6-25-2023 “Have No Fear” (Matthew 10:24-39) (Pentecost IV)

The Rev. Dr. John Tamilio III, Pastor

What do people fear the most? Here’s a list of the most common fears according to the website Very Well Minded.

Arachnophobia: an intense fear of spiders and other arachnids
Ophidiophobia: an intense fear of snakes
Acrophobia: an intense fear of heights (that’s mine)
Aerophobia: an intense fear of flying
Cynophobia: an intense fear of dogs
Astraphobia: an intense fear of thunder and lightning
Trypanophobia: an intense fear of injections (I don’t like injections either)
Social phobia: an intense fear of social interactions
Agoraphobia: an intense fear of places that are difficult to escape, sometimes involving fear of crowded or open spaces
Mysophobia: an intense fear of germs, dirt, and other contaminants

Of course, there are others, but these are the biggies. According to the same site, “These phobias lead to marked fear and can result in experiencing symptoms such as dizziness, nausea, and breathlessness. In some cases, they may escalate into a full-blown panic attack.”

One thinks of FDR’s inauguration speech, in which he said, “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” He said this as part of his first inauguration speech in 1933 as America was in the midst of the Great Depression. There was a lot to fear then, and some people feel as if there is a lot to fear today. Aside from the individual fears I mentioned a moment ago — spiders, heights, dogs — people are afraid that the economy will continue to decline and they won’t have enough money when they retire; they fear that international conflict, particularly with China, Russia, and a number of Middle Eastern nations, may lead us into a largescale war; they fear global warming and the planet that our children’s children will inherit. The world is full of fears.

Jesus knew this. He knew that people were afraid. The people to whom he preached, as we’ve discussed many times before, were poor. They also had no social status, so Roman soldiers, for example, could do whatever they pleased. Very early in the passage that I just shared with you (three verses in), Jesus says, “Have to fear of them.” Who are the “them” that he is talking about?

You have to read the entirety of chapter ten. Jesus is sending out the twelve to minister in his name: to heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, and to exorcise demons. He tells them. “Beware of men, for they will deliver you over to courts and flog you in their synagogues. (10:17). This suggests the Jews or the Jewish high priests. But Jesus continues: “You will be dragged before governors and kings for my sake, to bear witness before them and the Gentiles” (10:18). Clearly, this is more than just the Jews or the Jewish leaders. Jesus’ followers will be subject to scrutiny by religious leaders, political leaders, and common people — any of those who do not follow him and, maybe, are offended by or are afraid of him. Ten verses later he says, “So have no fear of them.” The them here can be all sorts of people. Again, I propose that it is anyone who rejects the Gospel.

And yet there was plenty of reason to fear: Jesus would eventually be crucified, “dragged before governors and kings,” literally, and flogged. We also know that after his ascension, as the Way (the name for the first Christians) as the Way began to spread, the disciples would be persecuted as well. They had plenty of reason to fear! Andrew, James, and Simon were crucified. Peter was crucified upside down. James was beheaded. Philip was hanged. (We know that Judas hanged himself.) Bartholomew was flayed with knives. Thomas was speared. Thaddeus was shot with arrows. Matthew died a martyr’s death in Ethiopia. John was exiled to Patmos. He had it the easiest! Looking at this list, I’d say that they had plenty to worry about!

So why would Jesus say that they have nothing to fear? Matthew 10:28 puts it best. Right in the midst of the lectionary Gospel lesson for today. Jesus says, “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.” In other words, there are all kinds of things that we can (and maybe even should) fear, because of what they can do to us. I do not even need to list some of them. You know. You know quite well what they are. Our lives are riddled with fear — fear about what could happen to us or our loved ones.

But Jesus is saying that this is physical. It isn’t spiritual. It can’t touch our souls because our souls belong to Christ. You can hurt the body all you want, but those wounds will heal. The souls cannot be touched because it belongs to Jesus. It resides in his care. I am reminded of one of my all-time favorite hymns: “A Mighty Fortress is Our God.” That piece ends,

Let goods and kindred go,

This mortal life also;

The body they may kill:

God’s truth abideth still,

His kingdom is forever.

Straight from the pen of the great Reformation theologian Martin Luther. Luther’s words speak to us today. They say, “Do what you want to the body. But God’s truth abides,” and that truth my friends is in each of us. That truth, which is wedded tight to our souls, cannot be killed. It cannot be changed. It cannot be taken away.

That truth is that this world, and whatever is in it, and whatever controls it, and whatever happens to it, is temporary. God is eternal.

That truth is that our God, the Father, loves us so much that he created us out of nothing so that he could be in a relationship with us.
That truth is that our God, through the Son, redeems us from sin and death by reconciling us with God.
That truth is that our God, through the Holy Spirit, is with us to guide and sustain us no matter what happens in this life.

Maybe that’s what we need to be thinking about. Someone once said to me that mainline American churches do not talk about the Holy Spirit that much. I think that’s true. There are numerous reasons for this, but at the end of the day, the Holy Spirit is the personal part of God that we encounter most in this life. God’s spirit is with us always: to comfort us when we mourn, to hold us when we are lonely, to guide us when we are confused, to assure us when we are uncertain, to love us when we feel unloved, to calm us when we are anxious, and even to challenge us when we’re a little too comfortable.

Lauren McKeithen writes, “When we fight fear with faith, we let God know that He is in control and that He has all of the power. Being afraid or worrying doesn’t make anything better. It makes things worse. Our problems don’t go away when we keep worrying about them. Instead, they go away when we give our fears to God and let go of our worrying.”[1] McKeithen continues, “Fear is a normal human emotion; there’s nothing wrong with being scared now and then. However, we must not let our fears or worries get the best of us. When we fight fear with faith and give our problems to God, He takes care of the rest.”

There it is. Simple. Plain. Let God take your problems and your fears. Maybe that old saying has got it right after all: let it go, and let God. Amen.

[1] Lauren McKeithen, “How to Fight Fear with Faith,” taken from Belief Net.