Christ’s Answer to Evil
Wednesday of the Second Week of Lent
Jeremiah 18:18–20 · Psalm 31 · Matthew 20:17–28
“Should good be repaid with evil?”
Jeremiah asks this question when his own people plot against him.
He spoke the truth. He warned them. He prayed for them.
And they decided to silence him.
The psalmist knows the same experience. He hears whispers. He feels surrounded. He fears for his life.
Doing good does not always protect you.
Sometimes it makes you a target.
Jesus tells His disciples what will happen in Jerusalem.
He will be handed over. Mocked. Condemned. Crucified.
The pattern continues.
Good repaid with evil.
The Bible does not hide this reality. It names it.
Why does this happen?
Why do people resist truth? Why do we hurt those who help us? Why does envy turn into violence?
The problem is not only “out there.” It lives in the human heart.
But something new happens in Jesus.
“Into your hands I commit my spirit,” He prays.
He does not answer violence with violence. He does not gather an army. He entrusts Himself to the Father.
And He says something unexpected:
“The Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
His death is not defeat. It is a gift.
Instead of repaying evil with evil, He absorbs it and answers with love.
The cycle is broken.
On the third day, He is raised.
Evil does not have the final word. Death does not have the final word.
Love does.
This is the heart of Scripture. From Jeremiah’s suffering to the cross of Christ, the story moves toward this moment.
Good may be rejected. Truth may be opposed. Love may be wounded.
But love given freely has power.
It frees us from revenge. It frees us from fear. It frees us for service.
“Whoever wishes to be great among you shall be your servant.”
Greatness is not domination. It is self-giving.
We cannot control how others respond to goodness. But we can decide how we respond to evil.
The cross shows the way.
Not retaliation. Not despair.
Trust. Service. Love stronger than harm.
When good is repaid with evil, we stand at a crossroads.
Jesus shows another path.
And that path leads to life.
Scripture Attribution
New Revised Standard Version Bible: Catholic Edition, copyright © 1989, 1993
the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of
Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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