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Seeking the perspective of Jesus

“Do not let yourself be overcome by evil, but overcome (master) evil with good.” Romans 12:21 (Amplified Bible)

Question: Does it take more courage to lash out when provoked by a person or situation inspired by evil, or to offer a blessing in return? Considering that there is so much anger and violence around us, we had better have an action plan to guide us rather than our instincts. All one has to do is take a ride on a typical American freeway to see what I mean. Every day, you could see some form of “road rage" being displayed. From burly men with empty beer cans thrown in the back bed of their truck to 100 lb moms with twins in the backseat sucking on bottles, there is potential for rage, and I mean real rage. The only difference between the man and the woman is the likelihood that the burly guy would use his fists to try to protect his truck from being damaged while the angry woman would run you over with her car and consider the dents as medals of courage. But, are these examples of real courage? Is it really a courageous thing to explode with expletives, threats, and even physical violence in order to prove that you are brave and that you are a real man? Sure, we all have this “trigger” in us that, when pulled, will cause the best of people to erupt into behavior suited for pirates on the high seas. These outbursts which come in a flash will cause us to ask, “Where did that come from?” Here’s an example:

A few weeks ago my wife and I were in Kansas City, walking across the pedestrian walk, while the stop light instructed us to proceed. At the same time, a car came to the stop light, paused, and pulled out to its right taking the “right turn on red” option. The problem was we were in the crosswalk when the lady made her turn and unknown to her, she and her car almost hit us. Now, I was having a cranky knee day at the time and was using my cane to walk across the street. When the car threatened to hit us I reacted partly in fear and partly in anger by stabbing at the car with my cane like I was a toreador in a bullfight. When I thought about it later, I realized that it didn’t do a bit of good, and I looked ridiculous. Worst of all was my hasty words that caused even the car to blush. I mean it was in an instant that I turned from a godly man taking a pleasant walk with his wife to a bloodthirsty bullfighter who was protecting his “ground.” As I settled down, I looked into the car and saw a young woman who was driving. She had a child in a child’s seat in the back of the car, and it was a familiar sight to me. It was with a fresh view of the situation and a new compassion that the Lord pulled back on my reigns and haltered the wild beast that had been frightened. He gave me understanding when He spoke to my heart: “That could be your daughter and her child instead. How would you want someone to treat her in the same situation?” Like a spear to the heart, I could do nothing but feel ashamed of myself and ask, “Where did that come from Lord?

We know where it comes from. It comes from a base, depraved nature that we all have in us, and it tells us that given the right situation or trigger, it will eventually make its way to the surface in our life. It also tells us how desperate we are to have the perfection of Jesus to cover our imperfections and that we need His yoke to settle us down and get us back in step with Him. It’s a real challenge fighting this fight with our flesh nature, do you agree? We try with all our heart to be our best for God, but we still eventually fail miserably at it. It’s a common problem. Look what our brother, the Apostle Paul, says about it:

“I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it. So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God's law; but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God—through Jesus Christ our Lord!” Romans 7: 18 -25

Who will rescue us and help us with this nature that waits for its opportunity to come to the surface? Thanks be to God - through Jesus Christ our Lord, Who has paid the price for our forgiveness. It is He Who will harness it. How does He do it?

“Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me …….” Jesus speaking in Matthew 11:29

In this word picture, we see that Jesus gives His disciples a volitional choice to make in that we “take His yoke,” as opposed to it being forced upon us. The yoke was an instrument for harnessing a powerful beast that would both cause it to submit to its master, as well as provide leverage for pulling a load. The “yoke of Christ” does the same for God’s man. This illustration also has a powerful similarity to the effect of abiding with Christ. In abiding with Him, we have close proximity to Him and the result is that a supernatural fruit is produced. When we are in Christ’s yoke, we are also in close proximity to Him, and He is teaching us how to submit to Him and how to grow in His strength. I see this yoke as His help for harnessing the flesh nature in us that rears its ugly head in times such as my “bullfight with the car” experience. Note that I mentioned that Jesus “pulled back on my reigns” before the situation got out of hand. I say this with the following example in mind:

If you’ve ever watched a skilled horseman riding a spirited horse, you will note that the more they ride together, the more comfortable they look together. However, the horseman is always aware that his beast can be frightened by an unfamiliar stimulus such as a lightning bolt, fireworks, or anything that can startle the horse. When it happens, the horseman pulls back on the reigns and speaks soothingly to his frightened beast, “Whoa Fella.” That was kind of what happened to me. When that car frightened me and I reacted, it was as if the Lord pulled back on my yoke and spoke comforting words to me. “Hold on Big Fella. It’s OK. You’re safe and all is well.” This gives me great comfort to know that even though there is a battle for supremacy going on within me such as Paul spoke of in his epistle, I have submitted to the yoke of Christ and I am confident that He will pull back on my reign when my nature starts to get the best of me. Sure, I feel bad about being startled and reacting badly, but I am also reminded of how desperate I would be if Jesus expected me to be perfect. This is why I need Him as my Savior, for He accomplished for me that which I am incapable of doing on my own.

So back to the initial question: How do we overcome evil with good? What is our action plan for when we are provoked? We “take” His yoke upon us every day by abandoning our rights (to ourselves) to His authority over us. We start each day in submission to Him and depend on Him to help us. He will show us what to do provided that we submit to His yoke. Even if we start to blow it, He’ll get involved and harness that beast that wants to get out of us, and He will, in turn, substitute His nature for ours. What a deal!! Just get under His yoke, and you will be made ready for any surprise that comes your way.