“For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God’s wrath on the wrongdoer.”
— Romans 13:4
This post might seem jarring in light of the recent assassination of Charlie Kirk. An individual sought vengeance against an innocent man simply because he publicly proclaimed his beliefs. That is never justified—not ever.
But let’s consider a more complex scenario, one that challenges our assumptions about justice and the instruments God can use.
The final scene of Sicario unsettles more than any gun battle. Alejandro, the Sicario, is holding his pistol under Kate’s chin, forcing her to sign a document declaring everything they had done was “by the book.” It wasn’t. The paper is a lie, meant to appease the powers that be so the U.S. covert program can continue its off-the-record war against the cartels.
Only after she signs does Alejandro speak the chilling words:
“You should move to a small town. Somewhere the rule of law still exists. You’re not a wolf, and this is the land of wolves now.”
Kate, with her ideals of law and procedure, realizes in that moment she is a sheep in wolf territory. The law has no reach here.
Alejandro, though, is not only an agent of vengeance, nor does he act on his own. The very word sicario means hitman, and in ancient times, the sicarii were dagger-men, Zealots who struck down oppressors in the streets of Judea. They were violent, feared, and far from righteous in themselves.
And yet in the film, this sicario becomes more than an assassin, more than a vengeance seeker. He is the sheepdog, the sword in a world where courts have no teeth. His vengeance is rough and imperfect—but in God’s providence, it restrains evil.
This is what Paul describes in Romans 13: rulers bearing the sword as servants of God, avengers who carry out wrath on wrongdoers. Usually, this happens within the boundaries of law. But sometimes, disturbingly, God uses men outside the system—Alejandro types—to check the wolves.
Here we should remember Jesus’ words:
“Blessed are the peacemakers” (Matt. 5:9)
Too often, we confuse peacemaking with peacekeeping. A peacekeeper is primarily concerned with quiet, with the absence of conflict. He will compromise truth or delay justice in order to maintain a fragile calm.
A peacemaker, however, confronts what is broken. He knows real peace can only stand if it is built on righteousness. Peacemaking demands courage, because it requires exposing evil rather than tolerating it. That is why Micah ties peace to justice:
“He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?” (Micah 6:8)
Anything less is appeasement.
In Sicario: Day of the Soldado, this becomes clearer. Alejandro begins as vengeance embodied, but his role bends toward protection. He shields the vulnerable. The hitman becomes sheepdog. And while the film leaves us uneasy, it also points us to a truth: God, in His sovereignty, can use even vengeance-driven men as instruments to guard the sheep—as long as it is a measured response to restrain rampant evil.
Still, the sword is never final. Jesus warned,
“All who take the sword will perish by the sword” (Matt. 26:52)
The sheepdog can protect, but he cannot heal. The sword can restrain, but it cannot redeem. Only the Good Shepherd can. His rod and staff comfort as well as defend. His peace is not fragile compromise, but the union of justice and mercy.
Alejandro told Kate, “You’re not a wolf.” He meant it as not a condemnation of her, but as a recognition of the times and her suitability to them. For us, in Christ, we are not wolves. For a time, we may have to trust in sheepdogs—but not forever. The Kingdom of God grows, and because His sheep are precious to the Shepherd, He will one day silence every wolf and bring perfect peace: peace that never compromises truth, peace that needs no sword.
“People sleep peacefully in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf.”
— George Orwell
Call to Action:
Pray today for discernment and courage. Ask for guidance about where you can act as a peacemaker, confronting what is broken with courage, acting justly, and walking humbly with Him, even in a world that often rewards wolves.
In excelsis Deo
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