Galatians 1:1-4 (RSV) Paul an apostle -- not
from men nor through man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father, who
raised him from the dead -- and all the brethren who are with me, To the
churches of Galatia: Grace to you and peace from God
the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ, who
gave himself for our sins to deliver us from the present evil age, according to
the will of our God and Father; to whom be the glory for ever and ever. Amen.
“Grace to you,” Paul says, “and peace
from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ, who gave himself for our
sins to deliver us from the present evil age.” Commentaries point out that “deliver”
here does not mean deliverance from the presence of evil, but deliverance from
the power of this present evil age.
Evil
is a pervading power to influence us to do wrong. Evil is more than a flaw or a
character defect that we can overcome by self-effort. Evil breeds out of more
than being raised in a dysfunctional family, or because we were poor, or
because we were too easily wealthy, or for any other purely human reason. Evil
is always more than the person or group doing evil. And evil is always
deceiving. Even the wicked often claim they have a righteous reason to do evil,
and often religion helps them find that righteous reason. The final
answer to why human beings make each other miserable has to do with the
presence and power of evil.
How
powerless Jesus appeared against the power of evil. How could this Galilean
carpenter turned itinerant preacher who draws after Him a motley mob of
religious bureaucrats, prostitutes and a garden variety of sinners conquer
evil. How could this Jesus whose life ends on a Cross as an object of ridicule believe
His death would conquer evil? Yet, Jesus saw the conquering of evil to be His
mission on earth, to set the prisoners free from the clutches of evil.
Jesus
saw Himself as the strong arm of God, armed with God’s power, spearheading the
attack on the power of evil, but He appeared so powerless, crucified on a
Cross, King of the Jews written on a placard over His head as a kind of joke.
But, the joke backfired and Jesus proved to be a King in a way that no one
could have possibly imagined.
Jesus
did more than teach us how to deal with a few moral flaws in our lives. Jesus
did more than offer teachings on raising our children so they would turn out
good. To be delivered from this present evil age is to be delivered from the
fear and terror that some people seek to inflict on others. Jesus is the power
of God for salvation to deliver us from this present evil age.
From
a sermon preached by Henry Dobbs Pope November 4, 2001
©
Rhonda Hinkle Mitchell
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