Saturday, September 24, 2016

Victimizing Is Evil

Tell a child that her teachers hate her for no reason. Tell her that the school is out to get her. That it's unfair. When she doubts give a couple examples of abusive teachers. When she fails, blame it on the school. What will this accomplish? Nothing. She will rage against her teachers. She will take no responsibility for her actions. She will be ruined. In the end she will destroy herself. Rescuing a victim is an act of love. Telling people they are victims is evil. Victimizing is demeaning, divisive and it gives power to the peddler of the lie.

Adam played the victim card when he said, "The woman you put here with me..." Notice how God did not even argue with him. God questioned the woman and then cursed them both. Christians must reject victimizing because Jesus instructs his followers to remove the plank of wood from their own eye. Victimizing is about blame, not repentance.

Throughout the history of Israel the ruthless and cruel people of Assyria, Babylon, Greece and Rome exiled, oppressed, and abused the Jews. Yet the prophets did not blame the oppressors, rather they placed the blame on Israel's sinfulness. Jesus and his apostles refused to be brought into the petty position of "let's blame the Romans for all of our issues." Jesus said, "Give to Caesar what is Caesar's and to God what is God's."

If anyone should've played the victim card it should've been Jesus. There was no blaming or shaming from the cross, rather, a selfless cry for forgiveness on the part of his oppressors.

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