Our Love Affair with Bullies

Man has a penchant to oppress and bully helpless, innocent people, often for personal self-interest.

But it is our national shame that we excuse the so-called "virtuous bully" - the person who tramples upon the helpless for the good of the country.

Andrew Jackson was perhaps our first prominent public bully. He jailed a legislator and a federal judge when they objected to his imposing martial law in New Orleans. He rampaged across the south, murdering Indian women and children, and yet he was acclaimed and rewarded for doing so in the public's interest. Even today, so-called "conservatives" applaud his bullying tactics, and recommend our presidents use them.

Men will excuse a bully so long as he bullies "those other people" who get in the way of our nation's great interests. Slavery, legal discrimination, prison abuse, government murder of civilians, the mistreatment of little people by those in power - whenever we turn a blind eye to such wickedness, we embrace the virtuous bullies. We resent it that our great nation's power should be thwarted by the helpless who stand in the way of getting what we demand. We believe that we can only be protected by a man who will use power ruthlessly, trampling the helpless who get in the way.

Jesus was put to death by just such wicked men, who killed Him in order to rescue Israel from the Romans.

Jesus has all power, and yet He never abuses or mistreats anybody! He came meek and lowly of heart, and He abides by the Scriptures which condemn the bullying of the weak by the powerful.

Lost men trust in bullies to save them, but our Lord Jesus showed how He saves us by being trodden down for our sakes at Calvary!