Defeating Fear

The account of Jesus accompanying Jairos to heal his daughter reminds us of an important life principle. When messengers from Jairos’ home came to inform him that his daughter had died, Jesus told him not to be afraid. Literally, Jesus told him to stop being afraid, and believe or have faith. Jairos was to have faith in Jesus and what Jesus was about to do.

Jesus’ instruction to Jairos reminds us that there are two parts to overcome fear, stop being afraid and believe. 1 John says that perfect love drives out fear. Jesus told the father not to fear, but to believe. A firm faith in Jesus will overcome fear, because it opens us up to acknowledging God’s love for us. 1 John tells us that those who fear have not fully understood God’s love for them. What we tend to do is put faith in our ability to understand and solve a fear inducing situation. Sometimes that works and we do solve the situation and defeat fear. There are other situations that are beyond our ability to understand, so that our fear persists usually in the form of worry. However, Jesus tells us to be like children. Children understand very little and accept that they cannot change their situations, but they do trust in those who love them and believe it when they are told it will be all right. Their trust results in their fear subsiding. This is how Jesus tells his followers to live. We must unlearn this tendency to trust ourselves, our abilities to understand and problem solve and learn to seek help from Jesus. As we trust in Jesus and his love for us, the reasons for fear and worry melt away. In other words, the worrisome situation is not really the problem, but how we respond to it. The problem that tempts us to fear is actually an opportunity to grow in our trust in Jesus and then see his solution unfold.

Freedom or Fear

Jesus came to set people free! His purpose is revealed in the liberation of the man possessed by many demons. The man’s liberation set off a chain of events which revealed much about him and those living in that area. Oddly, rather than rejoicing because the man had been healed, his neighbors were filled with fear. Their response reminds us that when we encounter something we don’t understand the result can be one of great fear. In this case, fear prompted the people to request that Jesus leave their area. Ironically, the one who had come to set people free, was being asked to leave because of fear. There must have been many others in that area who were sick, but rather than bringing them to Jesus to have him help them, they asked Jesus to leave them. Their fear drove them to make an illogical decision that would maintain the status quo, rather than seeing transformation take place in their region. On the contrary, John reveals to us in 1 John that perfect love drives out fear. When we encounter Jesus’ love for us there is no place left for fear. However, those who continue to live in fear reveal that they have not yet understood the depth of Jesus’ love for them. The man who had been healed wanted to leave with Jesus, but Jesus instructed him to go to his own family and tell them what God had done for him. This he went on to do. The man was a contrast to his fearful neighbors, since he had experienced Jesus’ love for him. He felt no fear, but told others what Jesus had done for him. In this way he combatted the fear that had filled his neighbors hearts. His presentation of the truth began to overturn the dominance of fear in his region. His example reminds us that when we respond to a fearful situation, we should seek the truth that will overcome the fear. Fear and anxiety in our lives can actually be an opportunity for freedom and victory to take place in that area, if we face it with Jesus and his love.

Moment of Truth

At certain times in our life we encounter situations that can define the rest of our life. After Pilate heard the priests declare that Jesus made himself to be the Son of God; Pilate paused and went back to Jesus for further information. Already he had determined that Jesus didn’t deserve to die, but to be released. Previously his wife had come to him with a warning not to have anything to do with Jesus. Pilate told the priests that Jesus didn’t deserve to die, but in the end, he would have to decide what was most important to him. Would he do and declare what he knew was right or would he choose what he determined to be self-protection? All of us face such situations at one time or another; will we pass the test or not? The answer will lie in what we have cultivated in our heart up to that point. Jesus’ knew Pilate and even made it easier for him, when Jesus declared that those who had handed him over to him had the greater sin. Jesus’ statement motivated Pilate to increase his attempts even more, but the priests knew exactly what buttons to push in Pilate to force him to capitulate. Like Jesus, they also knew what motivated Pilate. They played their winning card, their Caesar card, by declaring that since Jesus made himself a king, he was opposed to Caesar, therefore by releasing Jesus Pilate could be no friend of Caesar. That was it, hearing this Pilate capitulated. More than truth, he loved his position of authority, for which he depended upon the favor of Caesar. In Pilate’s eyes to lose favor with Caesar meant to put his position at risk. He would not risk that. So he cooperated with the great injustice of condemning Jesus. His example begs the question for you and me. Is there anything so important to us that to risk losing it we would commit a great injustice to someone who is innocent? In other words, do we have some weakness or button that someone could push to pressure us to do what they wanted rather than for us to do what is right? I wonder if when Jesus taught us to pray in what has been called the Lord’s Prayer, “Deliver us from evil”, he had some dilemma like this in mind. We often think that evil resides outside of us, but it is possible that all of us carry the ability to choose something evil because we value something too much and the thought of losing it is too much for us to bear.

Dealing With Our Stuff

Most of us naturally believe that our opinions are correct, that we see clearly and have the solutions that others need. However we often have difficulty putting those same solutions in practice ourselves. Jesus addressed these issues in Luke 6:37-42 with his contemporaries, who were quite religious and believed that they had it all together, because they practiced the religious law to their own standard. In so doing, they didn’t realize that there was a higher standard to that law to which they were being held account. Jesus helped them to see that standard through his teaching. He warned them about judging and condemning others, which can be very easy to do. However, the result was that rather than helping the other person, they received judgment and condemnation in return. Rather, he instructed his followers to practice generosity, the result of which would be to receive generosity in return. In other words, we are to give grace and understanding to the defects that we see in those around us. Even Jesus, who is the Son of God extended extreme grace and understanding with those around him. When we judge and condemn another person, we usurp Jesus’ role in their life, placing ourselves above him, which he instructs us not to do. Rather than usurping his role, we are to be like him in practicing patience with the shortcomings of those we know. Our role is to be instructed by him so that as our training progresses we become more and more like him. Therefore, we should not think that we can assist someone else until we have addressed the issues that plague us, which Jesus indicates can be and often are larger than what our acquaintances and friends are addressing. Only after we deal with our own issue(s), can we be objective, see clearly enough in Jesus’ words, to address the issues that those around us face. Jesus reminds those of us who follow him, that we are not to live as everyone else lives, but to emulate the way that he lives to show others a better way.

Jesus’ Upside Down Kingdom

After calling Levi (who was also called Matthew and became one of the twelve apostles), Jesus accompanied him to his home for a banquet along with other tax collectors. Seeing Jesus’ behavior, the Pharisees and Scribes complained to his disciples about Jesus associating with unsavory people. In Jesus’ day, the Jewish tax collectors were perceived to be collaborators with the hated Roman government. Rather than being government workers, the tax collectors were businessmen who bid on regions in which they would collect taxes from their countrymen. They would give the Roman government their percentage and keep the rest for themselves. They taxed the people as much as they could and enriched themselves along the way. They were considered traitors by the Jewish people. So when Jesus associated with them, it appeared that he was associating with the enemy. However Jesus had a different view on the matter. When criticized by the religious leaders, Jesus explained that the healthy have no need of a physician, but the unhealthy do. Jesus explained he had come to call sinners to repentance, not the righteous. When Jesus saw the tax collector he didn’t see a traitor, but someone who needed to be set free. His compassion drew many people to him, because they knew they needed help to escape the life they had chosen to lead. Jesus’ statement here reflects the upside down nature of his kingdom. Jesus calls those who realize their need of him to follow him and thus are blessed, these are those to whom Jesus referred in the beatitudes as “poor in spirit”. To those who are outwardly upright, they have no perceived need for Jesus and refuse to leave their socially acceptable life to follow him. Since other men approve of them and the way they live their lives, they mistakenly assume that God does as well. However their pride keeps them distant from God and distant from Jesus. These remain without the offered blessing because they fail to recognize their need for Jesus. They are those in John who claimed to have sight, but Jesus told them that their sin remained. They failed to be poor in spirit. They continue to live their lives seeking the praise of other men, while missing out on the joy of knowing and walking with God.

The Radical Nature of Jesus’ Kingdom

Jesus’ healing of the man with leprosy indicates the radical nature of Jesus’ kingdom breaking into the world’s reality. In the Old Testament those afflicted with leprosy were isolated and forced to stay apart; what is today called “social distancing”. They also were required to declare their uncleanliness lest anyone inadvertently get too close to them and possibly become infected. Even when the prophet Elisha healed the Syrian general Naaman, he didn’t approach or touch him, but sent him away to bath in the Jordan River. Modern medicine follows a similar approach to disease by creating barriers so that an infectious disease might not spread. Isolation of the infected and mask wearing by medical professionals have been common approaches for decades in the battle against disease. As I child I remember when those infected with Tuberculosis were sent away to Sanitariums to recover.

However, when the man with leprosy approached Jesus, Jesus didn’t put on gloves or a mask, he didn’t require social distancing or tell the man to isolate himself; on the contrary, after the man expressed belief that Jesus could heal him, Jesus reached out to the man and touched him. In the world, that would mean that Jesus had become infected, but the opposite took place, the leprosy fled from Jesus and left the man. Jesus’ action reveals how the kingdom of God is so different from how life is lived in the world. For those who follow Jesus, it requires a rethinking of how we approach life and the implications for living in this world. It also explains why those who don’t know Jesus live with such fear in a world filled with sickness, disease and tragedy. Yet the follower of Jesus can take courage from Jesus’ words that in this world we will experience tribulation, but to take heart because he has overcome the world. Jesus’ words mean that the follower of Jesus always has a reason to be joyful and always has a reason to have hope. That is a great way to live.

The Issue of Credibility

In Luke 4 after Jesus healed Simon’s mother-in-law from a fever, many came to him to be healed. Some of those who came were tormented by demons, whom Jesus rebuked and sent away from their victims. As they left, they started to declare that Jesus was the Son of God, but Jesus silenced them. His action raises the question of why did Jesus prevent the demons from declaring that he was the Messiah, the Son of God? At first glance it doesn’t seem to make sense. Since Jesus was the Messiah and the Son of God, wouldn’t it make sense that Jesus just let them speak the truth? In this case, no. Since demons are not credible whatever they say would be taken as false, or a trick. Those hearing the demons could come to all kinds of conclusions about what they said, but they probably would not believe that the demons were actually telling the truth, which in this case they actually were. In fact, we know that later on the religious leaders declared that Jesus was in league with Satan. Demons declaring that Jesus was the Messiah, the Son of God could lead some to this conclusion. In order to protect the people from coming to a false conclusion, because of what the demons declared, Jesus silenced the demons so that the people could come to their own conclusion about Jesus by listening to what he said and observing what he did.

When someone loses credibility, what they say is often not believable, even when they are telling the truth. This situation presents us with two realities. First, it is important for us to live consistent and authentic lives which will lead to our being credible when we communicate with others, not to mention all the other benefits of living in such a manner. If we gain the reputation for not being consistent, or fudging the truth then whatever we say will be called into question. Second, while it is wise to consider the source when we hear or read something, it is also wise to look into what is said independently in order to determine the truth on its own merits.

Addressing Apparent Truths

At times it is logical to form an impression or conclusion about someone that while partially true and based in fact can lead us to an inaccurate and destructive conclusion. A partial truth can be just as deceptive and dangerous as an outright lie. Jesus came to reveal not only outright lies, but partial truths that can also deceive us.

When he addressed the demonized man in Capernaum’s synagogue he did just that. The man with the demonic spirit revealed what might have been the people’s view of God. If Jesus was from God had he come to destroy them? The people didn’t view God as necessarily benevolent, but as a judge ready to condemn them for their misdeeds. Their history with God in the desert was a violent one and the people at that time lived in fear of who God was. When they had disobeyed by worshiping an idol, the judgment was severe. From their perspective God was severe, harsh and dangerous, best left alone for others like Moses and the prophets to deal with, while they went about their religious responsibilities. Even up until their own time, God was shrouded in mystery. The High Priest could only enter God’s presence in the Holy of Holies, the inner most part of the temple in Jerusalem one time a year, on the day of atonement. With his question posed to Jesus, the demonic spirit played upon these fears in the people implying that since Jesus was from God, he was there to judge and destroy them. Jesus immediately confronted that lie and cast out the lying demonic spirit. However, Jesus’ actions and authoritative words caused even more amazement/fear to rise up in the people.

To create fear was not Jesus purpose, he came in order to set people free and correct the misconceptions that the people had regarding who God is. The Greek term for salvation is used in three different contexts and translated with three different words. It is used how it is often translated in English to save someone from their sins and bring them into a right relationship with God. However, it is also translated as healing someone from a physical ailment, as in the case of the woman who reached out and touched Jesus’ cloak and was healed. Finally it was used in the case of freeing individuals from demonic spirits. In other words, Jesus did not come to destroy man, but he came to help people in whatever need they had and reveal to them that this was God’s heart toward them.

A Surprising Need for Freedom

When Jesus addressed the people of Nazareth in the synagogue he received an unusual reaction. Understandably, they were surprised when he applied a prophetic declaration from Isaiah to himself and in so doing indicated that he was their Messiah. They revealed surprise and wonder, because Jesus had grown up among them. Some of them knew him when he was a boy, even though he had been born while his parents were away at Bethlehem and had been gone several years. They had seen him and understood him to be a good son of Mary and Joseph the carpenter. But now he claimed to be the Messiah! They had heard what Jesus had already done in other parts of Galilee, particularly Capernaum so they expected he would do the same and possibly more for his hometown. Instead he shocked them with statements taken from the Old Testament that demonstrated that prophets were never honored where they had grown up, among their family and friends. Elijah stayed with a widow from the foreign city of Sidon during the three and half year drought and famine, not among one of the many widows that were in Israel. Elisha healed a leper from the foreign and historic enemy, Syria, rather than a leper from Israel. In so doing, Jesus uncovered a secret issue of pride in their hearts and it provoked them to anger and rage. These people were not naturally violent people; they were not criminals or gang members. Rather they were normal, up-standing, church-going people, who were so angry that they tried to murder Jesus by pushing him off a cliff! This episode from Jesus’ life reveals what may be hidden in the human heart. A murderous rage can emerge when an uncomfortable truth is revealed; a truth that had been denied to others and even to themselves, but could not do so any longer. What was hiding in the hearts of the apparently upstanding people of Nazareth, could also hide in anyone of us. Jesus came and sent his Spirit to address such issues in our lives so that we might be set free. The questions is for us, will we acknowledge our need for freedom and let him accomplish his surgery upon us?

Knowing Jesus

How do we know we belong to Jesus? John, whom we also identify as “the Baptist”, was a prophet in the mold of the Old Testament. Theologians consider him to be the last of the Old Testament prophets. In his message to the people he was blunt and even harsh. To the people who came out to him to be baptized, he bluntly called them “a generation of vipers”. Even with such blunt harshness, the people came to him in droves and considered him a prophet. He called them to change their lives, to live a life that reflected repentance and warned them not to depend on the fact that they were descendants of Abraham because God could raise up children of Abraham from the stones. John’s words are worthy of consideration. John warned the people not to depend upon a connection that did not produce in the individual, actions consistent with that relationship. In those days, both John and later Jesus, pointed out the hypocrisy of the way religious people lived. While the religious people identified with Abraham and Moses, their lives did not reflect the way that Abraham and Moses had lived. In other words, their actions denied the relationship that they claimed. The same came be true today for those of us who claim to follow Jesus. Following Jesus is more than believing a certain set of doctrines or adhering to a certain theological position. Following Jesus implies a relationship with him that has impact on the way that we live our life. Does the way we live our life reflect more the values of the world that ignores Jesus, or the way that Jesus lived and taught? It is a question worth pondering.