May 30: On the Difficulty of Christian Response

If you are reading this blog, and haven't yet read today's scripture, please stop and at the very least read the New Testament reading.  Here are today's readings:

2 Samuel 15:23-16:23

John 18:25-19:22

Psalm 119:113-128

Proverbs 16:10-11

Here's the story: an innocent man is killed by people in authority - by the actions of some and the indifference of others.  Especially to those following the US news cycle, this should sound disturbingly familiar, frustratingly fresh.  Innocent man.  Killed by the authorities.  

Times like these we find out how difficult a Christian response is.  As I look at how some have responded today - from hopelessness and despair at the human condition on one hand, to the protests that deteriorate into violence, theft and destruction on the other - I ask myself, had I been in Jerusalem over two thousand years ago, how might Jesus have wanted me to respond?  It is at this point that I am going to cheat, by referring to scripture outside today's readings.  

1.  He would have told me NOT to go to war for Him.  In Jn 10:18 we read "Then Simon Peter, who had a sword, drew it and struck the high priest's servant, cutting off his right ear…Jesus commanded Peter, 'Put your sword away!'"

2.  He would have prevented me from doing so for MY benefit, not His.  In Matthew's account of the same night, in Mt 26:52 Jesus tells Peter "Put your sword back in its place…for all who draw the sword will die by the sword."

3.  He would have reassured me that, however helpless He might seem, He wasn't helpless at all.  In Mt 26:53 He points out that he could easily "call on my Father, and He will at once put at My disposal more than twelve legions of angels", and the problem I see in his unjust death would be avoided.  

4.  He would remind me that all these things happen in accordance with His Father's will.  Mt 26:54: "But how then would the Scriptures be fulfilled that say it must happen in this way?"  Or in Jn 18:11: "Shall I not drink the cup the Father has given Me?"

At this point, if you are anything like me, you are terribly frustrated at the impotent, helpless response Jesus prescribes.  Hey, I did say the Christian response wasn't going to be easy.  So, how did Christ's disciples respond? 

1.  First, in anger and fear.  After Jesus was taken, they scattered, and Peter denied Jesus.  Joseph of Arimathea asked for Jesus's body in secret, "because he feared the Jews".  Even  just before Jesus appeared to them, they "were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jews" (Jn 20:19).  

2.  Then, in joy, at the realization their fears were for nothing.  In Jn 20:19-20, we read "Jesus came and stood among them and said 'peace be with you!' After He said this, He showed them His hands and side.  The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord."

3.  Finally, in obedience and surrender.  In Jn 21:15-17, Jesus reinstates Peter after his betrayal.  And in Jn 21:18-19 He hints at the price Peter is going to pay for his obedience.  Jesus warned him that he would "stretch out your hands, and someone will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go", indicating "the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God.

So how difficult is it to be a Christian?  Very.  Not only do we have to acknowledge that our response may not be the right one, the right response may come at great cost, at great suffering.  

Father, like your son, George Floyd was an innocent man killed by the authorities.  It is tempting to lash out in response, possibly increasing the misery of the situation.  As Christians, we submit to You, and beg You teach us how to respond - with love, obedience, and in a way that gives YOU the glory.