TO THE LITTLE FLOCK

As a recurring biblical theme, “Do not be afraid” has a ring of truth because the various commands recognize in themselves and in the circumstances in which they are given that fear is part of what it means to be human. Asking us to not be afraid or anxious includes an acknowledgment that there are many things in life that lead us to fear, aspects of life to which “anxiety is a natural response.”* We don’t usually say, “Don’t be afraid,” unless there is some apparent or threatened reality that might make us fearful. Jesus takes this further in one of His most direct and explicit commands, calling His disciples a “little flock” after commanding them, “Do not be afraid” (Luke 12:32), thus implying and recognizing the apparent fragility of our human lives.† A “little flock” might remind us of a few sheep on the sparse hills of Judea, tended by a small boy on behalf of his family. The little flock might be threatened by a meager diet and the need to find water; it might be the target of thieves or predators. Its life and well-being seem tenuous—but for the care of a committed shepherd. The Bible’s many “Do not be afraids” are not distanced from the reality of our experiences; they were given within and amid those realities and acknowledge the pervasiveness of our fears, large and small. “Do not be afraid” is not some nice saying, glib slogan, or marketing campaign. Many of our causes for fear are real, and God knows and has experienced these in Jesus. But this is why such statements are so significant for what it means to live with faith in an often fearful and fear-filled world.

* Darrell L. Bock, Luke 9:51—24:53, Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 1996), 1165. † Bock, 1165.