1 Kings 21:1-16 / Matthew 5:38-42
Fire is a good servant, but a bad master.
Power is also a good servant, but also a bad master.
And when power becomes the master and uses fire as its servant, the result will be disastrous.
In the first reading, king Ahab sulked and was gloomy when Naboth refused to give him the vineyard to be a vegetable garden.
Then his wife Jezebel came along and came to know about the matter.
She came up with a plot and then had Naboth put to death.
It was like power and fire becoming masters and causing death and disaster.
Yet the death of the innocent Naboth meant nothing at all to king Ahab, Jezebel and the elders and nobles of the town.
If we can take the law into our own hands, then we will see justice done to those evil people.
But again, let us remember that justice and vengeance belong to the Lord.
As Jesus said in the gospel “offer the wicked man no resistance”.
Let us not become that kind of power and fire that will burn and destroy and even create a bigger fire and destruction.
The way of the Lord is peace and gentleness.
That is the greatest power.
May we understand that so that we will be able to forgive those who have done wrong to us.