226 What Does the Cross Reveal About the Agency of Evil?

As we conclude this series on God and Evil we look closely at the cross to discover if there is anything revealed about the agency of evil. If there was ever a time for God to lash out at sinners that would have been the time. We were killing Jesus but in the process we made him suffer to the greatest extent possible. Instead God in Jesus asks them to be forgiven and excuses them for the didn't know what they were doing. What an amazing God we have come to discover.

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SHOW NOTES

5. What does the Cross reveals about the Agency of Evil?

The heart of man is best discerned under emotional and spiritual stress. The heart of God is best discerned when he is man and placed under the ultimate stress test: rejection,

ridicule, betrayal, abandonment, torture and execution on a Roman cross.

We may watch with the closest scrutiny to discern his character, that is his thoughts and

feelings. We will then have an observable, existential answer to the question of the agency of evil. Does the cross give any indication of God using violence or deceit, the hall marks of evil? A resounding negative. The cross reveals the response of God to the worst suffering we could bring on him as a human.

The death of God on a cross was such an innovative solution that it appeared foolishness

to most minds of Jesus' day.

1 Corinthians 1:22-23 NLT It is foolish to the Jews, who ask for signs from heaven.

And it is foolish to the Greeks, who seek human wisdom. 23 So when we preach that

Christ was crucified, the Jews are offended, and the Gentiles say it’s all nonsense.

It was foolishness to the Jews because Jesus was not the all powerful Messiah they

expected. It was foolishness to the Greeks because it did not demonstrate a superior being like Plato, Socrates or Aristotle. The Kingdom of this World operates by force and deceit (John 8:44), while the Kingdom of Heaven operates on the basis of mercy and compassion (Exodus 33:19; 34:6).

The cross reveals that the worse we treated God in Jesus Christ the more gently or lovingly he responded.. Although we know little about his adolescent, teenage years and his vocational life in his twenties, we know that innocent people are persecuted by guilty,

shame filled people. Plato, 400 B.C.E., predicted that if an innocent man appeared he

would be executed. Jesus was rejected throughout his life because of his pure love for all

he met.

That the omnipotent God could be murdered (Acts 7:52) is a paradox that plagues our

deepest philosophical pondering. The cross of Calvary confirms forever, for all who hear

about the event, that God would rather die at the hands of sinners than condemn and

punish them.

During Jesus ministry repeated attempts were made on his life, and he was subjected to

continuous testing and harassment by the religious leaders. Finally, he was rejected by all, tortured and executed. We may examine Jesus’ response to this shameful treatment, but we find only gentle, compassionate responses.

To demonstrate this claim we consider the last week of his life.

Sunday:

Luke 19:41 As he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it 42 and

said, “If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace—but

now it is hidden from your eyes. 43 The days will come upon you when your enemies

will build an embankment against you and encircle you and hem you in on every

side. 44 They will dash you to the ground, you and the children within your walls. They

will not leave one stone on another, because you did not recognize the time of God’s

coming to you.”

Matthew 21:10 NLT When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred and

asked, “Who is this?” 11 The crowds answered, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.”

On Sunday the burden bearer rode a beast of burden into the heart of the city that closed

him out of its heart. God as Jesus absorbed the guilt of man to create space in guilty man

for the innocence of God! God as treated as man deserved, and man was treated God

deserved. Man condemned God for sins in which he had no part and God credited man

with perfection on which he had no claim. God’s brokenness meant man was whole; God’s tears gifted man with fullness of joy; God’s rejection meant man’s acceptance; God’s pain meant man’s comfort; God’s death meant everlasting life for man. The king of Heaven became a commoner from Nazareth, and men from Nazareth become the royals of heaven. In God’s suPering he wept over the future of the people he loved. Jesus displays no desire for revenge or punishment.

On Monday

Mark 11:12-14 NLT The next morning as they were leaving Bethany, Jesus was

hungry. 13 He noticed a fig tree in full leaf a little way oP, so he went over to see if he

could find any figs. But there were only leaves because it was too early in the season

for fruit. 14 Then Jesus said to the tree, “May no one ever eat your fruit again!” And the

disciples heard him say it.

We will comment on this event under Tuesday’s events

Matthew 21:12 NLT Jesus entered the temple courts and drove out all who were

buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the

benches of those selling doves. 13 “It is written,” he said to them, “‘My house will be

called a house of prayer,’[e] but you are making it ‘a den of robbers.’[f]”

14 The blind and the lame came to him at the temple, and he healed them. 15 But

when the chief priests and the teachers of the law saw the wonderful things he didand the children shouting in the temple courts, “Hosanna to the Son of David,” they

were indignant.

On Monday Jesus cleared the temple to receive the blind and lame who were forbidden

entry (2 Samuel 5:8) and healed them. This is highly significant because sinners are blind

spiritually and lame emotionally. Jesus was symbolically opening salvation to all people

because this was the court of the Gentiles. This is why the leaders are indignant. Jesus is

threatening their commerce and privilege.

On Tuesday

On the next morning Peter interprets Jesus’ pronouncement as a curse.

Mark 11:20-21 NLT The next morning (Tuesday) as they passed by the fig tree he had

cursed, the disciples noticed it had withered from the roots up. 21 Peter remembered

what Jesus had said to the tree on the previous day and exclaimed, “Look, Rabbi!

The fig tree you cursed has withered and died!”

Only the NLT of Mark 11 has the “he had cursed” phrase added. It is translator bias and

must be eliminated. It is Peter who decided Jesus had cursed the fig tree. We know that

Jesus was making a statement of fact. The tree was dying as Israel was dying. Jesus and

made a statement on the health of the tree. It would wither and cease to exist even as Israel would with the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans in 70 C.E. The NLT portrays, hopefully unconsciously, Jesus as vindictive.

Mark 11:22-25 NLT Then Jesus said to the disciples, “Have faith in God. 23 I tell you

the truth, you can say to this mountain, ‘May you be lifted up and thrown into the

sea,’ and it will happen. But you must really believe it will happen and have no doubt

in your heart. 24 I tell you, you can pray for anything, and if you believe that you’ve

received it, it will be yours. 25 But when you are praying, first forgive anyone you are

holding a grudge against, so that your Father in heaven will forgive your sins, too.”

This is a strange response by Jesus to Peter’s misapprehension of Jesus “cursing” the fig

tree. “Have faith in God” literally means “Have faith in the goodness of God.” God will deal

with your mountain of doubt if you believe that you have received the forgiveness of sin.

Which also means you will forgive those who sin against you. It is all correctly connected in Jesus’ mind.

On Wednesday

Matthew 26:1-5 (NIV) When Jesus had finished saying all these things (the Olivet

Discourse) , he said to his disciples, 2 “As you know, the Passover is two days away—

and the Son of Man will be handed over to be crucified.” 3 Then the chief priests andthe elders of the people assembled in the palace of the high priest, whose name

was Caiaphas, 4 and they plotted to arrest Jesus in some sly way and kill him.

Jesus knows about his violent, immediate future but displays no anger against or criticism of the religious leaders. While apprehensive of this future he is reconciled to its necessity.

He must walk this bloody path to reveal the father’s gentle, loving heart.

On Thursday

More teaching by Jesus and then the Passover meal, Gethsemane and the Arrest.

At the Passover celebration Jesus washes Judas’ feet. Jesus does not expose Judas with his murderous thoughts and plots. Jesus treats Judas with kindness and compassion.

In Gethsemane Jesus asks his three best friends to support him emotionally as he feels

the weight of the sin of the world asphyxiating him, crushing him, destroying him. Imagine

our Creator asking us for help. This is so honouring! And we sleep. And he does not

condemn us. This happens three times. It is our best opportunity to care for Jesus the

greatest friend of sinners, but we sleep. It’s embarrassing.

The mob arrives to arrest Jesus and Jesus does not deny Judas the kiss of betrayal. Has

Judas no heart?

Macho Peter tries to defend Jesus with a sword and only manages to lop oP an ear. Jesus

miraculously glues the ear back on. Jesus is demonstrating his love for his enemies.

On Friday

After the trial before Caiaphas Jesus is suPering from intense sleep deprivation. He will

then be dragged before Pilate, then to Herod Antipas, them back to Pilate where he is

savagely whipped. Jesus is now suPering from extreme dehydration because of the loss of blood through the lacerations on his back. He is also suPering from a lack of energy since he has had no food for at least the last 12 hours.

This physical, emotional suffering has been instigated by the devil with at least 4000 years of inflicting pain and discouragement. He wants to wear Jesus down to the point of death and then spring the ultimate temptation on him.

Now to the cross: exhausted, sleep deprived, with low blood sugar and low blood

pressure. Here he faces the additional pain of the nails, the humiliation of nakedness and

finally the dropping of the cross into the socket prepared for it. His consciousness is

coming and going.He hears the thieves mocking him. He smiles at them because they don’t know the big picture. Finally, one of them asks to be remembered by the man in the middle. Jesus, unexpectedly promises him Paradise.

Jesus comes to consciousness and registers the executioners gambling for his clothes. He prays a blessing on them.

Here it come. The crowd mocks him and dares him to save himself and come down oP the cross to show that he is the Messiah who would not die in their understanding. It is the heaviest blow, the cruellest cut of all. Jesus could have come down but did not because if he had he would have demonstrated that God’s love has its limits and is conditional. He stayed on the cross because that is what love does. It is the most powerful force in the universe.

Never an unkind look or word from God in Jesus Christ during the whole ordeal. The heart of God is revealed for all to see. This heart is apparently unable to think of itself first. This is a loving heart.

But there is more.

On Easter Sunday

After his resurrection Jesus again has no unkind actions or words. He never appears to

haunt his opponents. He finds Mary of the Perfume to assure here he is alive. He never

scolds his disciples but greets them with, “Don’t be afraid. Peace be unto you.”

We are back where Jesus’ story started as the angels sang, “On earth, peace, goodwill to all mankind, for unto you a saviour is born.”

Conclusion

While the origin of evil is a mystery the agency of evil is not. From the life, teachings,

healings, suPerings, torture, death and resurrection of Jesus it is conclusive. God has no

agency for evil. That role belongs to the once bright angel, the Morning Star, who conspired to be God himself and so became the agent of evil in the universe

Ian Hartley, October 2025