Good v. Evil

What makes a person’s actions good or evil?

When we are young, adults would say we are good when we follow the rules and color within the lines. But as we get older, we learn that there are people who follow the rules but whose actions are mean and selfish and ugly.

Jesus commented on this. When it came to the Sabbath laws, for example, he put the needs of the people above the rules of the Sabbath (Mark 6:1-11). And to the rich young man who claimed to obey all of the Ten Commandments, Jesus told him to sell all he had and give it to the poor (Mark 10:17-22). So for Jesus, doing good was more than simply following the rules. When asked what was the greatest commandment, he responded “Love God…” and “Love your neighbor as yourself” (Mark 12:28-34).

The “good,” is then defined by our care for one another. As darkness is the absence of light, evil is the absence of good. So when people do things for themselves without a care for others, that would be an evil action. So in the list of sins that we see in the scripture, greed and selfishness are commonly listed with all of the other sins. By this definition, there is a lot of evil happening in our society.

Law and Order is important for a community. When Law and Order breaks down, the community descends into chaos. This is especially true when the leaders ignore the Law and ignore common decency (Ezekiel 34:1-4). When Law and Order breaks down, the powerful and the people without morals lord it over everyone else. So Paul writes to the church in Rome that we are to obey authorities for they are a gift of God (Romans 13:1-7). This is important for the common good. Can you imagine trying to drive a car without rules of the road? Law and Order does not automatically make us good people. However it does allow us to live together peacefully. Obeying the Law is important as we care for one another.

For us, Jesus gives us a new commandment: “Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.” (John 13:34) This defines what actions are good.