Dionysus on a Bike

Psalm 119:129-136 – 7/24/2026

Why does evil upset us? Why should it upset us? What role does moral indignation or moral sorrow play in the good life? In the life of a Christian? It is certainly not on God’s behalf that we should be upset. God does not need our sorrow. God is not made less when people do evil. If it can be said that God is harmed or wounded by evil, it is on our behalf and not for God’s own sake that God suffers.

When people commit evil acts that go against the good commands of God, it is human beings are harmed. When the stranger is not welcomed, when the guest is not fed, and when the sick, hungry, and homeless are not cared for, it is human beings who suffer. Love compels us to desire those harms be undone. Love compels us to compassion for those who are harmed by the evil of others.

The moral demands of following Jesus amount to radical care for all others with preference for the poor, oppressed, and marginalized. When those moral demands are not met, our communities break down and those closest to suffering are thrown into situations where suffering is inevitable. This should cause us sorrow. The commands to love are simple and easy. There is enough for everyone, and so when people go without what they need, it’s root cause is always the avarice and selfishness of those who fail to live up to the commands to love. When we are helpless to alleviate that preventable suffering, sorrow and grief are the natural emotional responses, the right emotional responses. Sometimes that feeling is the only response we have available to us when the evil seems so overwhelming.

Sorrow at evil need not stop there at the level of emotional response. Theses emotional responses are powerful and can lead to action. The outpouring of our feelings can move others to action as well. Grief by itself may not help anyone, but it is the sign of a compassionate attunement to the effects of love and lack of love on interdependent humans, our siblings who deserve and need our care.

Revised Common Lectionary Readings for 7/24/2026:
1 Kings 1:38-48
Acts 7:44-53
Psalm 119:129-136

Reflections of a Dionysian Lutheran, comments on the daily readings of the Revised Common Lectionary by Justin Marquis