A friend sent me a post by David French entitled "Coronavirus, Courage and the Second Temptation of Christ" that hit the proverbial nail on the head regarding the attitude Christians should have with respect to the pandemic we now face. In light of the fact that many pastors have been reluctant or unwilling to temporarily cancel worship services, I thought it would be instructive to share some of the insights contained in French's post.
He opened his piece by quoting two scriptures from the Gospel of Matthew. The first concerned the second temptation of Christ by Satan: "Then the devil took him to the holy city and set him on the pinnacle of the temple and said to him, 'If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written, 'He will command his angels concerning you,’ and 'On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.’ Jesus said to him, 'Again it is written, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’” - Matthew 4:5-7 The second scripture involved some instructions that Jesus gave to his disciples later in his ministry. He told them, "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it." - Matthew 16:24-26
French then goes on to recount the story of a fundraiser that was held earlier this month on behalf of a Christian school near his home. Unfortunately, one of the folks attending the fundraiser had the coronavirus and infected two dozen of the other folks in attendance. The point of the story: "The faith of these Christian believers was no shield against viral infection."
This is followed by a couple of examples of pastors who have openly defied the state's order against large assemblies. French continues: "Even within those churches that have chosen to comply with public health warnings and temporarily cancel services, there are rumblings of dissent and discontent. You see it all over social media. And whether sophisticated or simple, these impulses toward defiance are virtually all grounded in a similar question: Why should Christians surrender to fear? People of faith should reject the guidance of public officials. Our gatherings are different. After all, isn’t it true that 'God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control'?"
Would anyone have the audacity to say that Jesus Christ was fearful in the way that he handled Satan's second temptation? Should Christ have had the courage to jump?
French reminds us that "There exists within Christianity a temptation to performative acts that masquerade as fearlessness. In reality, this recklessness represents—as the early church father John Chrysostom called it—'display and vainglory.' Look how fearless we are, we declare, as we court risks that rational people should shun. In the context of a global pandemic followers of Christ can actually become a danger to their fellow citizens, rather than a source of help and hope."
French then proceeds to remind Christians what their true responsibility in this crisis looks like. He wrote: "But just as Christ rejected performative displays, he also rejected cowardice. He demands sacrifice even unto death. Yet taking up one’s cross in imitation of Christ means engaging in purposeful sacrifice. This is the risk of the doctor or the nurse who possesses the courage to continually expose himself or herself to deadly disease to care for the sick and dying. This is the risk of the faithful believer who sheds personal protection to care for the least of these so that they are not alone."
In other words, at some point in this crisis, you may be required to care for or comfort the sick and dying. You may have to check on or offer assistance to those who are isolated and vulnerable. BUT, in keeping with the example set by your Lord and Savior, God does not expect you to jump! In other words, recklessness has never equaled courage or faith.
He opened his piece by quoting two scriptures from the Gospel of Matthew. The first concerned the second temptation of Christ by Satan: "Then the devil took him to the holy city and set him on the pinnacle of the temple and said to him, 'If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written, 'He will command his angels concerning you,’ and 'On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.’ Jesus said to him, 'Again it is written, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’” - Matthew 4:5-7 The second scripture involved some instructions that Jesus gave to his disciples later in his ministry. He told them, "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it." - Matthew 16:24-26
French then goes on to recount the story of a fundraiser that was held earlier this month on behalf of a Christian school near his home. Unfortunately, one of the folks attending the fundraiser had the coronavirus and infected two dozen of the other folks in attendance. The point of the story: "The faith of these Christian believers was no shield against viral infection."
This is followed by a couple of examples of pastors who have openly defied the state's order against large assemblies. French continues: "Even within those churches that have chosen to comply with public health warnings and temporarily cancel services, there are rumblings of dissent and discontent. You see it all over social media. And whether sophisticated or simple, these impulses toward defiance are virtually all grounded in a similar question: Why should Christians surrender to fear? People of faith should reject the guidance of public officials. Our gatherings are different. After all, isn’t it true that 'God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control'?"
Would anyone have the audacity to say that Jesus Christ was fearful in the way that he handled Satan's second temptation? Should Christ have had the courage to jump?
French reminds us that "There exists within Christianity a temptation to performative acts that masquerade as fearlessness. In reality, this recklessness represents—as the early church father John Chrysostom called it—'display and vainglory.' Look how fearless we are, we declare, as we court risks that rational people should shun. In the context of a global pandemic followers of Christ can actually become a danger to their fellow citizens, rather than a source of help and hope."
French then proceeds to remind Christians what their true responsibility in this crisis looks like. He wrote: "But just as Christ rejected performative displays, he also rejected cowardice. He demands sacrifice even unto death. Yet taking up one’s cross in imitation of Christ means engaging in purposeful sacrifice. This is the risk of the doctor or the nurse who possesses the courage to continually expose himself or herself to deadly disease to care for the sick and dying. This is the risk of the faithful believer who sheds personal protection to care for the least of these so that they are not alone."
In other words, at some point in this crisis, you may be required to care for or comfort the sick and dying. You may have to check on or offer assistance to those who are isolated and vulnerable. BUT, in keeping with the example set by your Lord and Savior, God does not expect you to jump! In other words, recklessness has never equaled courage or faith.
In response to the above post, my daughter wrote:
ReplyDelete"I like thinking of the different ways we can be courageous as Christians and looking to Christ's temptation as an example. There is definitely a simple bravery in denying oneself for the sake of protecting others!"
ReplyDeleteI hope that most Christian churches are showing wisdom and maturity in their fellowship decisions. The United Church of God is responding to the Coronavirus situation by following the sound biblical principles found in Leviticus regarding quarantining:
Quoting from a message from UCG Home Office on 3/12/20: "The act of isolating or quarantining people against the possibility of mass infection represents a sound response to diseases that are known or suspected to be deadly. The book of Leviticus records several such directions, where people with infectious diseases are required to stay apart from others. A variety of infectious diseases are discussed in Leviticus 13. In the case of an infectious leprosy condition, verse 46 describes the outcome: “He shall remain unclean as long as he has the disease. He is unclean. He shall live alone. His dwelling shall be outside the camp” (ESV)."
The UCG is also following the guidance of Romans 13 which instructs Christians to respect the civil authorities' directives that are in harmony with God's laws and principles of concern for our fellow man.
As are other churches, UCG is using web/internet tools to fellowship and worship through internet connection while the need for social distancing and quarantine measures are needed.
I hope everyone here can keep safe and well during this difficult time for the world.