JESUS SAID

It begins with Jesus. In His life, His death, His resurrection, His teachings, and promises, we find a guide to living well, meaningfully, with purpose and hope in an uncertain, unjust, and troubled world by Someone who did it, experienced it, felt it, but who also overcame it and transcended it. So when He commanded His disciples—as well as His followers almost 2,000 years later—to “not be afraid,” we ought to take notice. And when we find it echoed throughout the Gospels—in His story and His teaching and then throughout the Bible—it must grab our attention, challenge our assumptions, and shape our lives. Too often, the power of Jesus’ teachings has been diminished by a superficial reading that tends to minimize or trivialize them as “nice” sayings, spiritual-sounding slogans, or perhaps even naïve idealism. While familiarity is good, the fact that many of us have heard these sayings numerous times can cause us to risk taking them for granted. There is a place for hearing Jesus’ teachings as words of comfort, but there must also be times when we hear them as words of challenge and command. Undoubtedly, there is comfort here, but we must also hear the command that transcends our circumstances and states of mind. As such, Jesus’ “Do not be afraid” commands—and various similar teachings—are more about our focus than they are about our feelings. As human beings in a difficult and dangerous world, we will feel afraid at times, but fear is not to dominate or direct our lives. Instead, we repeatedly choose to live by different assumptions and values. This command is founded in this same Jesus and the larger realities of His kingdom. It is the present reality and future hope of this kingdom in which we are invited—but also commanded—to live courageously, humbly, generously, and without fear. That is what Jesus calls us to.