Filed under: Homilies | Tags: evangelism, fear, moral decisions, personal value, protection
Whoo boy, this Gospel reading is a doozie. It is chock-full of lessons, metaphors, hidden meanings, and truth. I’ll try to tackle all of it, but I’m sure there will be nuances that will escape this summary and length constraints to my analysis.
Jesus begins: “Fear no one.” As is his style, Jesus is very plain and very bold. Making difficult commandments is also his style. Fear no one? There are a lot of scary people in this world. There are a lot of people who can make your life hell. But Jesus reminds us to be afraid of “real” hell. That is, if you’re faced with a choice of standing up for yourself and making a morally correct decision that could result in your death, or to be morally corrupt and save your skin…go with the former. Your soul is what’s eternal, your soul is what you should be guarding the future of. Sandwiched in between these statements are a few commandments that seem a bit out of place.
“Nothing is concealed…proclaim on the housetops.” In these four verses, fear does not appear to be a theme, as in the preceding one and the following three. While the first of these verses seem to be an exciting promise of a reward (When I die, I’ll finally understand how electrons really work!), I believe they are actually a form of reassurance from fear. After all, doesn’t most, if not all, fear stem from the unknown? Jesus doesn’t want us to worry about the unknown, and so doesn’t want us to be afraid. The next two verses seem to be one of the few times Jesus tells his disciples to “do not do as I do.” Why? I believe that what Jesus “whispers” to his disciples, he whispers because it is a dangerous idea. An idea that could get him or the disciple killed. So why should the disciple spread Jesus’s controversial message loudly and proudly, but Jesus can just whisper? Well, keep in mind that Jesus had work to do on Earth before he could die. And, he ended up dying because of what he said anyways, so I suppose it’s a moot point.
This brings us to the next part of the Gospel reading. Jesus tells his disciples how even the smallest details in the world are noticed by God, and if God cares so much about “valueless” sparrows, then how much more must he care about each human life? Jesus is telling his disciples that God has their back. Jesus also seems to warn that those who “do not acknowledge” him will be “denied” before God. Is Jesus saying that “unbelievers” don’t have God’s protection? I don’t think so. After all, didn’t Peter deny Jesus not once but three times? Yet, he became the founder of the Christian Church and got the keys to Heaven. That’s a pretty good deal for a former backstabber. And remember, God counts all sparrows. So why not all people? I think what Jesus wants people to “acknowledge” is his teaching of love and forgiveness, not he himself.
So, to summarize, Jesus is saying in this passage: “When you spread my teachings, don’t fear retribution; instead, think of your ultimate reward.” This is the core of the New Testament.
-Timothy
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This is weird! Every time I read a “religious” post online, I get more confused by those who post. Once, Jesus is God and then he is one who fears for his life and does not want to be killed. Huh?
Something is terribly wrong with this picture.
ATW
Comment by attendingtheworld June 23, 2008 @ 2:57 amATW,
I’m sorry to confuse you. Even though Christians do believe that Jesus is God, or at least some aspect of God, I think it is reasonable that he wouldn’t want to die before he did what he needed to do. Many of the things that Jesus told his apostles in private, he gave them strict instructions to not tell anyone until he had already been resurrected.
Also, there is some evidence in the Gospels that Jesus’ human aspect sometimes overpowered his divine aspect. In the garden of Gethsemane, Jesus does in fact ask God if he can spare his life, presumably because he is, like all humans, afraid to die.
Hope this helps.
-Timothy
Comment by lettersfromtimothy June 23, 2008 @ 7:47 am