Fear is a strange emotion. It can be a positive promoter, helping us reach beyond our perceived limitations. Or it can be a debilitator, taxing us with real and imagined dangers, weakening our will by focusing on possible failure. We have seen both aspects of fear during this pandemic because we are facing the unknown and safe ground seems so distant. Fear takes away our sense of control and exposes us to the weaknesses that seem to define us. Our fears may be personal. Even more powerful are our concerns for others which exaggerate our inability to intervene and bring change.
A picture of the dichotomy of fear is found in the account of the trial of Jesus before His crucifixion. Beaten, threatened, certain of His fate, Jesus stood before His tormentors, unafraid and triumphant. Satan was at his strongest, leading the barrage against the Son of God. And in the corner of courtyard, Peter denied his Master, not once, but three times. Forewarned, this giant among the disciples had bragged that he would never betray Jesus, but in the fear of the moment, he swore he did not know Him.
One must not be too hard on Peter. After all, he had drawn his sword to protect Jesus in the Garden. And later, he and John were the only disciples who followed the soldiers as they took Jesus to Annas. But left alone in the courtyard, fear began to work its way into the armor of the fisherman and his courage left him.
We can identify with Peter. Sometimes we fear to speak expecting rejection. We fear to give lest we lose what is “rightfully ours”. We fear to care because it makes us responsible. Like the priest and the Levite in the parable of the Good Samaritan, we pass by the lost, assured that someone else will come and help.
What is the solution for our fears? When Jesus encountered Peter after the resurrection, He did not chastise him. Instead, He asked – “Peter, do you love me? Then feed my sheep.” His lesson to Peter was that fear is conquered by love. But love requires action.
When Peter spoke to the crowds on the Day of Pentecost, the shadow of the frightened betrayer was behind him. But managing our fears does not necessitate evangelistic aplomb. Andrew the bringer, Barnabas the encourager, Onesemus the useful – all loved through their actions, bringing those they encountered to the Lord. And so it can be for us. There is work to be done, people to love, needs to fill, prayers to be offered. We can work through this pandemic if we open our eyes to ways that love can be shared and needs can be met in the name of Jesus. We, too, can feed the sheep.
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