Protect me from your successors
“Whoever welcomes you welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. Whoever welcomes a righteous person because he is a righteous person will receive the reward of a righteous person.”Matthäus 10, 40-41 Schlachter translation).
The community of faith that I preside over (that is a privilege for me) and myself have undergone extensive changes in the belief and practice of this belief over the past two decades. Our church was bound by legalism and acceptance of the gospel of grace was urgent. I realized that not all could accept these changes and that some would be very angry about them.
What was unexpected, however, was the level of hatred directed at me personally. People who call themselves Christians didn't show much Christian faith. Some actually wrote to me saying they would pray for my immediate death. Others told me they wanted to participate in my execution. This gave me a deeper understanding of what Jesus said: that anyone who wants to kill you will think they are doing God a service. (Johannes 16,2).
I tried everything so that this barrage of hate would not grab me, but of course he did. Inescapably. Words hurt, especially when they come from former friends and colleagues.
Over the years, the persistent angry words and hate mail have not hit me as deeply as the first. It's not that I've become tougher, thick-skinned, or indifferent to such personal attacks, but I can see these people torturing their inferiority, worries, and guilt. These are effects of legalism on us. The strict observance of the law acts as a safety blanket, one inadequate though, rooted in anxiety.
As we face the true security of the gospel of grace, some joyfully throw away this old blanket, but others desperately cling to it and wrap themselves even more tightly in it. They see anyone who wants to take them away as an enemy. That is why the Pharisees and other religious leaders of the time of Jesus saw him as a threat to their safety and wanted to kill him in their despair.
Jesus did not hate the Pharisees, he loved them and wanted to help them because he realized that they were their own worst enemies. Today it is the same, except that hatred and threats come from alleged followers of Jesus.
The Bible tells us, “There is no fear in love.” On the contrary, “perfect love casts out fear.” (1. Johannes 4,18)It is not written that perfect fear drives out love. When I remember all this, the personal attacks don't bother me so much anymore. I can love those who hate me because Jesus loves them, even if they aren't fully aware of the dynamics of his love. It helps me to take everything a little less seriously.
Prayer
Merciful Father, we ask your mercy for those who are still wrestling with their feelings of love for others. Humble, we implore you to bless her, Father, with the gift of repentance and renewal that you have given us. In Jesus' name, we ask that, Amen
by Joseph Tkach
