And going a little farther he fell on his face and prayed, “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.”
(Matthew 26:39)Do you think that I cannot appeal to my Father, and he will at once send me more than twelve legions of angels?
But how then should the Scriptures be fulfilled, that it must be so?”
(Matthew 26:53-4)Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
(Romans 12:21)
As always, Jesus is our exemplar for responding to the fallen world and its suffering.
Jesus had more reason than anyone to grieve over the wounds brought about by sin, and more grounds to think himself unjustly treated.
Yet he did not rebel against the reality of evil in the world.
He was saddened by it, weeping at the tomb of Lazarus, and he felt for all who were suffering.
But he was not personally offended by the reality of sin around him.
He did not angrily and noisily demand his rights when he ran into injustice against himself.
Jesus accepted the state of the world as within the providential will of the Father.
He had to: it would be odd if a doctor who was brought in to deal with an epidemic got surprised and offended by the sickness of his patients.
Christ’s ultimately will destroy evil and injustice entirely.
But he knows that the possibility of evil is a consequence of the Father’s gift of freedom, and he overcomes evil only in a way that respects our freedom.
Think of what someone of Jesus’ power could have done to avoid or alleviate human suffering.
The fullness of the Deity resides in him; even the wind and the sea obey him.
He was more than capable of immediately eradicating suffering.
Yet this was not his intention.
Compared to all the suffering Jesus encountered during the few years of his public ministry, to say nothing of all the suffering of every age and place in the world, his occasional healings were so many drops in the ocean.
His healings showed who he was.
They pointed to the much more important inner transformation and ultimate triumph over suffering and death that he came to bring.
When his own life was on the line, he spoke the principle clearly: “Do you think that I cannot appeal to my Father, and he will at once send me more than twelve legions of angels? But how then should the scriptures be fulfilled, that it must be so?” (Matthew 26:53)
How, then, does Jesus destroy the suffering of the world according to the Father’s plan?
Amazingly, he conquers evil and suffering by responding to them in truth and love.
Had he gotten angry, impatient, or vengeful toward those who harmed him, he himself would have been conquered.
Instead, he conquers evil by refusing to submit to it inwardly, even while it is destroying his humanity.
St. Paul puts this as a general proposition: “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good” (Romans 12:21).
Jesus was not some hopeless romantic with unrealistic ideals.
He understood better than anyone what was needed to put the world right, and he desired it with an unparalleled intensity.
But he knew that in this contest between light and darkness, goodness would destroy evil by being seemingly vanquished by it.
The pride of the devil would be overcome by the humility of God.
Crucifixion leading to resurrection is the cycle that explains and interprets the whole world.
Brothers, today we must begin learning from Christ about how to respond to suffering, and cease imitating the world.
Ask Christ to open your eyes to how he wants you to respond to the sufferings current present in your life.
