It was Franklin Roosevelt who said, “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” He described that fear as a “nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance.” Of course, the fact is there would have been no reason for the president of our country to assert his firm belief that there was nothing to fear unless there actually was something to fear. The country was in the throes of a staggering economic crisis, the Great Depression, sparking fears that were not nameless or unjustified. Later in his speech, Roosevelt himself admitted: “Only a foolish optimist can deny the dark realities of the moment” – dark realities that gave substance to people’s real and understandable fears.
In today’s text, Jesus repeatedly tells His disciples to “have no fear” as He sends them out to proclaim the coming of His kingdom to “the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” Yet Jesus knows and acknowledges that He is sending them out not just to sheep but “as sheep in the midst of wolves.” His very words of admonition and encouragement, “Have no fear,” show that He knows that there is much to fear, at least from a human point of view.
Jesus is sending His disciples out into the world to preach a specific message. They will proclaim that the kingdom of heaven is near; and as they do so, they will work miracles and wonders. This is the good part, but the Lord pulls no punches: They will face heavy opposition. They will be rejected sometimes by households, sometimes by whole towns. Sometimes by family members, sometimes by close friends; and sometimes by the heads of state and church. “Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves,” He has just declared. He tells them as our text begins, “A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master. It is enough for the disciple to be like his teacher, and the servant like his master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more will they malign those of his household.” As things turn out, it is no less than the Pharisees and Scribes who call Jesus “Beelzebul,” the “lord of the flies.” And if those church leaders, who can do no wrong in the eyes of the people, call Jesus such, they will consider His followers gnats to be swatted. The disciples will face some terrible intimidation for telling the Good News about Jesus.
But the intimidation is no excuse. The disciples are not to remain silent. “Do not fear them,” Jesus commands.
For one thing, they are not to fear because “nothing is covered that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known.” Those enemies of Jesus may look to have the strong hand; after all, what is a teacher and twelve men against the world? However, the disciples know the end of the story because Jesus tells it to them: He will be the Victor, and He will return in glory to judge all nations and condemn those who reject Him. Therefore, the disciples should not be intimidated: In this battle of good vs. evil, evil will appear to have the upper hand for some time to come. But the disciples know the end of the story, and it would be foolish to side with those who will lose in the end.
If they are intimidated, it is no excuse. They are not to remain silent, and they have no right to change the message that is given to them. They are to preach that the kingdom of heaven is near. “Do not fear,” the Lord says again, and this time He is even more specific. “And 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.” The disciples will suffer at the hands of sinners, this is certain; but those evildoers can only kill the body. God, the Father almighty, wields a much bigger sword: He can send body and soul to hell for eternity. Who is more to be feared?
For the Church today, it is the same proposition. The Lord calls His people to proclaim what He tells them: His Law in all of its severity, and His Gospel in all of its sweetness. As an individual Christian, you will face such intimidation: When confronted with a crisis where the righteous decision means suffering, will you do what is right or take the easy way out? When a family member or close friend chooses a sinful way of life, will you lovingly speak the truth and risk hostility, or keep silent to maintain the family peace? In the school locker room and the business office alike, there will be constant attempts to turn you from what is good and pure and holy to what is wrong and impure and most unholy.
If Jesus had not given us the words of today’s Gospel, sharing the Good News of salvation would be a very confusing activity. It would be easy to think that we were doing something wrong when people did not eagerly desire to receive this gift when we told them about it. It would be easy to think that we were doing something wrong when people actually fought against us and tried to destroy us when all we want to do is tell them about a gift that is more valuable than all the riches contained in the world. You would think that people would fill this building and line up around the block and down the street in order to get this gift, but they don’t. They persecute it instead. Why?
Well, there is something fundamentally different about the proclamation of salvation in Jesus Christ. There is a spiritual war going on all around us. While we are proclaiming the free gift of salvation through Jesus Christ, sin, death, and the devil are fighting a war of lies against that proclamation. They are doing everything within their power to make truth look like a lie and to make lies look like the truth. Although sin, death, and the devil want to enslave us, they present themselves as a way to freedom. Although true freedom is in Christ Jesus, the forces of evil proclaim Christ as restrictive and domineering. The forces of sin, death, and the devil are the ultimate con artists. They pose as friends, but are really deadly enemies.
Today’s Gospel is a great comfort for persecuted Christians around the world. It tells us that the opposition of the world is no surprise to God. God knows all about our situation. He understands that the world makes it hard to be a Christian. He understands that His faithful confessors will undergo hard times. As Paul wrote to the Corinthians: “We preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles.” Today’s Gospel is one of many places that tell us to expect opposition from the world. Today’s Gospel tells us that we are not doing something wrong when the world or even our own family hates us for making a faithful confession of Jesus Christ.
That is the reason that the Gospel is so sweet to those who believe. The Gospel proclaims that Jesus is the only one who never compromised God’s Word. He is the only one who remained faithful to His calling. He remained faithful to His calling even when His calling led to the cross. He is the one who paid for our sins with his death on the cross. He faced not only the persecution of this world, but He also faced the combined guilt of all the sin of this world. Even then He remained faithful. With the victory He won with His death on the cross, He has purchased the forgiveness of sins for all people.
In spite of our many shortcomings – in spite of our fear – in spite of our desire to get along with the world at the expense of Christ’s teachings, the Holy Spirit will continue to keep us in the faith. Just as the Apostles endured to the end by the power of the Holy Spirit, the Holy Spirit will one day bring us to a blessed end here on this earth – only to take us to a blessed eternity there in heaven. There we shall wait with all the other believers in Christ until the Last Day when Jesus will return and raise all the dead, and all who believe in Him will live forever with Jesus on a new earth where there is no sin, no sorrow, and no persecution. In Jesus’ name, amen. Now the peace of God that passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds through faith in Christ Jesus, amen.