Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. Romans 12:21
“The third-century North African Church Father Tertullian said that the blood of martyrs is the seed of the Church. Absorbing hatred in the name of Jesus by giving over one’s own life, the Christian martyr furthers the reconciling work of the Lord. These deeds of self-giving extend the proclamation of the gospel. Where one might have thought that murder would stifle the voice crying for peace, in actual fact it only amplifies it. This is the logic of the cross, and the paradox of the way those who bear the cross witness to the power of the resurrection.”
Kathryn Greene-McCreight in I Am With You: The Archbishop of Canterbury’s Lent, Book 2016 (London: Bloomsbury, 2015) 147.
These days we find ourselves in world growing increasingly hostile to Christianity. It seems similar to the relationship between the Roman world and the early church. Though many of us may not be in mortal danger, there appears to be unprecedented levels of hatred all around us.
As I explore the heart of generosity during Lent, I am learning that “absorbing hatred” is one way we get to exhibit our faith in spiritually and morally dark times. When we do this, even to the point of death, we are not overcome by the darkness, but we overcome it with good.
To be overcome is not to be killed, but to be immobilized and defeated by fear. Jesus knew we would face this. It’s why He spoke these words pointedly to the disciples (and us): Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell. Matthew 10:28
Let us absorbing hatred in the name of Jesus by giving our lives to proclaim the good news.