6.11.2009

Jesus' response to evil

Here's a recent comment I made about an article on Christians and the police, on Jesus Manifesto:

Jim asked what we should do, instead of calling the police. And perhaps Sarah also had that question in mind when writing this article. It's an important (and more constructive) question.

I don't think this can be answered easily, or generally for all situations. But some observations from Jesus' life may be helpful to us as we try to hear how God might be leading us in some particular situation. As Jim pointed out, Jesus did not seem compelled to prevent evil from happening. I think he certainly did much, in word and example, to try to convince people not to do evil and convert them to do good. But when they chose evil anyway, he did not physically (or with a legion of angels) step in to stop it. And his actions in this regard matched his teaching, "Do not resist one who is evil." (Mt 5.39)

This, I believe, points to a difference in how Jesus viewed the problem of evil. It seems that, to him, evil was not "bad things that happen to people." Those bad things that happen were rather symptoms of the evil that exists within people. The external violence or injustice points to the very real evil in us. Jesus expresses this in his interpretation of the Law in the sermon on the mount, especially clearly in his line, "I say to you that every one who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart." The evil is in the intent, not just the external action.

We can see from this why Jesus would not choose physical (or otherwise coercive) means to stop evil. He wants to root evil out of hearts, and coercively "preventing" evil intentions from being carried out does not reduce the evil intent, but often actually increases it (hence, the "cycle of violence"). Jesus chooses means to respond that go to the heart of the matter, the root of evil. Such as courageously rebuking powerful oppressors, revealing to all the evil in their hearts, and drawing out their wrath (towards him, which he does not reciprocate) to make the hidden evil visible and obvious—obviously wrong. His innocent (and non-resistant) suffering and death at the hands of evil-intentioned men is the extreme example of this response. The desire is that people will recognize the evil within themselves, and repent, turning away from it.

This also presents the situation of the "victim" in a different light. If evil is truly "in your heart," in our intentions, then evil cannot be imposed on us forcefully from the outside. If evil is in us, it is in our own desires and choices, not in what is done to us. We cannot be made evil or corrupted by evil unless we choose to let it into our own hearts. Now, often when evil-intentioned acts are done to us, we do let evil into us, responding with vengeance or hatred. It is difficult not to do so. But Jesus' example (and his presence in us) shows us how we, like him, can resist this and remain "untouched" by evil, no matter what is done to us. We need not be "victims" of evil.

And this is the beginning of "overcoming evil with good." We can prevent the evil from spreading from the hearts of others to our own hearts. And then we can begin to show others that evil can be quenched in their hearts as well. This is how Jesus responded to evil, and it is the best thing we can do for others, both for those who are "evil-doers" and those who suffer under them (and usually we are both).

In all this we also see Jesus showing us that violence or coercion (such as we see in our criminal "justice" system) has no value for us if we wish to respond to evil the way he did.