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Not of this World?

Who of us can seriously doubt the reality and presence of evil in our world? Which of us does not know that such darkness encroaches from time to time within our own hearts? When we hear the attempt of some to explain evil with reference to sickness or misfortune does this not have a very hollow superficial ring to it? For an Orthodox Christian everything must be judged against the Scriptures within the Tradition of the Church. Our response to evil in our lives and in our midst, from without and from within, must be sustained from the gospel and not any homespun theory or contemporary secular analysis. Our Lord presents a true and Godly understanding of the matter in the gospel account of his casting out of demons, (Luke 11:14-20). He defends his own exorcism as an act of God with reference to its effect. If he had truly cast out the demon by the “prince of devils” (for that is what “Beelzebub” means) then the rule of Satan would not have fallen to the Kingdom of God. As a matter of fact, this had happened, therefore our Lord’s exorcism was an act of God Himself.

"But if it is by the finger of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.” (Luke 14:20)

A profound truth emerges from this conflict between Jesus and His detractors. God alone can vanquish Satan. All attempts to deal with evil that do not have God himself as the chief protagonist are doomed to fail. One of Satan’s most devious devices is to convince people that some evil or other has been dealt with when it hasn’t.

For a first example let us consider the Middle East. At the beginning of the 20^th century it seemed obvious to the British Establishment that the Zionist case for a homeland in “Eretz Israel” for the world’s dispossessed Jews was most just. Here is the letter from Balfour to Lord Rothschild:-

Both statements concerning rights of Palestinians in Palestine and Jews in the diaspora have, in the intervening period, been violated on a grand scale. The evil of fascism which inflicted such a bloody toll on the Jews has insinuated itself via their suffering into a new oppression against the Palestinians. How so? Maybe the West turned a blind eye toward Zionism for so long because it felt so guilty about the Holocaust … or at least, indirectly responsible for it by reason of its own longstanding anti-Semitism. The dignity of one people, however, cannot be secured by means of the oppression of another. Such “trade-offs” however unintentional are the currency of international politics when based on self-interest and power brokerage. One can only wonder sometimes at the extreme naiveté of so many politicians who think that they can solve problems in such a human-centred way. We are now paying the price of that naiveté; or rather, the Palestinians are. Yet again a host of evils have been attracted to the smell of injustice and the circle of suffering is widening.

For a second and connected example, let us consider the events of 11 September 2001. Terrorist evil is parasitic. It has no morality of its own being entirely concerned with fear and power. It must nonetheless, for propaganda purposes, clothe itself with some bogus respectability by appealing to a sense of grievance on behalf of others. That bin Laden and his organisation can do this by celebrating the atrocious act as divinely inspired retribution seems to me to be sheer diabolism in the most literal sense. The deaths of 6000 become faceless statistics to terrorism and of no account because they are pinned to a grievance. When oppressed peoples’ hearts have become so embittered by suffering they will listen to any demagogue and follow him into hell. Had not the rise of Hitler taught us this? Would Hitler have been able to unleash his terror against the Jews if the Weimar Republic had not been crushed by economic deprivation and political humiliation? So, if you like, bin Laden is our new tin-pot Hitler, a self-confessed genocidal psychotic who hates Jews, Christians, Americans and Westerners generally. But, he was preventable. We could have seen it coming. We could have made our resistance moral and spiritual rather than merely politically expedient. We could have insisted that Israel implement UN resolutions. We could have been unambiguous about the recreation of a Palestinian state. It’s too late though now to talk about human rights. The devil has been uncaged.

So, what we need to combat this and all other evils is “the finger of God” - and Jesus referred to this in his defence against the disbelieving. The finger of God is a power, but not a power of this world; for did not our Lord say this to Pontius Pilate?

Of course, resistance to evil in this world may involve the use of force, and in this case such force against terrorism and those who harbour terrorists is entirely justified from a Christian point of view. However, the use of force is not the principal question; it’s the purity of the heart that wields the sword that counts and not the sword by itself. In this matter Orthodox Christians cannot be wholly confident and comfortable. The very same knights that wore the cross of St. George on their breasts as they embarked on the disastrous 4^th Crusade also betrayed their polluted unchristian hearts in their treatment of Orthodox Christians and Muslims alike. With faith in God come restraint, honour and the pursuit of noble ideals. This is the asceticism of the soldier saint who serves a higher law than that of Man, who relies on a power not his own but that comes from the Just Judge of all. Can we honestly say that our Governments, our politicians and our military apparatus in the West constitute a truly Christian symphony seeking daily guidance from God through His Church? Of course not and therein lies our danger and our weakness. We are relying on our own strength in this matter and not on the “finger of God.” Such was the testimony of the prophet Isaiah many centuries before our own and his warning rings true still today: -

No good will come of this. If terrorism is to be exorcised it will only be by the finger of God. By all means we should act, but only by the finger of God. Because we are not yet ready to this I fear that our house stands divided against itself and will fall. Let us avert this judgement of God and call our leaders to return on our behalf to the Living God. Maybe then our actions against terrorism will be more credible because they will be Kingdom actions rather than merely political actions.

world; for did not our Lord say this to Pontius Pilate?

“Jesus answered, My kingship is not of this world: if my kingship were of this world, my servants fight, that I might not be delivered over to the Jews: but my kingship is not from the world.” (John 18:36)

Of course, resistance to evil in this world may involve the use of force, and in this case such force against terrorism and those who harbour terrorists is entirely justified from a Christian point of view. However, the use of force is not the principal question; it’s the purity of the heart that wields the sword that counts and not the sword by itself. In this matter Orthodox Christians cannot be wholly confident and comfortable. The very same knights that wore the cross of St. George on their breasts as they embarked on the disastrous 4th Crusade also betrayed their polluted unchristian hearts in their treatment of Orthodox Christians and Muslims alike. With faith in God come restraint, honour and the pursuit of noble ideals. This is the asceticism of the soldier saint who serves a higher law than that of Man, who relies on a power not his own but that comes from the Just Judge of all. Can we honestly say that our Governments, our politicians and our military apparatus in the West constitute a truly Christian symphony seeking daily guidance from God through His Church? Of course not and therein lies our danger and our weakness. We are relying on our own strength in this matter and not on the “finger of God.” Such was the testimony of the prophet Isaiah many centuries before our own and his warning rings true still today: -

“Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help and rely on horses, who trust in chariots because they are many and in horsemen because they are very strong, but do not look to the Holy One of Israel or consult the Lord.” (Isaiah 31:1)

No good will come of this. If terrorism is to be exorcised it will only be by the finger of God. By all means we should act, but only by the finger of God. Because we are not yet ready to this I fear that our house stands divided against itself and will fall. Let us avert this judgement of God and call our leaders to return on our behalf to the Living God. Maybe then our actions against terrorism will be more credible because they will be Kingdom actions rather than merely political actions.

Fr. Gregory

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