Br. James Koester

Isaiah 58:9b-14

We used a pretty strong word this morning. In fact, we said it three times within a single prayer, and then, it appeared in our reading from Isaiah. We said, “We repent of the evil that enslaves us, the evil we have done, and the evil done on our behalf.”[1] Shortly after, we heard Isaiah say, “If you remove the yoke from among you, the pointing of the finger, the speaking of evil . . .” (Isaiah 58:9b).

Few of us, I hope, would describe ourselves as evil, but we have just said that evil enslaves us, and that we do evil things. More boldly, we have admitted that others do evil on our behalf. So, while you and I may not be personally evil, evil surrounds us. We cannot escape it. The news, and our lives, are full of evil.

The unprovoked invasion of Ukraine by Russia, while the world watches seemingly helpless, is evil.

We repent of the evil that enslaves us, the evil we have done, and the evil done on our behalf.

The trafficking of minors to wealthy, powerful men, for the purposes of sex, is evil.

We repent of the evil that enslaves us, the evil we have done, and the evil done on our behalf.

The killing by government agents, of civilians engaged in legal protests, is evil.

We repent of the evil that enslaves us, the evil we have done, and the evil done on our behalf.

The use of political office primarily for personal gain, is evil.

We repent of the evil that enslaves us, the evil we have done, and the evil done on our behalf

When we speak of evil, we are not speaking of the convenient lies we tell to get ourselves out of an unwanted social obligation, we are talking about something much more primal.

“Now the serpent was more crafty than any other wild animal that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, ‘Did God say, “You shall not eat from any tree in the garden”?’ The woman said to the serpent, ‘We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, but God said, “You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the middle of the garden, nor shall you touch it, or you shall die.”’ But the serpent said to the woman, ‘You will not die, for God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God.’” (Genesis 3:1-5)

It is this desire to be like God, which leads to evil. But the thing is, to be like God does not require us to act like petty tyrants, despots, or narcissists, and so do evil things. It requires us to behave as Isaiah would have us behave: “if you offer your food to the hungry and satisfy the needs of the afflicted, then your light shall rise in the darkness and your gloom be like the noonday” (Isaiah 58:10).

To be like God does not require our reaching out toward unfettered power, privilege, and prestige, and so separate ourselves from God, as did our first parents. Rather to be like God is found in acts of humble service, on our knees, carrying jug, basin, and towel, as we will each do in a few short weeks following the example of the One who came to serve and not to be served.[2]

Evil enslaves us. We do evil. Evil is done on our behalf. And the antidote is not denial, but mercy. The antidote is not denial, but service.

If you offer your food to the hungry and satisfy the needs of the afflicted, then your light shall rise in the darkness and your gloom be like the noonday and you will be like God.

[1] From the General Confession, Enriching Our Worship (New York, 1997), 56, as used at the Monastery during Lent.

[2] See Mark 10:45