Fear Not - You Are of More Value Than Many Sparrows
May you
be strengthened to live out your call of being a disciple of the Lord Jesus, especially
when facing trying times.
When have
you been really afraid? Was it when facing circumstances which seemed beyond your
control and could be harmful to you emotionally, physically, mentally, or spiritually?
What did you do? Did you receive help from another person (including possibly the
Lord Jesus)? When we experience being loved by another person, it makes the fear
dissipate. 1 John 4: 18 reminds us: “There is no fear in love, but perfect love
drives out fear.” Obviously, the greatest love is the love which GOD has for us
since GOD is love (1 John 4: 17).
Being
faithful to GOD has both its benefits and its challenges. Today we hear about some
of the challenges or uncomfortable repercussions. Jeremiah senses the hostility
of those who are plotting his death because he faithfully proclaims GOD’s Word.
Even those whom he once had counted as his friends have turned against him. In the
Gospel, Jesus reminds His disciples that they, too, will have some difficult times,
but as long as they stay focused on their mission, they should not fear because
GOD will be faithful to the divine promises made.
Commentary: The prophet bewails his heavy
burden of repeatedly denouncing the defenders of the city who are only making
matters worse by not trusting in the Lord. One cannot but sympathise with this
gentle prophet who finds it so hard continually to denounce his fellow-countrymen.
He complains that the LORD had ‘seduced’ him so that he cannot stop prophesying
disaster. He had faced up to the chief of police, the priest Pashhur,
distorting his name to ‘Pahor’ (‘Terror’) and calling him
‘Terror-on-every-side’, and now Jeremiah’s opponents turn that name back on
him, suggesting that he in turn may be ‘seduced’ into error and pay the
penalty. But at the same time as complaining, Jeremiah also proclaims his
faith: the LORD is at his side, and his foes will stumble.
In the same way and in the same city and sanctuary some centuries later Jesus will proclaim his certainty that the LORD will prove him right against his detractors.
Psalm reveals the
psalmist's deep anguish, their plea for deliverance from their enemies, and
their unwavering trust in God's faithfulness and saving power. It speaks to the
experience of feeling rejected and abandoned while seeking solace and
redemption in God.
Commentary: Christ is the saviour, but how
does he save? The Letter to the Romans is Paul’s fullest explanation, and the
heart of that teaching is that Christ is the Second Adam. Adam’s sin in the
Garden of Eden, as described in Genesis, it not a simple historical story of
one particular sin. It is the paradigm of all sin, the paradigm or analysis of
all human failure, the process of turning away from God’s commandments in pride
and independence: ‘I know better than God what is good for me.’ We are children
of Adam in so far as we have sinned, and Adam’s sin sums up that of all
humanity. At the same time Adam is not only the type, but also the founder of
all humanity. Christ, on the other hand is the second founder of all humanity.
His act of perfect obedience to his Father on the cross transcends and heals
this act of disobedience committed by the first Adam. Only Christ’s act of
loving obedience could be great enough to do this. It had to be an act of a
man, but not of a mere man. We are members of this new humanity in so far as we
join ourselves to Christ, put all our trust and hope in him.
Commentary: This whole chapter of Matthew
brings together and sums up what Jesus has to say to his apostles about
declaring his teaching in the face of hostility and persecution. Jesus himself
was fearless in proclaiming his message. He ‘taught with authority’, as the
gospel constantly tells us. His disciples are sent out to do the same. We do
not often meet with real persecution, though it may yet happen. The martyrs of
communist Russia or Vietnam lived many years of peaceful Christianity before
unexpectedly facing martyrdom. The monk martyrs of Algeria did not reckon on
martyrdom when they went to Algeria. The only preparation for martyrdom can be
fidelity and prayer. More often we face mockery for holding to Christian
principles, and that too can be difficult to bear. We can be accused of
narrow-mindedness, lack of appreciation of human values, blind obedience, sentimentality,
naivety, and a host of other hurtful slurs. Jesus did not promise that the
Father would prevent the sparrows falling to the ground! Nor is it always easy
to respond to such slurs with the patience and generosity as well as the
truthfulness which Jesus would have shown. ‘A spoonful of honey attracts more
flies than a barrelful of vinegar’, said St Francis de Sales.
Reflection: What
does fear have to do with the kingdom of God? Fear is a powerful force. It can
lead us to panic and flight or it can spur us to faith and action. The fear of
God is the antidote to the fear of losing one's life. I sought the Lord, and
he answered me, and delivered me from all my fears. O fear the Lord, you his
saints, for those who fear him have no want! Come, O sons, listen to me,
I will teach you the fear of the Lord. (Psalm 34:4,9,11)
Godly
fear, reverence, and respect for God's ways produce wisdom and right judgment
What
is godly fear? It is reverence for the One who made us in love and who sustains
us in mercy and kindness. The greatest injury or loss which we can experience
is not physical but spiritual - the loss of one's heart, mind, and soul to the
power of hell. A healthy fear of God leads to spiritual maturity, wisdom and
right judgment and it frees us from the tyranny of cowardly fear and sinful
pride that refuses to do what is right, good, and just - especially in the face
of opposition and evil. Do you trust in the power of God's love and truth that
can conquer every fear and form of evil and wrongdoing? The Lord Jesus
willingly embraced the cross for our sake to atone for our sins and to free us
from slavery to sin, Satan, and death. Do you believe in the power of his cross
and victory over death, despair, and sin?
Proclaim
boldly what no earthly power can destroy - the cross and resurrection of Jesus
Christ
When
Jesus proclaimed the kingdom of God he met opposition and hostility from those
who refused to believe in him. He tells his disciples that they must expect the
same treatment if they are to live and to proclaim the reign of God. There is
both a warning and a privilege in his statement. Just as Jesus had to carry his
cross, so the disciples must carry their cross and not try to evade it. To
suffer for the faith is to share in the work of Christ. As one hymn states: Lift
high the Cross of Christ! Tread where his feet have trod. The Holy Spirit
gives us power and grace to live as disciples of Jesus Christ. Do you trust in
God's grace to carry your cross for Jesus' sake?
Lord
Jesus, it is my joy and privilege to be your disciple. Give me strength and
courage to bear any hardship and suffering which may come my way in your
service. May I witness to others the new life, joy and victory you have won for
us through your cross and resurrection.
Daily Quote from the Early Church Fathers: Fear
not, you are of more value than many sparrows, by John Chrysostom, 344-407 A.D.
"What
do you see in creation of less value than a tiny sparrow? But even the sparrow
will not fall without God's knowledge. Jesus does not mean that the sparrow
falls by God's direct will because it is unworthy but that nothing that occurs
is hidden from God. If then God is not ignorant of anything that happens in
creation, and if God loves us more truly than the best human father, and if God
loves us so as to have numbered our very hairs, then we need not be afraid.
Jesus said this not to indicate that God literally has a number placed on the
very hairs of our head but rather to show that God has perfect knowledge of
everything about us and providentially cares for everything about us.
Therefore, if God both knows all things that happen to us and is able to save
us and willing to do so, then whatever we may be suffering, we need not think
that God has forsaken us in our suffering. For it is not God's will to keep us
wholly separated from that which elicits dread but rather to persuade us not to
make an idol out of whatever we dread. It is this, more than anything else,
that constitutes deliverance from dread. 'Therefore, don't be afraid. You are
of more value than many sparrows.' Don't you see that God views your fear with
more concern than the lives of many sparrows? He already knows the secrets of
your heart. Hence Jesus adds, 'Do not fear.' For even if that which you dread
prevails, it prevails only over your body; this is the limited part of
yourself, which nature will surely take in due time and bring to an end." (excerpt from The Gospel of Matthew, Homily 34, 2-3)
FEAR NOT
“Do not be afraid of anything.” —Matthew 10:31
Our reaction to fear will be among the best or worst
aspects of our lives. We will either let ourselves be manipulated by fear into
sinful compromises and eventual damnation, or we will refuse to be controlled
by fear and eventually push it out of our lives (see 1 Jn 4:18). Therefore, Jesus repeatedly
commands us: “Do not let them intimidate you” (Mt 10:26). “Do not fear those who deprive
the body of life but cannot destroy the soul” (Mt 10:28). “Do not be afraid of anything”
(Mt 10:31).
Our response to fear should be faith. Jesus told Jairus
after his daughter died: “Do not fear, only believe” (Mk 5:36, RSV-CE). When his friends had
turned against him in vengeance, Jeremiah had the faith to fearlessly proclaim:
“The Lord is with me, like a mighty Champion: my persecutors will stumble, they
will not triumph” (Jer 20:11). Even when we are
enduring our own agony in the garden or suffering on our own Calvary, by faith
we can refuse to be manipulated by fear. We can “say with confidence: ‘The Lord
is my Helper, I will not be afraid; what can man do to me?’ ” (Heb 13:6) By faith we can proclaim:
“The Lord is my life’s Refuge; of whom should I be afraid?...Though an army
encamp against me, my heart will not fear” (Ps 27:1, 3). Fear not.
Prayer: Father,
may my awareness that You are in me make me fearless. May Your love push fear
out of my life (see 1 Jn 4:18). “For if by the offense of the one man all
died, much more did the grace of God and the gracious gift of the one Man,
Jesus Christ, abound for all.” —Rm 5:15 Praise You, risen Jesus,
Victor over death. You are “the Resurrection and the Life” (Jn 11:25). Alleluia!
The personal
action for today: When I think of the challenges that I face because of my relationship with
the Lord Jesus, how do I feel? Am I fearful of what may happen to me? As I contemplate
the benefits that GOD has promised to give me as I proclaim the Good News, what
thoughts cross my mind? How can I more effectively proclaim the Good News to someone
who needs to hear the message today? This week?