Heap of Burning Coals
The 16th Sunday After Pentecost
August 31, 2008
9Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good; 10love one another with mutual affection; outdo one another in showing honor. 11Do not lag in zeal, be ardent in spirit, serve the Lord. 12Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer. 13Contribute to the needs of the saints; extend hospitality to strangers. 14Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. 15Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. 16Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly; do not claim to be wiser than you are. 17Do not repay anyone evil for evil, but take thought for what is noble in the sight of all. 18If it is possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. 19Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave room for the wrath of God; for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” 20No, “if your enemies are hungry, feed them; if they are thirsty, give them something to drink; for by doing this you will heap burning coals on their heads.” 21Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
First of all, not that anyone is dying to know, but the title last week was from the song "Free Your Mind" by En Vogue (the 1992 album "Funky Divas" - yes, this pastor does own that).
Now, back to the current reading. Paul offers some guidance to the Roman's as to how to live in community. He just finished saying that "we" - Paul is speaking about himself and all those who are the Body of Christ - we are one body with many members. He also says that there are different gifts among these many members. After listing some specifics, he then jumps into this appeal.
All of these phrases are good advice - things to follow as we walk through life, working to follow Christ. Verse 20 catches me off guard though. It's got that "kill them with kindness" mentality. Without that little window, one might think that Paul was otherworldly....and these were impossible ideals.
I agree with Paul: we are to care for everyone, including our enemies. We are not to sink to what we might term "their level" or repay evil with evil. But, it's not easy. Paul offers a not-so-holy incentive for treating your enemy with love...because it will be like you have piled "burning coals on their heads." (Verse 20 comes almost directly from Proverbs 25:21-22). I'm not sure that our motivation for treating our "enemies" well should be because it will cause them guilt or remorse. However, it certainly lifts up that even if we are angry, the correct response is to do good in the face of evil.
There are many fantastic phrases in this reading. Do any in particular stand out to you?
What do you think about this whole concept of heaping "burning coals" on your enemies heads?
I read the "burning coals" metaphor as being a creative way to express the effectiveness of love, like saying that Love is like "going nuclear" in terms of its radical upending of conventional eye for an eye thinking... blowing away the old paradigms.
"outdo one another in showing honor": that's a healthy competitiveness!
"Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good": again, that turns conventional thinking on its head. It is also such great writing!
I could comment more but will save room for others.
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I know it is not always easy walking in a love walk especially when you feel very disrespected in spite of the good you may have done for someone. One lady who use to be a friend of mine a few years ago had a hand in hurting my life I later learned; then did something that I never thought she would do;she did so all along but this time it was definately different. After she did, she called me when I was at school one day studying for a test. when one lady in charge of the study room called off my name and told me someone was on the phone for me. I answered it and it was her;she was calling in a desperate plea asking if we were still friends after what she did. I in all bewilderment asked, "what!?" She asked are we still friends. I was so upset I just told her I had to go.For the record, no we are not friends, I haven't spoken with her since 2006. Sometimes it is hard being friends and following a love walk with God concerning some of these people because it turns my stomach so bad as to how low a person will stoop to hurt you, and they are suppose to be christians friends. I think it may be burning coals on my head because there are some things I just don't want to be bothered with any more especially when these people never even apologize for their offense. However, I do realize that one day they may have a bad time in their life as I did and I do feel sorry for whatever they may have to go through or struggle with in their own lives. I can pray for them at a given distance. I don't know if it's wrong or right but that's my reaction to all of this.
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