Do not fear

HAVE NO FEAR…EASIER SAID THAN DONE

Telling someone to not have fear is all well and good. People will tell you that of course there are times when fear is good, e.g. not touching hot stoves as a frequent example of being “afraid” of getting burned.

Perhaps we should “beware hot stoves” and rather than “be afraid” of them…

What to “beware” and “what to not fear” seems to be a common thread in the text today. Interesting that Jesus is talking to thousands of people about it (see verse 1).

It is good to beware...to not have fear means you need to change you view of reality.

You take a read through the text and see if you sense this. I expect you will see other things. My comments are below.

12 In the meantime, when so many thousands of the people had gathered together that they were trampling one another, he began to say to his disciples first, “Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. ² Nothing is covered up that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known. ³ Therefore whatever you have said in the dark shall be heard in the light, and what you have whispered in private rooms shall be proclaimed on the housetops.

Have No Fear

⁴ “I tell you, my friends, do not fear those who kill the body, and after that have nothing more that they can do. 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? And not one of them is forgotten before God. ⁷ Why, even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not; you are of more value than many sparrows.

Acknowledge Christ Before Men

⁸ “And I tell you, everyone who acknowledges me before men, the Son of Man also will acknowledge before the angels of God, ⁹ but the one who denies me before men will be denied before the angels of God. ¹⁰ And everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but the one who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven.¹¹ And when they bring you before the synagogues and the rulers and the authorities, do not be anxious about how you should defend yourself or what you should say, ¹² for the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say.”

The Parable of the Rich Fool

¹³ Someone in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.” ¹⁴ But he said to him, “Man, who made me a judge or arbitrator over you?” ¹⁵ And he said to them, “Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” ¹⁶ And he told them a parable, saying, “The land of a rich man produced plentifully, ¹⁷ and he thought to himself, ‘What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?’ ¹⁸ And he said, ‘I will do this: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. ¹⁹ And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.”’ ²⁰ But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’²¹ So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.”

Do Not Be Anxious

²² And he said to his disciples, “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat, nor about your body, what you will put on. ²³ For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing.²⁴ Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds! ²⁵ And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?  ²⁶ If then you are not able to do as small a thing as that, why are you anxious about the rest? ²⁷ Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. ²⁸ But if God so clothes the grass, which is alive in the field today, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will he clothe you, O you of little faith! ²⁹ And do not seek what you are to eat and what you are to drink, nor be worried. ³⁰ For all the nations of the world seek after these things, and your Father knows that you need them. ³¹ Instead, seek his kingdom, and these things will be added to you.

³² “Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom. ³³ Sell your possessions, and give to the needy. Provide yourselves with moneybags that do not grow old, with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys. ³⁴ For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

“Fear not little flock”…someone recently said to me “easier said than done.” True. Scanning through the text Jesus says “beware” of people who will teach you the wrong things…they will actually teach you to be afraid of things you ought not to be afraid. Jesus says do not be afraid of having to talk about him in front of people—the Holy Spirit will always be with you. Do not be afraid of not having money or inheritance—storing up money is like thinking you know the future. Do not be afraid of having the right clothes or food—if you are afraid of such things they will consume your day, focus on God’s ways and he will provide. 

So how, how do we not give in to fear? Jesus told us, but let me say it differently. First off Jesus did not say stop working, or stop doing what he has put in front of you. These verses are not license to lay on the couch having quit your job. Instead Jesus is indicating how you go about your day and telling you to be careful of what consumes your thoughts…because the things you are focused on…you do. And if you are focused on worry…then that is what you will spend energy on…either trying to eliminate your worry…or you will just be paralyzed by it.

So change your reality. Think about God. Think about how God is faithful. Think about what God has given you…and be thankful…if you have developed a pattern of worry, well then you are going to have to develop some new pattern…you can do it…maybe you should have a picture of a sparrow in front of you!