Throughout history, conflict has been a constant, often serving as a central theme in human societies. Many conflicts are not born of the present but are inherited over long periods of time, deeply rooted in the collective memory of peoples. This generational cycle turns yesterday’s victims into today’s oppressors and today’s oppressors into tomorrow’s victims. This paradox reveals evil’s subtlety: not merely inflicting harm but creating a world where no one is blameless. When we delve into this phenomenon, the line between guilt and innocence becomes increasingly blurred. It feels as though we are navigating a labyrinth of intertwined and ever-growing hatred, deceit, manipulation, and cruelty. Apostle Paul aptly described this universal human condition, asserting that all are under sin, no one is exempt.



In God’s original perfect creation, each person was uniquely made and existed in a harmonious relationship with others. Human differences were meant to complement rather than divide, enriching one another rather than posing threats. However, sin entered the world, taking dominion and eroding our sense of identity. It led us to build walls to safeguard our own group interests while rejecting those unlike us.
This rejection takes many forms: political discourse descending into unbridgeable ideological divides, hostile and intolerant rhetoric replacing meaningful dialogue, and conflicts such as the Croatian War of Independence or the century-long Israeli-Palestinian struggle embodying an entrenched “us versus them” mindset.


Theologian Miroslav Volf* asserts that breaking cycles of hatred demands repentance from both perpetrators and victims. Perpetrators must acknowledge and repent for the violence and humiliation they have inflicted. Victims, on the other hand, must turn from the temptation to emulate their oppressors, risking becoming what they once abhorred. Volf warns that without confronting their own bitterness, victims may justify future wrongdoing by citing their past suffering. While asking victims to repent may seem unjust, repentance, Volf insists, shields them from perpetuating harm, enabling the creation of a redeemed, God-centered order that transforms the world’s broken systems.
Jesus Christ made space to embrace humanity, even those opposed to God. The self-sacrificial love He displayed on the cross serves as our model for overcoming hatred. God not only identifies with the pain of victims but also offers salvation to all perpetrators. When we connect with Christ, who embraces the other, we gain the strength to extend that embrace, transcending the binary divisions of us versus them, victims versus perpetrators, and justice versus evil.
Christ’s love reshapes our identity and our relationships with others. Through it, we are able to embrace—even forgive—our enemies, breaking the cycle of hatred between victims and perpetrators. God’s intervention broadens our perspective, allowing us to understand others from their viewpoint, leading to a renewed understanding of both ourselves and those around us.



It is precisely because of the ultimate judgment that we can reject the idea of using violence to counter violence in our earthly lives and trust that one day redemption will heal our painful memories. In the end, forgetting our suffering will be better than remembering it, for wholeness is greater than brokenness, love’s connection is stronger than exclusion and distance, and peace is better than discord—just as Joseph who named his son Manasseh, meaning “God has made me forget all my trouble and all my father’s household” (Genesis 41:51 NIV).
*Volf, Miroslav. Exclusion and Embrace: A Theological Exploration of Identity, Otherness, and Reconciliation. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1996.
Read Luke 23:1-48
Take a moment to reflect again on the redemptive love of Jesus Christ for you. Has the redemptive love of Jesus Christ continued to reshape your identity, enabling you to embrace others? Spend some time thinking about this, write it down, and offer a prayer of thanksgiving to God.