The Paradox of Power

And they have conquered him (the ancient dragon) by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death"(Revelation 12:11).

The weakness of evil is that it cannot overcome weakness. We overcome evil, as Jesus did, through the power of the cross, a symbol of voluntary, loving renunciation of power. 

I'm not a categorical pacifist; I believe, as a national policy, that evil men and women must be contained by force of arms. Paul commends the formation and maintenance of armies of national defense: “He (the state) is God's servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword (an instrument of capital punishment) in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God's wrath on the wrongdoer” (Romans 13:4). George Orwell said that "we sleep peacefully in our beds at night only because a few rough men stand ready to do violence on our behalf." (Though I did a stint in the U.S. Army I never achieved the sobriquet, "a rough man." I was mostly in charge of a swimming pool.) 

But, to get back on track: It seems to me that everything is about power these days: social, economic, political, coercive power. But in an odd irony the only way any of us can gain power, when personal relationships are disordered,is to give it up. (I’m thinking this morning of tension in our families and with our friends.) Humility, meekness (non-defensiveness), forgiveness, love, and other aspects of personal righteousness forever trump brute force. In a jujitsu-like move, weakness becomes our strength. Paul, as you know, wrote exactly that (2Corinthians 12:10)

Evil in others (and the seven devils that reside in us) cannot touch us when we're willing, like Jesus, to lay down our lives. "In the end the Shadow is only a small and passing thing... righteousness and beauty are ever beyond its reach" (Tolkien).

David Roper

5.30.18