Then one of them, named Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, spoke up, ”You know nothing at all! You do not realize that it is better for you that one man die for the people than that the whole nation perish.”
He did not say this on his own, but as high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the Jewish nation, and not only for that nation but also for the scattered children of God, to bring them together and make them one.
It is interesting to me how our reasoning works when survival is at stake. The Pharisees were afraid. They were afraid that Jesus would trigger some event that would cause the Romans to “take away their temple and their nation.” They believed that their survival was on the line.
It is important to note here that their fears were only fears. They could not know what would happen. The future is always a blank page. We do not know what will happen until after the day has passed. Yet even though their fear is one possibility out of millions of things that could happen, it seems real to them. So real that it must be avoided at all cost. Even the cost of a man’s life.
So, for the sake of their own survival, they agree that they must band together and kill a man who has only done good things. Like a rare flower with amazing healing properties, Jesus hurts no one and helps everyone. Yet the Pharisees, in their own mind, find this flower threatening. If they cannot have it, no one can.
Let’s Discuss: If people are prone to believe in their own fears how might Satan manipulate fears for his own purposes?
Distract them with the sin of worry rather than trusting in God. This is a tactic that I must watch out for as my own weaknesses are a target for the enemy.
Thanks Nathan!
It is interesting to think of worry as a ‘sin.’ It is, though, isn’t it! Pity all of the people who do not know God and are still slaves to this sin.
It is funny (in a bit of a sad way) how much time is spent on worrying about things that never happen. It is definitely a distraction, time and energy waster.
Have a great day everyone!
Brent
Brent,
I have found the same true in my life. God has helped me a lot in this area.
Luke 12 verse 25 NIV
Who of You by worrying can add a single hour to your life
Hi John! So true!!
2Tim. 1:7 tells us that God has not given us a spirit of fear but of power and love and a sound mind. So, if we find ourselves cowering in the land of fear we know we have wandered off the straight and narrow.
Amen!!
Fear and the enemy have much in common. I think that is one reason we see so many angels and Jesus Himself telling us not to fear. From God’s perspective the fear is unfounded and crippling. The enemy would dishearten us and keep us on the sidelines due to fear.
I’m going to take a different approach on this that may challenge some of you. I don’t disagree that we can fear many things that will never transpire and that we are to trust to God’s providence. But I’m not so sure that our fears, initially speaking, are always that far off the mark or are not worth using as a compass to navigate in the real world (rather than seeing every fear as a one in a million potential).
I believe God would have us to be a practical people who are trusting in him while on the other hand not tempting him. Hence, I do not think we are to ignore the better senses he has given us of which I believe fear is one. I will try to draw this out a bit so you will understand what I’m getting at even if you disagree.
If I encounter a venomous snake on the road ahead, I think it would be wise to fear it regardless of whether I know it is going to bite me or not. Any knowledge I may have of that particular snake specie’s behavior could also guide my reaction and either heighten or alleviate my fear response. I know that the wisest thing to do, however, is probably avoid the snake altogether. I should adjust my behavior out of prudence to what my fears are signaling.
I do not believe that just because I do not know the exact outcome of that particular encounter that I cannot use my apprehensions as a valid target guide in the decision making process (regardless of what would or will actually take place). I would simply consider this prudence. And it is especially apt where self preservation is involved and our fears are heightened. I believe God would have us living practically in this manner and not ignoring the indications that are available to us.
I think it would be to temp God if I ignored my fear in this instance simply because I am trusting to Him and tried to walk through the snake because my faith is so strong (or reject my fears in any other area for that matter). Hence, I think a better distinction to draw out here would probably concern worry rather than fear. I see fear as more of an ingrained biological response that is very much tied into our self preservation (and for good reason). Worry, on the other hand, is a process that takes over in the higher faculty of our minds when we begin to ruminate over our fears.
I believe it is here where we run into trouble and where Satan gains his foothold. Perhaps Rich could better shed light as to which aspect the word in use here is drawing upon. I could look it up, but that is certainly not my area of expertise (if any were, lol). I am simply dealing with my own native tongue and the context I believe the scriptures do indeed provide for.
Just as it is wrong to give into temptation but not to be tempted, I believe it is also wrong to give into fear but not to experience it in the first place. We are to look to it as a God given indicator. Temptation can lead us to pray, fear can lead us to act in prudence while likewise offering our situation over to God. Think of it in this light, can there be courage without fear? I do not think so.
Likewise, I think that the lion’s share of a sane person’s fears are at least based in realistic potentialities (who in their right mind fears the flying spaghetti monster?) regardless of how many completely irrelevant or unforeseen instances can also potentiate. Simply because a million different things could happen does not mean they are all equally viable in actualizing.
Hence, I believe our God given fear response is a valid one not to be placed on the sidelines. Worry, however, is where we take a step away from trust and overemphasize and dwell on the negative potentiality of a situation where we can quickly disconnect from reality and realistic potential outcomes; or where we make them up void of relevant indicators/data.
I think the Jew’s had good reason to fear what they did, and it could hardly be denied that it was unrealistic or invalid because that is precisely what befell them, albeit, they actually helped fulfill their fears via their response to them. So, even when responding to valid fears, we can stumble in error over our reactions. In the case of the Pharisees, their plight is more ontological in nature (long before Christ had come onto the scene).
They had every right to fear Jesus because if anything he said were true, they were in a heap of trouble. Their response had to be nothing less than polarizing as Christ left them no middle ground to approach. It was either swallow their pride and acknowledge how far they had fallen (indeed even being called the sons of the Devil) or quell what they considered outright heresy; or worse yet, fight against what they knew deep down to be true and kill an innocent man (God no less). Most chose some combination of the latter two.
So I think this gives us two areas to look out for concerning our fear. I can stumble in my response to how I take action in the real world, and I can stumble in my mind by beginning to worry and fret over my fears rather than offering them up to God.
I tend to run into trouble with the former after the latter has set in because I start to work very hard in the flesh to overcome what I see as a potential threat looming on the horizon. I’m prone to try and solve this problem by my own efforts, and I slowly attempt to take more and more control over the situation while placing less and less trust in Jesus.
I have to be reminded of Gideon’s army and that God is big enough to handle and carry me through the worst situations a man can find himself in regardless of how equipped I feel to face it. I am to be prudent and wise as a serpent in this world, knowing that real threats exist, but I must also strive to rest in Christ’s peace through this process.
This is a hard balance for me to achieve, but I know where the battle lines are drawn at least. Satan has had me running down a lot of dead end roads avoiding snakes that would have never even reared their head; while I’ve been tricked to walk straight into the jaws of others.
Walking circumspect and trusting in God go hand in hand, and I believe fear is a valid part of that equation, at least in our fallen state, but always before God (though with a more well rounded and respecting fear). In the end, perfect love will cast off all fear, and that is a reality we must fight to draw into.
But this doesn’t happen by ignoring our fears or tempting God; rather by offering them up while living with them in the real world surrounded by real threats that we are to be mindful of. I believe there is much room for this understanding to be drawn out in the scriptures.
While it is true that we are not given a spirit of fear, I believe in context this is simply to illustrate that we are not wholly given over to fear (as the form and manner of our spirit). Indeed multiple things are listed as to the type of spirit we are given. We can be bold in the face of fear, yet I find it hard to be bold in the absence of it. Thus, I cannot see fear as a leavening agent.
It can only permeate our spirit if we let it. When we fear, it comes from our lower being if you will (old self, just like temptation), and the more we trust in God and walk in his Spirit, the more fear he casts out. We are born again in a spirit of power, but just like temptation can still come our way, so can fear, and I believe both of these things should be used by those who are wise as the indicators that they were meant to be.
I think it would be trite to simply shrug off our fears though I’m not saying that anyone is advocating this. I am simply articulating that we remain aware of what is going on underneath it all so we can understand where the battle lines are drawn because the enemy loves to take advantage of any area we are not shored up in, including in our understanding or ignoring viable threats (and that’s not me giving into fear, it’s just being practical in response to a valid danger).
“Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices.” – 2nd Corinthians 2:11.
I could fear, fearing (for example); that I’m not suppose to fear, but I do not think this is true (though the devil would love to see me wrapped up in this downward spiral). So no, I am not one of those that believes the only thing we have to fear is fear itself, as nice as it sounds. I think this completely takes the edge off of the tremendous pain and suffering in the world, and would make Satan out to be like a disarmed babe. There are real threats we are to be mindful of, wise as serpents over even.
Hence, I can use fear as a valid indicator so long as my imagination is not running wild. For someone who deals with a lot of anxiety that is biologically derived (because yes that’s a real thing), it’s very important for me to understand these differences. I can actually experience less fear, by understanding that it is okay to experience fear in the first place.
NMOP3PISdn
I really appreciate your thoughtful post on fear. As I read your words, I find myself agreeing with everything you have written. At least, there is nothing here that I disagree with. Yet our approaches are different.
I would categorize the kind of fear I see you describing as “practical” fear. God has made us so that once burned we are afraid to be burned again. To that extent, I agree with you. These kinds of fears have value.
I also appreciate your analysis of the Jew’s fear of Jesus. You are quite right, they had reason to be afraid. Yet, you also provide the key to understanding our different views of fear. The reason that the Jews were afraid was that they were literally fighting God. In Acts 5: 33-39, Gamaliel makes this very argument before the Sanhedrin.
In some sense, Jesus does the same to each of us as he did to the Pharisees: He leaves us no middle ground. Either we trust Him or we don’t. If we do trust him then the farther a fear gets from being a practical fear, the less hold it has on our mind. If we do not know Jesus, if we are alone in the universe without a Savior and a connection to God, then we are slaves to fear. Personally, I believe Satan can use that fear to control us.
I hope this reply makes sense. I do agree with what you have written and I appreciate the insights you offer. Thank you very much!
Jeff,
Thanks so much for your thoughtful reply brother. I can appreciate the nomenclature of a “practical” fear, that is a fantastic way to distinguish differences in what each of us was attempting to illustrate. I don’t disagree with what you’ve said either, simply drawing out clarity on my own stance, finding it even as I engage deeper and playing the devil’s advocate in a positive way. That’s why I find this sort of things so helpful, and then getting feedback from another brother and hearing his thoughts provides for the best opportunity for growth and refinement. Iron on iron.
I always feel like I am nauseating others when I just let myself be (come out of my shell a little more), so your kind reply means more to me than you can know. I’m not sure how you function, but you seem to have a gift for being concise and hitting at the heart of a matter and I really respect and appreciate that. I am the type that has to wade out into the deep end and work out all the angles before I can trust or see the larger picture coming into view. Our approaches may be different as you say, but I think it is obvious enough to tell that we are both reading out of the same book and following the same person.
I really like how you said:
“If we do trust him then the farther a fear gets from being a practical fear, the less hold it has on our mind.”
That was really well said and I too believe Satan indeed can use our fear to control us as you went on to say. I’ve certainly seen it in my own life, even here and now.
Since I naturally play the devil’s (and I really hope that this is not taken wrong in this context, lol) The only thing I might comment on in conjunction with this concerns where you say:
“If we do not know Jesus, if we are alone in the universe without a Savior and a connection to God, then we are slaves to fear. Personally, I believe Satan can use that fear to control us.”
Again, I totally agree with you here, but I’ve also seen Satan remove someone’s healthy fear that they should have, especially their fear of God, but notwithstanding such things also like eternal judgment or concerning one’s security of salvation (all the way down to that “practical” sense of fear too) – and this even when good evidence is maybe suggesting or warranting otherwise. I think that ol’ cat can play both sides of the equation and I am concerned for my brothers here as well.
Jonathan Edwards goes into a dynamic a bit (in his Treatise on Religious Affections) concerning the increased fear that accompanies true conversion (as counter intuitive as that may sound).
Before I met Christ, I was fearless in one sense. I was a maniac when it came to taking any precautions for my natural well being. I would street race, road rage, jump off two story buildings, entice confrontations, snowboard black diamond runs drunk as a skunk and was getting involved in many other reckless activities. Once I was awakened to my spiritual value, the life of Christ living in me, my gamed changed and I have slowly been learning over the years just how much I now have to lose.
Sigh, I am saying too much again, but I think you can extrapolate from there. I know I gain everything in Christ and to die is to be with him, but I yet have opportunity to serve him here and now, and with that comes a level of prudence I had never known prior.
NMOP3PISdn
Thank you again for sharing your thoughts! Epistles from the deep end of the pool are welcome here. 🙂
You are quite right to point out that Satan can play the fear game both ways; one way creating false fears, the other obscuring proper practical fears. Either way is a symptom of the condition of being apart from our God. (Your illustrations on this point are quite good.)
Are you saying too much? If it needs saying, please share. I think it is healthy for all who are interested. I do have one minor suggestion: Be cautious about claiming to be the devil’s advocate. In the first place, he doesn’t need one, nor would one be of any help to him. In the second place, there is a better name for your questions. You are asking the type of questions that the Bereans would ask. (Acts 17:11) Testing and verifying what is true is a very godly task and has nothing to do with our enemy, the Evil One.
Three minutes you guys. Other than that great job.