To Deal with Fear Keep the First Things First (WWJD)

What Would Jesus Do was a theme that ran through the Christian community a few years back and these initials became iconic. Actually in these days of Covid-19 it’s an interesting question. What would Jesus do in the face of life worldwide stricken by fear, confusion and hope rooted in the best man can do?

                He could bring healing.

                He could restore jobs and economic order.

                He could supply food for all.

Wait. Haven’t we seen these temptations laid at Jesus’ feet before? Wasn’t it when he had fasted 40 days and Satan confronts him when he’s weak and hungry? His humanity, given the fact that he was fully human and fully divine, was on display. A temptation has something to do with willingness to accomplish a thing, even a good thing immediately by taking an ethical short cut. It’s not always evil at the first glance. Wait. Didn’t Eve and Adam struggle with this? Surely it would be a good thing to know how to deal with good and evil properly? I mean what if God wasn’t around and they had to deal with something on their own? Surely God wouldn’t mind if they took on evil by themselves. Of course that’s assuming they wouldn’t be deceived, assuming they wouldn’t be subject to the law of unintended consequences, assuming their hearts wouldn’t fail them for fear. After all they weren’t made as gods, they were only created in his image.

Hebrews 3-6 has some valuable insights for us to draw upon. In chapters 3 and 4 we find a word picture that God intended for us human types to have a place of deep rest, of security, of belonging. It’s something we find hard to experience in these days of isolation. Rest describes a way of life that was love’s deep purpose behind the Garden of Eden. Clearly he is intending for this connection of deep rest (being loved and knowing we are valued and living out of this strong peace) to be ours. Imagine your humanity and mine being part of the very tool Jesus uses to destroy the one who holds the power of death. Jesus is fully human and fully divine.

Even as we do battle against a disease that seems incredibly contagious and that has no cure, even as we wear masks, practice isolation through stay at home orders, we are discovering a fear of other kinds of death. Death of income, death of business, death of all supplies being available whenever we want it, all the things in which we placed our security are being tested and found lacking. But still there is no real movement to look to Jesus and trust him. In fact we hear words from the largest city in America concerning the numbers of deaths going down. “It’s not God, it’s not prayer, we are doing this ourselves.” Governmental orders are being obeyed. Wait. I heard this before in Daniel 4:27-31. After negotiating dreams came true, King Nebuchadnezzar was challenged to obey the living God by renouncing his sins and DOING what is right, and his wickedness by BEING kind to the oppressed.  Then his prosperity might continue. Twelve months later he said “Is this not the great Babylon I have built...by my mighty power and for the glory of my majesty?” In those very moments his place of authority crumbled and he descended into darkness. The key to the problem is not our humanity. It is our prideful heart. We demand life respond to us our way. When it does we exclude God and the truth that his moral ways of leading us with care, protection and mercy are fundamental to our success. We congratulate ourselves as though our wise leadership did it all.

Many years ago I was invited to go crabbing in Maryland. A boat, a big basket, twine wrapped around a square frame and some bait. We got the first one and we threw him in the basket. I had to keep pushing it down as it crawled out. “This is nuts,” I thought. “There’s no lid.” So I spoke up and the boat owner laughed and casually threw in a couple more. To my amazement as soon as one made progress getting out, the others would pull it down. No lid was needed. Soon there was a whole basket full of crabs that could not escape.

Jesus was to be both High Priest and Ultimate Sacrifice able to sympathize with our fear of life with no love or value as well as our fear of physical death. Legally and morally he paid the price and set the stage for us to change from ways that lead to death to ways that lead to life. Believe me he knows how we are tempted to slip back into the ways of self sufficiency that can take us back to death. Self-sufficiency doesn’t start out promising death but promises good. Stay home they said. Live they said. Care for others they said. But bills went unpaid, food became less certain. Jobs were lost, employees were lost. Fear set in even all around the world. Rightfully so because work is the biggest antidote to poverty!

Jesus knows the reality of these spiritual and physical deaths. He experienced the hurt of rejection, mocking, hatred, betrayal and physical death. Those who were amazed at his knowledge and wisdom at the age of twelve, eighteen years later rejected him and plotted for his death. These were men who knew the scripture. His own disciples quarreled at times over who was the most significant among them. They saw miracles but didn’t get the big picture. Jesus’ heart was heavy with the confusion of his people substituting rules to please God rather than obedience leading to serving God and others. He saw the suffering of people under the domination of government. Sicknesses, death, injustice, spiritual and emotional torment and prejudices and more plagued the world that he loved. In time these were the very things that put him on the cross where he interceded for us, “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.” His mission was to transform our heart, to repair the great divorce of sin and to provide a rest of deep knowing the love of the Father that covers our neighbor and our own heart. A love like this can transform a world. Turning from it can turn a world into darkness. Unlike the offer of making a good temporary life in our own strength, he offers eternal life. This life is a deep rest life that comes with choosing Jesus by asking for forgiveness and extending forgiveness to others including ourselves. This quality of living is centered in our love and trust of Jesus. It is the quality eternal life.

How did he do that? How did he not get off track, give in to fixing things and stopping the madness? IF he had done that – the world would only have the hope of living in a crabbing basket. Rebellion, a major expression of seeking the ways of self, would continue to freely harden our hearts and we would always being going astray in spite of our best intentions. The way of REST (security and value of being and doing love) with a loving God could not happen.

WWJD requires we look carefully at Hebrews 3:1. It has something to do with our mind and heart. “Fix your thoughts on Jesus.” Fix is more than grit your teeth. It has the meaning of setting a point for navigation. This describes the relationship between Jesus and his Father. It needs to be a description of our life in Christ. We ask him to live in us and repent of our self –sufficiency.

Right now, this moment, what kind of life are you living? Seek first the kingdom of God and discover what happens when you live out of the content of rest.