Articles
The Softer Side of Drug Dealing
Pablo Escobar was a philanthropist. He built schools, recreation facilities, and provided gainful employment for hundreds. Once, when a town near his home of Medellin was completely leveled by natural disaster, he paid for the construction of hundreds of private homes out of his own pocket. He was loved and admired by virtually everyone who knew him.
He was also the biggest drug dealer in the nation of Colombia (which is no small boast) and considered the richest criminal in the world. He and his organization literally financed a war against his own government, and very nearly won. When the government tried to extradite him to the U. S., he got himself elected to the national legislature to attain immunity, and then bought enough other government officials to change the constitution and prohibit extradition.
When Colombian authorities finally killed Escobar, the hue and cry from the common folk of Medellin was deafening. No longer would they have a patron, a benefactor, and a protector against the wealthy class. They thronged his funeral to the point of breaking down barricades. They did not see him as an enemy or a corrupter of the masses. They saw him as the one who helped the Colombian national soccer team become the best in the western hemisphere. In a weird sort of way, Escobar was the biggest barrier to crime in his part of the world.
Don’t get me wrong; I am absolutely opposed to anything having to do with the narcotics trade. It’s a plague on our culture and on theirs. But the people who profited from Escobar’s empire were quick to excuse their part in bringing illegal drugs to our shores.
- That’s not my problem. What do I care if others’ lives are destroyed? It’s my life I’m worried about. If other people made bad decisions, I can’t be held accountable. If it hadn’t been us giving them the opportunity, they would have found it somewhere else.
- It’s better than the alternative. Maybe trusting a drug kingpin to run things isn’t an ideal circumstance. But the structure he provided kept the kids out of trouble, and kept crime off the streets.
- But look at the good he’s done. Nobody would suggest dealing drugs is the most upright, moral way of earning a peso. But consider what he did with them. Stimulating the local economy, educating and entertaining the kids, providing hope for impoverished people—a fellow who does all that can’t be all bad, can he?
We cringe in horror at the idea of justifying Escobar’s crimes this way. But then again, aren’t these the same excuses we make when we want to ignore the parts of God’s word that don’t quite suit our fancy?
- You think my outfits are too revealing? That’s not my problem. I’m just wearing what’s fashionable. And if the average bystander can’t keep his mind out of the gutter when I pass by, well, he probably would have thought that way anyway.
- We don’t have authority for putting the church in the entertainment business? It’s better than the alternative. If our kids weren’t playing pool at the fellowship hall, they’d be doing it at the local bar (or doing something worse).
- You don’t like the way our preacher avoids sticky issues? But look at the good he’s done. By staying away from controversy, we ruffle fewer feathers. That means reaching more people with the gospel, bigger crowds, and bigger contributions.
Some people are more interested in doing what they want to do than doing what the Lord wants them to do. Our responsibility for our actions does not end when we rationalize them in our own minds. Being conformed to Jesus’ image (Romans 8:29) requires more than that. And if dressing in such a way as to not inspire lustful thoughts (Matthew 5:27–29), we should be willing to do that. And we should want to accomplish all of God’s will in our lives instead of picking and choosing. And we should be satisfied with the things “pertaining to life and godliness” (2 nd Peter 1:3) authorized by His word instead of inventing new needs of our own and then using them to justify our actions.
Anyone can look like a hero if we work hard at rationalizations. But only one who truly submits to Jesus Christ can look like a Christian.
