the barrel

Freeing Ourselves from Fear

Squirrels

Our family enjoys feeding the birds. The gold finches are beautiful and fun to watch. In the winter seeing the bright red cardinals can bright a blah day. We even enjoy watching the squirrels scurry around so long as they stay on the ground. However, squirrels will not abide by any arbitrary rules imposed by a homeowner. Squirrels are notorious for raiding bird feeders. They dine on the pumpkin seeds and they have a ferocious appetite. They will hang on a feeder for hours. They also have no fear. They will run when I threaten them with a stick and stay in the tree if my dog guards the feeder, but the moment I leave the feeder unattended they will return to their looting. No matter how many times I scare them away they will eventually return. They are perfect examples of Jesus admonition to live without fear.

What are we to fear?

Our Lord's instruction is part of a much larger section that begins eleven verses earlier. It is the continuation of the parable about the rich man and his many barns. I see a flow in Luke's thought. The physician first mentions the parable about a man who spent too much time amassing his fortune. The man is not working out of worry or fear but for personal gain.

Luke follows this with some advice to those who may say, “OK, so I won't be a workaholic to become rich and famous, but can I at least worry about not having enough money to pay off all my bills in the future?” Jesus essentially says “No, you should not even worry about worrying about paying off all your bills in the future.” The ravens do not sow and do not reap and do not have storehouse but God feeds them. Jesus tells his followers that they are far more valuable in God's eyes. Besides, worrying does not put seed in the ground. It does nothing to nourish the crops. Worry will not increase the value of your stock portfolio and it will not convince Congress to lower your taxes.

This brings us to the passage before us. Notice that the level of feelings has been elevated from pleasure, to worry, to fear. Jesus tells his disciples “Be not afraid,” The word for “afraid” comes from the Greek word for fear — phobos or phobia. The Greek god Phobos was a mighty warrior and only Zeus evoked more fear. The word “phobia” often refers to our feelings when our lives are threatened. This may be caused by another person. Issac was afraid that King Abimelech would want to kill him so that the king could take Isaac's wife for his own so Isaac lied and told the king that Rebecca was his sister. (Genesis 26:7). We are told that Jonah tried to run away from God by leaving his homeland on a ship. A violent storm came up and all the sailors were so afraid that they were about to die that each cried out to his own god. Jonah had gone below deck and was sleeping. He did not even know that the boat was about to sink until the crew woke him up and then threw him overboard. (Jonah 1:5)

The passage in Jonah reminds me of Jesus' reaction to a storm. He and his disciples were sailing across the Sea of Galilee when a storm nearly swamped their boat. At the height of the gale with the boat being tossed from wave to wave Jesus was sleeping like a baby in his crib, complete oblivious to the mayhem around him. (cf Mark 4:37-38)

The prophet Isaiah is given a vision of the pending doom of Babylon. He calls the city the Desert by the Sea. He has longed to see the fall of the capital city. Babylon had utterly destroyed the nation of Judah and Isaiah wanted revenge. But he also recoils when God shows him the terrible consequences of its demise. He says:.

At this my body is racked with pain,
pangs seize me, like those of a woman in labor;
I am staggered by what I hear,
I am bewildered by what I see.
My heart falters,
fear makes me tremble;
the twilight I longed for
has become a horror to me.

(Isaiah 21:1–4, NIV)

Luke is presenting the teachings of Jesus in such a way as to say that disciples of Jesus have no reason to feel any negative human emotions to the social, political or economic conditions, real or imagined. Jesus does not want his disciples to worry or fear things present or that were to come.

YBH

Eugene Peterson was a pastor for many years and has written a shelf full of books on pastoral ministry. In one book he explained his frustration as a young pastor with authors who would write about the theoretical ideals of church life and never offer any practical advice on how to apply the theory. Peterson said that he would write in the margin of a particularly inspiring but purely esoteric paragraph, “YBH” “Yes but how.”

That is the challenge of the Christian life. How do you apply the commands, exhortations, and admonitions to our daily lives? This is particularly true when dealing with human emotions or feelings. We are so easily controlled by our emotions. Sometimes that is used as an excuse. We blame our feelings for irresponsible action. We claim that we just could not control ourselves because we were feeling a certain way.

Jesus would strongly disagree. He tells us in this particular passage that we should have complete control over the emotion of fear. I suggest that the first step in learning to abandon our fears is to recognize that we have the power to do so. We do not have to be afraid of the economic climate. Notice that Jesus is not saying that we should not have any fear.

The people of New Mexico have reason to be afraid as they await the capture and return to prison of a pair of AZ escapees. Police have forensic evidence linking the convicts to one murder in NM already this week.

Dr Karen Woo may have preformed her medical duties to the people of Afghanistan but she was not without fear for her own safety. She understood the risks and tragically those fears became a reality when the Taliban murdered her and 9 other medical missionaries.

When we are under the threat of imminent, physical danger we have a justifiable reason to fear. We have an inbred mechanism that generates fear when we are threatened. Jesus is not saying we should never be afraid. He is saying we should never worry or be afraid about what is happening or about to happen in our lives. We can control our feelings. It is difficult and bothersome but possible.

Some may still be asking, “yes but how?” We change are emotions by changing our beliefs. Through the reading of Scripture especially New Testament and meditation we can change our priorities, values and beliefs about material possessions, happiness and pleasure.

Let suppose that a person grew up in home that purchased a new car every three years, not because his father worked for GM, but because the family wanted the latest new car. That practice would become ingrained in his consciousness to the point that it could dramatically effect his state of well being. As an adult he might be depressed every time he drove his used clunker. However, if that person would choose to orient his values to the teaching of Scripture, he would not let his possessions shape outlook on life. He could learn to enjoy owning and driving a outdated older car. The decision to not be afraid is a choice that we make.

Jesus suggests that we can also control our emotions by remembering that we are his “little flock” and that God has promised to give to us his kingdom. Early in my ministry I remember how members of the congregation who lived through the Great Depression of the 1930s would react to income dips in the church budget. Even with substantial cash reserves they would sound the alarm when the monthly income and expense report would only show a slight surplus. A monthly deficit might require a congregational meeting or the removal of the pastor. Well, I may be exaggerating a little but not by much. I would have to remind myself again and again that they had different life experience than I did.

I have never known a time during which I did not have enough money to buy food, clothes and shelter. That could not be said of the children of the Great Depression. Some never lived in home that was actually owned by their parents. They lived in homes in which the cupboard was often bare and the refrigerator shelves were empty. They would wear the same clothes to school for the entire week without being washed. Living under such harsh economic realities created scars of financial insecurity.

Jesus tells his disciples that we are members of his little flock. He is our shepherd. He will provide us with food, water and shelter. He will protect us through valleys where danger lurks on every side. We are not to be afraid because we will have everything that we need. We will never have to wonder if we will have enough of the basic necessities of life.

This does not mean that we will enjoy unlimited prosperity. We need to adjust our perspective on life. The economic boom of the latter part of the 20^th century is an anomaly in the history of western civilization. Never have so few enjoyed so much. Our culture is spoiled by its own success. While our expectations are beginning to change, I wonder how many people are secretly hoping for a return to prosperity of the 1990s. If we are we will be disappointed if the recession lingers for another year or worsens. We must taper our expectations to the reality of the times in which we presently live. Knowing that God has promised us his kingdom should enable us to make those adjustments.

After telling his disciples to be not afraid and reminding them of the promises of God, Jesus then gives them a standard by which they can measure how successful they are controlling their fears. He tells his disciples that they are to sell their possessions and give to the poor. I realize that he is speaking in the imperative mood. He is not describing an action or the verbs “sell” and “give” would be in the indicative mood. He is telling them to do it. The imperative mood is the mood of command. It is not a request. It does not carry options. It does not begin with the word “Please.” The imperative mood is the mood of drill sergeants during basic training. However, we often view such commands as being too rigid or too legalistic so I will present it another way. You are able to measure how well you have overcome your fear by how much you give. Generosity is a measure of security. Insecure people seldom are generous givers. People who are afraid of the future hoard their money. Mature, psychologically healthy people give and give generously.

The idea of selling our material things and giving them away has recently become fashionable. The New York Times recently published an article about a CA couple who decided that they were on the work-spend treadmill. They decided to increase their contributions to charity. Then they conducted a test trial. They put several of their possessions that they seldom used into storage — books, pots, shoes, sweaters even the TV. After a few months they decided that they did not need the items so they emptied their storage unit by giving its content away. They eventually gave their car away. They reduced their personal belongings to 100 items. The couple now lives in a small studio apartment. They own four plates, three pairs of shoes and two pots. The husband is in school so they are living on the wife's annual income of about $24,000 a year. They are still car-free but have bikes. One other thing they no longer have is $30,000 of debt. They are happier than they have ever been.

Now, if the secular community can do that to free themselves of the anxiety of a consumeristic society, how much more could the children who have been promised the riches of eternity be able to accomplish?

Squirrels do not plant. They do not water or fertilize but yet God provides them with acorns from the oak trees, seeds from the pine tree and with sunflowers from the Pavelkos. How much more valuable are we than the squirrel!

Let us free ourselves of our fears!