Fear

Reflections on some lesser known words of Jesus.

In moments when I feel like I have the gospels rather well read, it’s good to be confronted with a passage like today’s. I am not unfamiliar with it - I remember reading it before, but it’s really not material I’ve thought about a lot. You?

Don’t be terrified by those who can kill the body but after that can do nothing more.

There are times when it’s rather easy to accept what Jesus says. This isn’t one of them. No, it’s not difficult to understand what he is saying. It’s just that to live into it and then our from it (in practice) will take a certain kind of faith.

Because most of us spend a great deal of our lives managing fear. Not always fear of death, but fear of loss, fear of rejection, fear of being misunderstood, fear of what others might think or do. These fears shape our decisions more than we would like to admit. They keep us guarded.

And Jesus names something deeper. He is not dismissing the reality of harm or suffering - we remember that he himself sweat blood and tears at the anticipation of it. He is not pretending these things do not matter. But he is placing them in a larger frame. There is something more at stake than what can be taken from us. There is a life that is held by God, seen by God, and known fully by God.

He even says that not a sparrow is forgotten, and that we are of more value than many sparrows. I love birds as much as most anyone, but this is not sentiment. It is a reorientation. If our lives are truly held in that kind of care, then fear does not get the final word.

And then there is this quiet promise - The Holy Spirit will... When the moment comes, when words are needed, when the pressure is real, the Spirit will be present. Not to remove the difficulty, but to meet us in it.

This kind of faith is not about becoming fearless, like some kind of perfected William Wallace-like warrior. It is about learning, slowly, to trust that our lives are held by God more securely than anything we are afraid of losing.

Luke 12:1-12

When a crowd of thousands upon thousands had gathered so that they were crushing each other, Jesus began to speak first to his disciples: “Watch out for the yeast of the Pharisees—I mean, the mismatch between their hearts and lives. Nothing is hidden that won’t be revealed, and nothing is secret that won’t be brought out into the open. Therefore, whatever you have said in the darkness will be heard in the light, and whatever you have whispered in the rooms deep inside the house will be announced from the rooftops.

“I tell you, my friends, don’t be terrified by those who can kill the body but after that can do nothing more. I’ll show you whom you should fear: fear the one who, after you have been killed, has the authority to throw you into hell. Indeed, I tell you, that’s the one you should fear. Aren’t five sparrows sold for two small coins? Yet not one of them is overlooked by God. Even the hairs on your head are all counted. Don’t be afraid. You are worth more than many sparrows.

“I tell you, everyone who acknowledges me before humans, the Human One will acknowledge before God’s angels. But the one who rejects me before others will be rejected before God’s angels. Anyone who speaks a word against the Human One will be forgiven, but whoever insults the Holy Spirit won’t be forgiven. When they bring you before the synagogues, rulers, and authorities, don’t worry about how to defend yourself or what you should say. The Holy Spirit will tell you at that very moment what you must say.”

Prayer

God,

Thank you for today.

I don’t think I fear much, but I’m rather certain this is because I have not been given too much to fear. Privilege has a way of providing such a sense of security. However false it might be, it is still yet an opiate for the many moments of life.

On the one hand, I’m grateful. But then again, I want to be like Christ.

So help me, God.

I see your love and justice in Jesus of Nazareth. By your Spirit & in Christ, make me more like him.

Amen.