Fear and Respect

-
A glance out the airplane window is a reminder of the great God
who cares for us!


Scripture:


Luke 12:4   “I tell you, my friends, do not fear those who kill the body, and after that can do nothing more. 5 But I will warn you whom to fear: fear him who, after he has killed, has authority to cast into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him! 6 Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten in God’s sight. 7 But even the hairs of your head are all counted. Do not be afraid; you are of more value than many sparrows.


Observation:


The language shifts. Jesus had been speaking warnings to the scribes and Pharisees, but suddenly he turned toward his disciples, whom he addressed as friends. He wanted to teach them about healthy fear and respect. The Pharisees would be able to kill his body, but they would be able to do nothing more. God’s view and perspective on the world was much larger than anything that they could have imagined. There would be those in the world who would seek to kill these disciples, but this was not what they were to fear. 


Jesus told them that genuine fear or respect ought to be reserved for God. Yes, there was to be a reverent fear of God — a healthy fear because of God’s great power. Then, Jesus illustrated God’s care and attention to detail. Even the small sparrows, those that were sold in the market to the poorest of people were remembered in God’s sight. They were not saved from being eaten — but they were remembered by God. This is not a promise of divine protection, but a promise of divine care. God even counts the hairs on your head and the disciples were of much greater value to God than the sparrow. 


Neale tells us, “The cost of discipleship has been dramatically increased in the narrative, and readers will be aware of the gravity of their own commitment of loyalty to Jesus” (NBBC, 94). Fear would result from persecution and identification with the mission of Jesus Christ. But hypocrisy was not worth the eternal price, and the scribes and Pharisees were not to be emulated. Rather, a healthy fear of God and a recognition of the eternal consequences and care of God would be vital to living out the mission in the days ahead. 


Application:


These days there are plenty of ways to try and “kill” the body. We are tempted to “kill’ one another through our words. Careless posting on social media may not have just immediate, but long-term consequences. Cancel culture is another way of “killing” someone off. It doesn’t have to happen physically, but virtually can be almost as effective — or can it? 


This warning to the disciples is very timely. We are not to fear those who can cancel us from social media, or other platforms. If we believe that our influence is merely in a virtual world, we are probably failing in the real world. Our ultimate authority in life is God, and it is God whom we are to fear and respect. Everything else is simply temporal. 


While there are people in this world who may act like they love and care for us, that love and care can disappear in a big hurry when we don’t continually respond in the way that they want. The people of the world are not to be the plumb line by which we measure our behavior. We have already been provided the measure through the life of Christ and the word of God. If there is anything to fear, it is God himself! 


The reminder of God’s care is vitally important. It’s also important to understand that we are not promised a smooth journey through life. Whether the sparrow, or the bald head — neither was considered perfection, and yet, God cared for them both. God sees what we are going through, loves us, and will care for us through eternity. Don’t give in to the temptation to only live for this moment in history, for there is much more to come. Don’t fear those who can cancel us today, but live for the one who will care for us eternally. Yes, we may be afraid, but we continue to trust in God. 


Prayer:


Lord, there are always the momentary temptations of this world. May your presence lead me to keeping my eyes on you. There are times of fear, but may I not succumb to those fears, but faithfully live every day for you. Amen. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Take Off Your Ornaments

-
Scripture: Ex. 33:4 ¶ When the people heard these harsh words, they mourned, and no one put on ornaments. Ex. 33:5 For the LORD had said to Moses, “Say to the Israelites, ‘You are a stiff-necked people; if for a single moment I should go up among you, I would consume you. So now take off your ornaments, and I will decide what to do to you.’” Ex. 33:6 Therefore the Israelites stripped themselves of their ornaments, from Mount Horeb onward. Observation: The people had sinned before God by making and worshiping the golden calf!  They had taken their golden jewelry — the earrings and other items they had gotten from the Egyptians and used them to create an idol.  Now, in an act of humility and repentance they were to take off all of their jewelry and ornaments.  It was a time of mourning over their sin and it included intentional action on the part of the Israelites.  Application: We don’t do all that well with humility and repentance!  It seems that we live in a ti...
Read more

Does God Value Boys More than Girls?

-
Scripture: Lev. 12:1 ¶ The LORD spoke to Moses, saying: Lev. 12:2 Speak to the people of Israel, saying: ¶ If a woman conceives and bears a male child, she shall be ceremonially unclean seven days; as at the time of her menstruation, she shall be unclean. Lev. 12:3 On the eighth day the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised. Lev. 12:4 Her time of blood purification shall be thirty-three days; she shall not touch any holy thing, or come into the sanctuary, until the days of her purification are completed. Lev. 12:5 If she bears a female child, she shall be unclean two weeks, as in her menstruation; her time of blood purification shall be sixty-six days. Lev. 12:6 ¶ When the days of her purification are completed, whether for a son or for a daughter, she shall bring to the priest at the entrance of the tent of meeting a lamb in its first year for a burnt offering, and a pigeon or a turtledove for a sin offering. Lev. 12:7 He shall offer it before the LORD, and make atonement on her ...
Read more

On Grief and A Flute Player

-
Scripture: Matt. 9:23 When Jesus came to the leader’s house and saw the flute players and the crowd making a commotion, Matt. 9:24 he said, “Go away; for the girl is not dead but sleeping.” And they laughed at him. Matt. 9:25 But when the crowd had been put outside, he went in and took her by the hand, and the girl got up. Matt. 9:26 And the report of this spread throughout that district. Observation: This is a simple story which we have heard or read numerous times. Jesus heals the little girl and the people rejoice. But at the moment in which he arrives at the home he encounters the professional mourners. These are the flute players, the ones who have come to make a great noise about the child’s death. It is the flute player that testifies to the fact that she is truly dead. Also, flutes were generally employed when it came to the death of a child. The whole community would therefore understand that it is a child who has died in this home. The flute player is doing the job they have ...
Read more