Overcome Evil

Romans 12:9-21; Matthew 16:21-28

It does not take much effort to find examples of evil in the world. A civil war is raging in Syria that has killed thousands of people and caused millions to flee as refugees. Terrorists use trucks to kill and maim people on the streets of cities in Europe. White Supremacists and Neo-Nazis march on the streets of Charlottesville spewing a message of division and hatred. Corporate officers squeeze the poor to enlarge their already overflowing coffers. Some in government want to enact policies that are intent on dividing wedges between neighbors. Minorities feel targeted by the very police who should be protecting them. And, shoppers pull guns on each as they fight over school supplies for their children. Yes, the world seems awash in evil. And, we do not have to travel far to find it. Evil is not confined to foreign lands or groups on the fringes of society, evil lives here among us.
And, evil has a long history. Human history is filled with stories of evil. Within our lifetimes we have witnessed genocides in Rwanda and Cambodia. We only have to look back a few years to find the Holocaust in Germany where millions we killed. In our own nation we drove the native inhabitants from their lands and enslaved people based on the color of their skin. Even the Bible is filled with evil; many of its pages are filled with examples of hatred and evil. Even Jesus, the Prince of Peace, was crucified on a cross by people who felt threatened by his message of love. The story of evil is almost as old as the story of humanity itself; we see its first stirrings when Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit and its first flower when Cain murdered his brother Abel.

Yes, evil is all around us and has been since our earliest days. So, the question is not, “Does evil exist?” – we know the answer to that question. No, the question is, “How do we respond to evil?” One response is to try and use the weapons of evil against it. We respond to violence in our streets with increased police presence to suppress the violence. We respond to aggression with overwhelming force. Nations build weapons that guarantee mutual annihilation in the hopes that no one will be the first to strike. We respond to force with force; we respond to violence with violence; we respond to evil with evil.
But, is that the only way to respond? I will admit that the problem is complex and there are no easy answers. I look at people like Adolf Hitler, Saddam Hussein, Idi Amin, and Pol Pot and I know we must do something to contain and counter their evil. We cannot simply let these monsters roam freely, but sometimes our options often seem limited. But, even then, even when our options are few, we can never simply walk away and let evil dominate our world.

When a person comes forward to be baptized, be they a child or an adult, we ask them (or their parents) a series of questions. One of the questions we as is, “Do you confess Jesus Christ as your Savior, put your whole trust in his grace, and promise to serve him as your Lord?”. Confessing Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior is central to our identify as Christians. But, before a person is given a chance to answer that question, we ask them two other questions – questions about evil. The first is: “Do you renounce the spiritual forces of wickedness, reject the evil powers of this world, and repent of your sin?” Before we say anything about Jesus, we ask a person, “Which side are you on?” We ask if they align themselves with evil and seek to advance in the world by destroying those who oppose them. Or, if they renounce evil, repent and seek to move in a new direction. Then we ask another question, “Do you accept the freedom and power God gives you to resist evil, injustice, and oppression in whatever forms they present themselves?” Again, this is before we say anything about Jesus. We ask not only whose side are you on; we ask “Are you going to do something about evil? Are you ready to join the resistance?” This is a step up. It is one thing to say that I am against evil. But, we ask a person to actively resist. Resistance can take many forms. It may be a vote against a dictator; it may be a word spoken in opposition to bad policy; it may be marching against injustice; or, it may be putting ourselves in harm’s ways so evil cannot advance.

Or, we can go beyond mere resistance and actually overcome evil. In today’s reading from Romans Paul outlines a plan for overcoming evil. He said, “Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord. On the contrary: ‘If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.’ Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”
There are many lessons in Paul’s words and we really only have time to look at a few of them. The first I want to highlight is “do not repay evil for evil.” I am tempted to hit back when someone hits me. But, that only validates the evil in the world. When we hit back we are saying that the world is ruled by violence and evil. We might claim our cause is “better,” but our violence says otherwise. Jesus called us to “turn the other cheek.” The first step in overcoming evil is to stop repaying evil for evil.

A second lesson in Paul’s letter is simply “overcome evil with good.” The only way to overcome evil is to act differently than evil. I saw a quote recently that said, “When tempted to fight fire with fire, remember that the Fire Department usually uses water.” Paul gives us a few practical examples, “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink.” Evil only understands evil, it only understands force, oppression and coercion; it cannot comprehend kindness and it will never understand love. The only way to overcome evil is to act in a way that evil cannot understand; the only way to overcome evil is with love.

What might that look like in practice? Well, how about offering shelter and support to those who are the victims of evil and oppression? On a global scale that could take the form of providing sanctuary and relief to those fleeing the violence in Syria. On a more local scale we could reach out to the disadvantaged in our area with backpacks for kids in school and support for groups that give children a safe place to play. What else can we do? How about taking an active role in forming policies in our nation? We can contact our representatives in government and say that we believe that compassion should factor into our immigration decisions. Or, maybe we should demand that authorities respond with gentleness rather than aggression when confronting violence. Or, we could say that our taxes, our common resources as a community, be prioritized to helping others rather than building walls and bigger armies.

One thing is clear, evil is all around us. It is also clear that we will never overcome evil with evil. Our only hope is to overcome evil with good. And to do that we must claim the one thing evil can never destroy; we must “accept the freedom and power God gives us.” Ultimately evil will fall before the power of God; in the end evil will not survive in the face of God’s love. That power, God’s power, is ours to use in the world to overcome evil. I believe that when we stand firm against evil that we are standing with God. I believe that when we choose love over hate and choose good over evil that we are choosing God. We are called to overcome evil in the world. And, that will happen when we allow God’s power to strengthen us so we can truly overcome evil with God’s goodness and God’s love.

Amen.

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