All Things Nu

“Why Are
You Afraid?”

Fear is a normal human experience, but it’s not supposed to be.

It may surprise you to realize that nowhere do the gospels ever say that Jesus was afraid. Anguished? Yes. Grieved to the point of death? Yes.

Afraid? No.

This may be demoralizing, if you see it as yet another unattainable expectation of perfection. But think again; that may only be fear talking.

Instead, let Jesus’ absence of fear be a freeing experience for you, in several ways.

It was never God’s intention for us.

The fears of irrelevance, vulnerability and submission are such a common part of life that they are assumed to be normal. But fear is not normal, or at least it’s not supposed to be. God’s intention for us never included fear.

In that sense, we can live in the same way that Adam and Eve lived: Trusting God. Though they lived in Eden they had to trust him for everything. In this paradise, the absence of sin and evil may not have given them a reason to fear, but it wasn’t what kept fear away. It was trust that kept fear away. This worked great, until they chose not to trust his word on the tree of knowledge of evil.

Just as trust was the antidote to fear in the garden, so it is our antidote now. Looking at it another way, it wasn’t the absence of evil that allowed Adam and Eve to trust God. So neither is the presence of evil a reason we can’t trust him.

Think of fear as an unwanted guest, an out-of-town visitor that showed up on our doorstep demanding shelter and food. Now he won’t leave, and our hospitality for him wears thin.

We have glimpses of what life would be like without the houseguest, but we wake up and realize we were only dreaming. He’s still there, sitting in our favorite chair, eating at our table and taking our portion of our favorite desert. He ruins our family time. He mucks about, leaving messes and muddy footprints everywhere he goes. He even climbs into bed with us. He’s been here so long that we assume he’s just part of the family and we have to accept him.

But he’s not; and we don’t.

Fear is not normal. It was never intended to be. Jesus knew this, and lived his life in full and constant trust of the Father. In Jesus’ life, filled with trust, there simply was no place for fear to reside.

It won’t always be this way.

Another reason Jesus lived without fear is he kept a constant eye on what was coming. While he lived in this world, full and present, he didn’t live here. He lived for another time and place. His earthly life — real and vital as it was — wasn’t as real as the kingdom yet to come.

The experiences of his life were always viewed from the perspective of the kingdom, not the other way around.

We, on the other hand, usually evaluate our future with God in the context of today. This is understandable, given that we’ve not been there yet. But that doesn’t mean we can’t view today from the perspective of the kingdom.

It may seem that viewing today with a kingdom perspective violates the idea of living in the moment. It’s healthy to live in the moment, being fully present now in our lives and relationships. It’s true that all too often we get distracted from the present, brooding over an uncertain future we’re trying to create. But what I’m talking about is a certain future, one that’s already created.

What would happen to your life — your ability to be present in your life today — if you knew, beyond any doubt, that your future was certain, and good? That the next life will be purposeful, fulfilling and joyful? That everything you experience in this life, all the integrity you develop and all the knowledge you gain here will translate into this perfect, next life? Would that affect your perspective of fear in the present?

Hmmmm.

If Jesus can do it, so can we.

No, really … I mean it! This is one of the fundamental principles in spiritual transformation: We are being transformed to become like him.

It’s easy to forget that Jesus was human, in addition to being God. In his humanity, he depended on the Spirit of God to know how to live, to be empowered to work miracles, to make choices, to reveal what was true and to highlight what was false.

In his humanity, he chose trust over fear.

You don’t have to be supernatural to trust. You don’t even need to be superhuman to trust; children do it all the time. They haven’t learned not to trust. Remember Jesus’ imperative: If you want to enter the kingdom, you must become like a child (Mark 10.13-15)? We don’t need to learn how to trust, we simply need to unlearn how not to trust.

Jesus said that his followers would live like him, and do even more miraculous things than him (John 14.12). Is it so strange to believe that if Jesus could live without fear that we can too?

“Why are you afraid?”

When Jesus caught Peter from drowning — right after Peter successfully walked on the water, by the way — he asked him a simple question, “Why were you afraid?”

It may be natural to read Jesus’ question as a challenge, or a chastisement. But there’s also a hint of encouragement there. Would Jesus have questioned him about his fear if it was impossible for him to live without fear? Would Jesus correct his followers if living free from fear was too lofty an expectation?

It seems much more plausible to me to believe that it is possible to live apart from fear’s influence in our lives. It’s not hypothetical, it’s not spiritual panacea, it’s not theorizing. Living without fear is real, and it can be done.

It may not be easy, but it can be done.

Personally, I don’t believe God’s going to take away the things that frighten me. He hasn’t for anyone else. Besides, if he did he would take away my freedom to choose trust over fear. I don’t think that would be nearly as satisfying, for either God or me. I’d much rather choose to trust him, and let fear go find some other place to call home.

questions.4.conversation

• What is your response to the idea that Jesus was never afraid? Excited? Intimidated? Explain.
  

• What do you think about the statement, “Fear is not supposed to be normal; it’s not God’s intention for us?”

• “The absence of sin and evil may not have given them a reason to fear, but it wasn’t what kept fear away. It was trust that kept fear away.” Agree or disagree? What are the implications of that point for you?

• What would happen to your life today if you knew, beyond any doubt, that your future was certain, and good?

• How does Jesus’ comment about becoming like a child impact you in regard to your trusting God?

• Do you think it is possible to live without fear? If so, what does that look like in your life? If not, how would you answer Jesus question if he were directing it toward you? Think it through.

Coming Next: Fear’s Last Stand.