Meditation for October 17

From The Rev. Peter A. Munson

Matthew 10:24-33

 

[Jesus said] "A disciple is not above the teacher, nor a slave above the master; it is enough for the disciple to be like the teacher, and the slave like the master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more will they malign those of his household!"

 

"So have no fear of them; for nothing is covered up that will not be uncovered, and nothing secret that will not become known.  What I say to you in the dark, tell in the light; and what you hear whispered, proclaim from the housetops. Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather fear Him who can destroy both soul and body in hell. Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. And even the hairs of your head are all counted. So do not be afraid; you are of more value than many sparrows. Everyone, therefore, who acknowledges Me before others, I also will acknowledge before My Father in heaven; but whoever denies Me before others, I also will deny before My Father in heaven."

 

Fear God, Not Men

 

Jesus says to the twelve, "Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather fear Him who can destroy both soul and body in hell." (Matthew 10:28)  In other words, "Don't fear other human beings. Fear God."

 

There is a certain "fear" mentioned in the Bible that is healthy. It is a fear that is better translated as "reverence" or "awe" or even "having a teachable spirit", and it is almost always used to talk about our stance toward God. Here are some examples:

 

"... now I know that you fear God..." (The angel of the Lord to Abraham - Genesis 22:12)

 

"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom." (Psalm 1101:10 and Proverbs 1:7)

 

"Let all the earth fear the Lord; let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him." (Psalm 33:8)

 

"The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life, so that one may avoid the snares of death." (Proverbs 14:27)

 

"A shoot shall come out from the stump of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots. The Spirit of the Lord shall rest on him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord. His delight shall be in the fear of the Lord." (Isaiah 11:1-3)

 

"In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor had respect for people..." (Jesus telling a parable - Luke 18:1-8)

 

We are advised in the Bible - over and over again - to fear God.

 

On the other hand, we are told many, many times in the Bible not to be afraid - of people, or of the elements, or of certain circumstances. Fear is a God-given emotion. Are we being told not to feel something that we naturally feel in certain situations?  No. Aren't there times when feeling fear, in appropriate ways, might lead us to do something that saves our lives, or the lives of others? (e.g., flee, or fight back) Yes. What we are being told is to not let fear immobilize us or paralyze us. We are not to let our fears so consume us that we cannot act in love or in faithfulness. And so we hear:

 

"Do not be afraid, Abrah, I am your shield..." (Genesis 15:1)

 

"I am the God of your father, Abraham; do not be afraid, for I am with you and will bless you..." (the Lord to Isaac - Genesis 26:24)

 

"Do not be afraid, stand firm, and see the deliverance that the Lord will accomplish for your today..." (Moses to the Israelites on the edge of the Red Sea - Exodus 14:13)

 

"The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?" (Psalm 27:1)

 

"In God I trust; I am not afraid. What can a mere mortal do to me?" (Psalm 56:11)

 

"...do not fear, for I am with you, do not be afraid, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you; I will uphold you with My victorious right hand." (Isaiah 41:10)

 

"Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are Mine.  When you pass through the waters I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through the fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you.  For I am the Lord your God..." (Isaiah 43:1-3)

 

"'Lord, save us!  We are perishing!'  And He said to them, 'Why are you afraid, you of little faith?'  Then He got up and rebuked the winds and the sea..." (Matthew 8:25-26)

 

"Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see Me." (Jesus to the women on Easter morning - Matthew 28:10)

 

I could go on and on with examples of people in the Bible being advised not to be afraid, and so could you.

 

We get it backwards sometimes. We fear people, who we can see - the people who can kill our body but not our soul (your true self, your life-force), Jesus says. And we forget to fear (hold in awe) God,  who, of course, we cannot see. In any given moment, we think the reality of a person standing before us who is angry or enraged or belittling us in some way is the only reality. Or, we think that the challenging news we just received is the only reality. Sometimes the person standing before us is not that terrifying - maybe he or she is potentially an ally, even. Sometimes the things that have happened to us are really not so horrible. But we let our fears run away with us. We let our fears run away with us because we forget that God is with us. God who is our shield, our rock, our light, our salvation, our Lord, our Savior, our Redeemer - all these things and so many more - this God is with us... this One who promised, "I am with you always, to the end of the age." (Matthew 28:20)  But we forget, and so sometimes our fears - of men, of the elements, or certain things that could happen to us - start to run amok, and we are paralyzed. In those times, we need to remember the promises of God. In those times, we need to stop and breathe - breathe in the very Spirit of God. For the Spirit of God is only a breath away.

 

Fear God. Don't fear men, or the elements, or temporary circumstances. Sometimes you and I do just the opposite. Perhaps we need to have some of these scriptures close at hand, so that we can remember what God says to us, and start breathing again.  And start fearing the One whom we should fear.