Fear In the Face of Mission
We are living in a time when it is particularly difficult to know what to do. We are assessing the risk of every decision in order to minimize exposure to the coronavirus: Who am I willing to see? Where am I willing to go? What precautions should I take?
At the same time, we are reassessing our roles in racial tension that has existed since the inception of our country: Are the cries for racial equality different this time? How has my experience coming up in the world differed from others? How can we move beyond the unrest of our present circumstances?
Though we may desire nothing more than a break from the constant tension of this new reality, we—as those sent by Christ—must instead dig into Scripture for the bearings we need to navigate our present reality. The Gospel of Matthew provides the direction we seek.
SHEEP AMONG WOLVES
Having gone “throughout all the cities and villages . . . proclaiming the gospel and healing every disease” (Matt. 9:35), Jesus gathers his twelve disciples and invests in them this same authority. Jesus then sent these twelve out to “proclaim as you go, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand,” and to “heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, cast out demons” (10:5–8)—to do the very same work Jesus has just done.
Beginning with verse 16, Jesus tells them what they can expect as they go out, and the picture he paints for them is grim:
“Beware of men, for they will deliver you over to courts and flog you in their synagogues, and you will be dragged before governors and kings for my sake . . . Brother will deliver brother over to death, and the father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death, and you will be hated by all for my name's sake” (10:17–18, 21–22).
Put simply, they were “sheep in the midst of wolves” (10:16). Yet Jesus repeats three times a surprising conclusion: “Have no fear . . . Do not fear . . . Fear not” (10:26, 28, 31). How were they—how are we—supposed to be fearless amidst the wolves? Jesus gives us three reasons.
WHY SHEEP DON’T NEED TO FEAR WOLVES
1. “If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul [the devil], how much more will they malign those of his household. So have no fear of them, for nothing is covered that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known” (10:25b–26).
Jesus is saying, “If they slander you, it’s because you stand in good company; and when the master is revealed, you will be vindicated. So have no fear.” Or put another way, we who have been sent out by Christ should have no fear, because those who slander us mistake their savior as their enemy. Wolves, adversaries of the faith, should be pitied—not feared.
2. “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” (10:28).
For the Christian, it is God the creator who gave us life, and it is God the Son who restored that life to full health. The power and authority to destroy that life remains with God. So, Jesus says, “Do not deceive yourselves, and do not be deceived by others. Those who seek to harm you have no power to destroy you—only the God who created you, and the God who saved you by giving up everything for you, has the power to do you harm.” Those who seek to harm you have no power to destroy you. Only your creator can do that.
3. “Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. But even the hairs of your head are numbered. Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows” (10:29–31).
Let’s rephrase that so we can see Jesus’ reasoning. Two sparrows have very little value, and yet even these God values enough to care for them intimately. How much more valuable are you than a sparrow—even the hairs of your head are numbered! Fear not, therefore; your life is of much value to God. You are intimately valued by the one who cared enough for you that he created you, saved you, and now sends you out with his authority to usher in the kingdom alongside of him.
Okay, so we are not to fear the wolves among the sheep. But what does that tell us about making decisions in these tumultuous times?
FIVE COMMANDS TO GUIDE YOUR DECISION-MAKING
Jesus makes five imperative statements—direct commands—for his disciples to adhere to as they are sent out in Matthew 10:16 and following. If you are struggling to navigate the current crisis we face, these same principles should direct your decisions.
Be strategic. “Be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. Beware of men” (10:16). There are those who are against you. Give them no grounds to maintain that position. Don’t be outsmarted, and don’t be enticed to act against what you know to be true. Ask yourself, Do my decisions bolster or erode the arguments of those against me? Am I confident in my convictions?
Remember your role. “When they deliver you over, do not be anxious how you are to speak or what you are to say” (10:19). It’s not your job to know exactly what to say at any given moment. Your job is to remain obedient to the One who created you, saved you, and sent you out. How are we to do that? Peter expands on this in 1 Peter 3:14–16. First he says, “In your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy.” Then he says we are to always be prepared “to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you.” The order here is important. When we seek first to honor Christ in our hearts, we can take confidence in the Spirit’s work to come alongside us when we are called to make a defense for the hope we have.
Again, remember your role. “When they persecute you in one town, flee to the next, for…you will not have gone through all the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes” (10:23). It’s not your job to win every argument or win over every person. Jesus reminds us in John 4:37, “One sows, and another reaps.” When the time comes, move on; there is more to do. Make your decision and move on.
Proclaim boldly what has been revealed intimately. “What I tell you in the dark, say in the light, and what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops” (10:27). Don’t be scared to speak up for the sure and true testimony that you read in your Bible, even if tensions are high and decisions are heavy.
Fear God. Do not fear those who are wrong (10:26); do not fear those who can do you no real harm (10:28); and do not fear that you are worthless (10:31). Instead, place your fear in God, who has the power to destroy—yet chose to create—you; who has the right to condemn, yet chose to save; who has the authority to command obedience, yet chose to give up his life to empower us by grace to choose it and him for ourselves.
REST ASSURED
The only one who deserves our fear is the one who has earned our faith. And now he is sending us out into a troubled world, with the authority and full assurance of hope that he won for us on the cross.
So fear not.
Corey Prescott (mDiv, Trinity School for Ministry) is the Assistant Rector of St. John's Anglican Church in Florence, South Carolina. He is married to his highschool sweetheart, Cory, and has two wonderful children. He loves Auburn football, being on the water, and has been known to forego dessert for another helping of his grandmother’s sweet potato casserole.