The face of evil

A few days ago, over Chinese New Year, I got a phone call from someone in my family. Every family has it's skeletons in the cupboard. Mine is no different. It probably has a whole graveyard full of 'em. Most of them are bones of contention over family related hurts and rejection; perceived or otherwise. In any case, this relative gave me 15 minutes worth of cursing and damning of other family members; including my parents. Not an easy thing to stomach, mind you

When another relative, a milder uncle asked me if it bothered me. I said "Not really, seen and heard worse when I was involved in deliverance ministry" (Yes, I was - back in those bad ol' Mike the charismatic days :-) )

While I severely doubt the veracity of demon posession and related demo-mania; I do believe in the existence of evil. That something is 'tak betul' with the human race- both individually and collectively. I heard a bit of it over the phone. I see a bit of it each day. It's in two kids fighting for a plastic pail in a playground. And it's in an Israeli and a Palestinian drawing guns on each other.

I don't see horned halloween devil like creatures behind each individual, pulling the strings of human behaviour. I'll leave that to my..shall we say...more psychically bent brethren of the Pentecostal faith. But what I observe is that in the bones, sinews, emotions, soul and spirit of each human is the capacity and rapacity to want to do evil.

It's about this point that everyone usually waves their hands and says : "Not me! I'm a good person. What about Mother Theresa then". The main difference here is that Mother Theresa knows that she had the inclination to evil just as much as every person in the world - she was just a little better at relying on God's grace than you or me, that's all.

Jesus was really good as pointing this out to those with myopia with regards to evil. To the self-inflated lawyer who demanded to know who his neighbour was - he exposed his racism and pride. To the man who wanted to know how the inheritence was going to be divided, Jesus lectured on the futility of storing up wealth, thus exposing the evil of covetousness

Which is why,sad to say - they crucified him. No one likes their dirty insides exposed. But the irony is that by doing so, it released a Spirit who is perfect as exposing every sin, lie and evil and cleansing it. Out of an act of evil, the death warrant for evil was signed, sentenced and passed. The irony of it all

I can't say I am totally without this inclination to want to sin. Each day passes and I marvel at my capacity for frailty and even more incredible delusion at excusing that. In other words, like most of my other 6 billion brethen on this earth - I try to say that my evil is justifiable

Thus, if some guy scratches my car, I must be justified in doing one to his door. If I get fired from my job, no one will blame me if I take a few pens and a stapler, right? My cry is for justice. For fairness in an unfair world. If no one will protect me, especially God, well, I gotta look out for number one, correct?

In a world of an eye for an eye, there are going to be a lot of one eyed and blind people around

One act of evil is a pebble in a pool, The ripples resonate. Who knows where they will stop. One act of goodness does the same to the pool. When they clash, it looks ugly. Consider this image if you will. Increase the number of good ripples. Increase them to infinity.

After a while, the whole rippled filled pond will look....calm

But underneath, there is activity. Lots of good activity

That, my friends, is the image of a true Christlike world. And in that pond or world, evil doesn't fit in