Be Not Afraid. Luke 21:9
Proper 28
In today’s Gospel (Luke 21:5-19) Jesus describes events that take place at the end time; things we would experience before the second coming of Christ. Reading this passage, we must take care so the scary bits do not hide the valuable spiritual lessons. Jesus said, “Be not afraid.” His lessons teach us how to manage fear, how to be spiritually resilient.
No one knows when Jesus will return. In spite of this, Christians have expended time and energy trying to figure out if the times they are living in are the end time. Wars, natural disasters, and secular leaders and social changes that do not align with church doctrine, for some Christians, prove the end is near. The reality is the end is both already here and not yet here. The end already came for people killed during wars in Darfur, Gaza, and Ukraine. The end is near for people whose age or illness have brought them to the end of their lives. Though we do not and cannot know the day when Jesus will return, Jesus has already came for some people and has not yet come for others.
Jesus, in this Gospel, teaches those with ears to hear and minds ready to learn. He prepares us. He offers lessons on how to manage fear when the end of our lives is near. Lessons that show us how to cope when events and experiences overwhelm and frighten.
Jesus was standing outside the temple when he heard people praising the beauty of the sanctuary and giving thanks for members whose stewardship of time, talent, and treasure built and maintained it. Because nothing lasts forever, Jesus predicted the destruction of the temple. He told the people, “the days will come when not one stone will be left upon another; all will be thrown down.” Luke 21:6 The people panicked. I suspected they reacted the way people did as the Cathedral of Notre Dame burned. There must have been shock, tears, confusion, and fear. The people asked, “Teacher, when will this be, and what will be the sign that this is about to take place?” Luke 21:7 Embedded in Jesus’ response to their panic are directions. Directions on how to cope when it feels as though your world is coming to an end.
In the first lesson about spiritual resilience, Jesus issued a warning. “Beware that you are not led astray.” Luke 21:8 Beware of people making false claims, giving simplistic solutions to complex problems, and making promises that are too good to be true. Jesus gave advance warning to the panicked people and to us. “Many will come in my name saying, ‘I am he!’ and, ‘The time is near!’ Do not go after them.” Do not give away your power. We must stop looking for saviors among elected officials, CEOs of corporations, and bishops in the church. Take a break from scrolling on the phone. Turn off the news. Pause before typing questions to AI. Make time to sit quietly with God and listen. Listen for God. Listen to what the voice inside your head is saying. God blessed us with reason for a reason. God created us with the capacity to see what we see, know what we know, and call it by its right name.
In his second lesson about resilience, Jesus told the people that opportunity and disaster go hand in hand. Be ready for action even if you are afraid. “Nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom; there will be great earthquakes and in various places famines and plagues…before all this occurs there will be arrests and persecutions.” Luke 21:10-12 Disasters terrorize, destroy, and kill. Disasters also bring opportunities. Opportunities to resist oppression; as Jewish resistance groups did during the Holocaust. Opportunities to protest; as people did during the Civil Rights movement, Million Man March, and No Kings Day rallies. Opportunities to declare what is right and true. When Jesus said “be not afraid,” I suspect he also meant that we should not allow fear to paralyze us. The extended Broderick family gathered around my mother’s bed the day she was discharged from her last hospitalization. She asked us to pray with her. I scooped up Prayer Books from around the house and handed them out. Mom looked at us and asked, “Who is going to lead us?” One of my brothers, who had not attended church since childhood, volunteered to lead the Prayers at the Time of Death. The words Jesus spoke came to pass in my family, “This will give you an opportunity to testify.” Luke 21:13 Disasters and opportunities go hand and hand. Disasters, if we let them, afford us with the opportunity to testify to what we believe: God is in charge; God is love; God never leaves or forsakes us. Politicians loose elections, CEOs (even those with controlling shares in corporations) are replaced, and 72 is the mandatory retirement age for clergy. Jesus is always with us; so be not afraid.
In the third and final teaching about spiritual resilience, Jesus prepared the people for betrayal. He said, “You will be betrayed by parents, siblings, and friends; and they will put some of you to death. You will be hated by all because of my name.” Luke 21:16 Disappointment and rejection will not only come from employers, mentors, or neighbors. There will be times when people you love and trust will betray you. Loving the way Jesus did, proclaiming justice as God intents, holding sinners accountable, healing the sick, and protecting vulnerable people will make us wildly unpopular. Asking WWJD, “What would Jesus do?’ and then behaving and speaking as Jesus did will illicit rejection and retribution. Taking up the cross and following Christ will, like Jesus, make us despised, rejected, and acquainted with grief. Be not afraid.
Jesus ended his teachings about spiritual resilience with a promise, “Not a hair of your heads will perish. By your endurance you will gain your souls.” Luke 21:18-19
As a person of faith whose hair is thinning, I must caution you. Use your God given capacity to reason when reading Scripture. Not ever passage in the Bible can be interpreted literally. We all know that bad things happen to good people, things far worse than thinning hair and balding heads. What is Jesus communicating in these verses? Abiding with God is transformative. Abiding with God gave my mother the courage to tell her children she did not want further treatments and, though we were not ready to let her go, she was ready to go home to God. Jesus said, “By your endurance you will gain your souls.” Luke 21:19
Jesus said, “Be not afraid.” Though spiritual reliance will not always prevent loss of hair, loss of life, loss of relationships, or loss of finances; it will save our souls. With God’s help, spiritual resilience can empower us to endure disasters and betrayals. With God’s help, spiritual resilience will allow us to find opportunities in the midst of difficulties.
