It’s Scary Out There!

Someone, probably a scholar with time on his/her hands, counted the number of times the phrase, “Do not be afraid (or its equivalent)” is placed in the mouth of God, or Jesus, in the Bible – at least 365 times. We live in a world where fear is rampant, where fear has been made into a transformative – and not in a good way – force. It seems that if you want to get people’s attention all you need do is point out how terrifying something, someone, or a specific group of people are – the unknown, shadowy THEM. 

Fear, in fact, is one of the top four human emotions. It’s natural we feel fear in the presence of danger. Fear is a big component of our survival instincts. Tragically, fear has been coopted by evil, which creates or blows up fears all out of proportion. This isn’t a new phenomenon. Fear is enemy number one of our wellbeing. It’s the biggest obstacle to our living as spiritual beings, as God intended. Yes, feel real fear, but don’t let it become your fallback place, or your way of life. Don’t become the fear that you feel (or imagine you feel).

Jairus, an official of the synagogue, rapidly approaches Jesus and begs him to come heal his twelve-year-old daughter who is dying. Before they reach Jairus’s home, some people who have been keeping vigil for the little girl rush up and declare that he doesn’t need to bother the Teacher any further, the child has died. The poor father panics, on the brink of despair, when Jesus says to him, “Fear is useless. What is needed is trust”(Mark 5:36). Yes, fear eats away at our sense of what is possible. It tries to convince us to give up, instead of to go on. Jesus persuades Jairus to continue with him, and once in the house he heals the beloved daughter.

In the First Letter of John (1 John 4:18) the author emphasizes that the opposite of, and antidote to, fear is love. If we immerse ourselves in God’s absolute, unconditional love for us – as we are – fear cannot find traction within us. Nothing that happens can change this. This is certain, when not much else is. But we remember that being enfolded by God’s love in each instant does not mean that everything will be pleasant for us. Just ask Jesus about his experience on Calvary.

Jesus rose from the tomb on the first day of the week. That evening he visited his disciples who were cowering in a locked room for fear that the authorities would be after them next, to kill them too. Jesus’ greeting was, “Peace be with you” (John 20:20). The gift he offers us this Easter season, if we are willing to put aside our many and varied fears, is a peace of heart, a peace that pervades. Yes, it can be very scary “out there.” We are invited to remember that Jesus always has our back, and our front, and our sides, and our whole inner being. He whispers, or shouts above every storm, “Do not be afraid!”