and other forms of entertainment commonly adopt retaliation and vengeance. The Avengers movies expose their theme in their titles. The superheroes exist not for forgiveness but the annihilation of bad guys. If that were the purpose of superheroes, Jesus could not fit in the description of a superhero. In contrast, Jesus died for forgiveness.
Why are we excited about revenge? Is it because revenge satisfies our sense of justice? Does the elder son in the parable of the prodigal son become angry because their father betrays the sense of justice? Should we punish even those repenting and begging for forgiveness like the prodigal son?
In our times, the belief that people do not change is widespread. Many people do not believe in repentance and conversion any more. Thus, punishment and retaliation are only options. But we want to go a little further and finish those hopeless people. We demand more than justice. We want to strike them severely enough so that they may never come back – a pre-emptive strike or preventative measure, you may call it.
At the same time, we have resentment against granting forgiveness. People feel sad, angry, and bitter when evil people receive mercy and goodness. People feel as if their righteousness were depreciated. The prodigal son in the parable did not harm the elder son. The prodigal son squandered his inheritance only, not his brother’s. But the elder son was angry with his father, who offered mercy to the prodigal son, who now begged for forgiveness. This reaction of the elder son is nothing but envy – spiritual sadness of other’s good.
Satan likes to distort. He twists our sense of justice with skepticism over conversion. And he suggests that mercy is weak and hopeless. Finally, Satan fills our hearts with envious bitterness. In this way, he leads into further destruction and eventual annihilation.
