What Are You Afraid Of?

Introduction

I read the classic sci-fi novel “Dune” a year or two ago before the movie came out, and one of the more well-known quotes from the book stuck with me. It’s called the Litany Against Fear, and it’s something of a creed or a mantra that characters recite to help them cope with the feeling of fear. It goes like this, “I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain.” The mind-killer. The little-death. I think there is some wisdom there. The idea is that fear is dangerous, it has the power to dehumanize you and cripple your ability to think. Yet it acknowledges that fear is a reality everyone experiences. You can’t completely avoid it, you have to pass through it, and come out the other side without letting it dominate and control you.

Jesus also has some advice about the reality of fear in our Gospel text and how his followers should deal with it. Jesus acknowledges the reality of fear, but he also warns that it can lead to total obliteration if it controls you. These are at the same time some of Jesus’ most terrifying and most comforting words. So let’s let Jesus teach us how the mind-killer is defeated.

Don’t Fear Humans, Fear God

Jesus is sending his twelve apostles out on a mission to proclaim the kingdom of God to the towns of Israel and to do the works that Jesus himself did, like healing the sick and casting out demons. This speech is intended to brief them for that mission. Jesus is instructing them on how they should go about their task, and warning them of what they will face out there in the world.

And Jesus is really pulling no punches here. Let’s be honest, most of what Jesus is saying is downright scary. That’s the only word for it. Say what you want about Jesus, you can’t accuse him of sugarcoating or giving these twelve unrealistic expectations. You might have noticed the tone in the Old Testament reading that Jeremiah feels like God seduced or deceived him into his ministry as a prophet, and didn’t give him fair warning how bad the persecution was going to be. The twelve really have no basis for that kind of complaint. They can’t say Jesus didn’t warn them. Jesus warns the twelve that things will get to the point that it feels like everyone in the world hates them, including their own family members. Their own brothers or parents might seek to put them to death. They should expect to be, in the most literal way, demonized by others. Can you imagine how lonely, how disorienting, how insecure it would feel to be thought of as demonic by everyone, not even to be able to feel safe with your own family? It’s terrifying.

So after painting this rosy picture of the ministry, It might be surprising to hear Jesus say, “Therefore, in light of all this, have no fear of them.” Really? Don’t be afraid of the people who are trying to kill us, who chase us out of town? Yes. Don’t be afraid. And the reason it’s so important for the disciples to overcome this fear is because they have a job to do: “nothing is covered that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known. What I tell you in the dark, say in the light, and what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops.” Everything Jesus had been teaching them privately and in parables, they were eventually going to have to say publicly and in plain speech, and they couldn’t let fear of human beings get in the way. If the apostles let fear of human beings control them, it would absolutely cripple their ability to carry out their mission and the Gospel would be silenced. Fear isn’t just the mind-killer, it’s the faith-killer too.

But if you thought Jesus was going to give comfort and encouragement at this point, you’ll just have to keep waiting. First he literally puts the fear of God in them. “do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. The way that Jesus says this implies that what he means is “stop fearing those who kill the body.” See, Jesus knows how natural fear is and what a powerful force it is. He knows that the disciples are already going to be afraid of people who kill the body, that’s the most natural thing in the world. Jesus knows human nature better than anyone, and I think he knows that simply saying “don’t fear” does not magically get someone to stop being afraid. So he reframes their perspective. He overcomes one fear, their fear of humans with a greater fear, the fear of God and his inescapable wrath. “Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in gehenna, the lake of fire.” When a disciple of Jesus is in a situation where they are forced to choose between doing what is pleasing to God and doing what is pleasing to the humans who persecute them, how does it even make sense for them to be more afraid of someone who can only destroy their mortal body but has no power over their soul than they are of the omnipotent God, who has complete control over their entire existence? When we talk about the “fear of God,” we often say that it just means “respect” or something. But I don’t think we should miss that one aspect of “fearing God” means recognizing that when the chips are down, there is literally no being in the universe more worth being afraid of if you are not on his side. If God is on your side, nothing else in existence can truly, ultimately harm you. But if you are on God’s bad side, nothing in existence can save you. there is nowhere you can hide, he can pursue you even beyond death. No one can rescue out of his hand.

Application

Wow. It sure sounds like there is a lot to be afraid of. Human hatred is frightening and God’s wrath is more frightening still. What are we Christians in the present day, who know very little of persecution and the hatred of the world, to make of these words? Now, on one level, it’s true that Jesus was talking specifically about the mission of an apostle and what they would experience, so “your mileage may vary” in how closely this describes every Christian’s experience. Nonetheless, even though you may not be an apostle called to cast out demons and preach publicly throughout the world, every single one of us is called to confess and acknowledge Jesus before people, and to speak openly about everything that Jesus has taught us as we have opportunity in this life. And I think all of us need to ask ourselves questions like, why doesn’t the world hate us more? Do we fear human beings more than God? Do we let our fear of human beings keep us from saying everything that Jesus has taught us in the Scriptures? If you are anything like me, I would guess that the answer is often yes. There are plenty of things that Jesus taught that can get you hated by the world. Whether it is Jesus’ vision of sexuality as designed for lifelong marriage between a man and a woman, or his teachings against greed and the oppression of the poor, or even his warnings about turning nations or religious institutions into idols that take the place of God, Jesus has something to say to offend just about everyone. But we constantly miss the opportunity to say it. We have so many opportunities to stand up for truth and goodness, to oppose cruelty and hatred, to stand up for Jesus before our fellow humans, but then the fear swells up: the fight-or-flight response kicks in, your heart starts racing, and your stomach turns over thinking about how people will respond, and you don’t say it. It’s happened to me on multiple occasions. We’re so afraid of humans who can only kill the body, and let’s be honest, most of the time they can’t even do that. The fact is we usually fear being disliked more than we fear offending our God. The person we stand in front of right now is more real to us than the God who we will stand in front of on Judgment Day. Fear, the “mind-killer,” the “little-death,” seems to be an inescapable reality, but we’re not even afraid of the right thing. If even the fear of God can’t overcome our fear of humans, what hope is there?

Don’t Fear

But just at the moment when the apostles might despair, Jesus finally gives the comfort and encouragement that they need, and one more time he commands, “Fear not.” But this time, he doesn’t say who or what not to fear, just a general, “Fear not.” You don’t have to be controlled by fear because God is constantly caring for every one of his creatures, even the little birds that can be bought for a little bit of nothing in the market. God doesn’t let even sparrows die without his care and knowledge, and even their short lives have value to him. How much more do you think God loves his human creations, made in his own image? God is loving and caring for every one of his human creatures, both the ones being persecuted and hated, and the humans who are persecuting and hating them. Even if God lets one of his disciples be killed, he does not consider that a light thing, nor does he abandon them in their hour of need.

You see, it is true that we should be more afraid of God’s displeasure than human displeasure. Fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and that includes a healthy fear of facing God’s wrath. But that’s not the end of the story. The good news is that God is not the least bit eager to destroy anyone’s body or soul eternally. He does not want you to be on his bad side. Each human being’s life is more valuable to God than many sparrows, and it is a great tragedy in his eyes for any one of them to deny him and be lost. As a matter of fact, that’s why it is so important to Jesus that his disciples do proclaim his teachings on the housetops! So that as many people as possible would hear that God cares about their life and wants them to be saved. If you remember last week’s Gospel reading, Jesus’ sending of the apostles all started with him having pity on the crowds because they were like sheep without a shepherd.

Jesus has forgiveness to offer for every single time human beings have denied him, he won it on the cross and he desperately wants you to receive it. Jesus stands in God’s presence even now, always ready to acknowledge every one who turns to him in faith and plead for their forgiveness. No matter how often you’ve failed to acknowledge Jesus in your words or actions, No matter how often you’ve let fear win, it is not too late to confess Jesus and turn to God’s fatherly care. Jesus is eager to acknowledge you to his Father, and he is able to make you endure to the end and be saved. Your salvation doesn’t rest on your own ability to conquer your fears, it rests on Jesus and his love and care for you. The ultimate solution to overcoming our fear of human beings is not terror of God’s wrath, but trust in God’s mercy through Jesus. So stop being afraid! Jesus already knows everything you are afraid of. And he wants you to know that you don’t have to be.

Conclusion

So what have we learned from Jesus about fear, the mind-killer? Well, it’s a reality of life, like it or not. All of us have many things that we are afraid of, that make our hearts race thinking about them. Jesus knows that you are already afraid, so if you must be afraid then fear the right thing: there’s no one and nothing more worth fearing than God. But then know this: God, the being most worth being afraid of, doesn’t want you to live in terror of him. He is not your enemy; in Jesus, God is on your side. Better than that, he is looking after every hair of your head with the careful love of a father. That’s anything but scary. That’s why his final word to you is don’t fear. So if you’ll indulge me, I might offer my own modified version of the Litany against Fear: “I must not fear. Fear is the faith, hope, and love-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will fear God rather than human beings. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only Jesus will remain.”

In Jesus’ Name, Amen.