Connecting Point: Have No Fear

Fear as a subject, I have come to comprehend, has graduating degrees. But, the Christmas season has had a positive effect on my mood: Reading through God’s word I am encouraged by both gospels Matthew and Luke: Have no fear.

Acknowledging our fears is a step towards discovering the very peace of Christ. Working out this column I looked at fear from the eyes of three individuals, Mary, Joseph, and King Herod.

“In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin…The angel went to her and said, ‘Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.’ Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. But the angel said to her, ‘Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus,’” (Luke Ch. 1, emphasis mine).

As a Jew and youthful, Mary had reason to fear on multiple fronts. In her society, unmarried women who were pregnant were shunned severely. Mary would be the talk of the town. Why would anyone believe her account of being visited by an angel? Can’t you picture the local gossips whispering under their breath when they saw her? I’m certain her family wrestled with this dynamic as well.

Now, turn to a vignette on Joseph. “Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly. But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, ‘Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit,’” (Matthew 1:19-20, my emphasis again). Joseph could have resented Mary and built a strong case of mistrust; he knew for certain that the child in her womb was not his. His marriage to Mary, moreover, was arranged, and this could have been problematic for several reasons. On the other hand, the dream was real to him and it strengthened his faith. Mary’s pregnancy was immaculate! He honored God’s law and customs by remaining sexually pure. All fears, personal feelings, doubt about Mary, and particularly, what others thought were put to rest.

And now a glimpse at King Herod: “After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea...Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, ‘Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.’ When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him.”

King Herod was both a brilliant builder and a ruthless killer. Yet, he served under Caesar Augustus the Roman Emperor. Prophecies of a new king threatened his reign, and so he did what tyrants do, he tried to eliminate any possible opposition. Fear spread like wildfire in his region as his soldiers axed the Jews and murdered every boy under the age of two. Joseph had fled with his family to Egypt.

God knows our fears before we face them, so He provided Jesus to be our prince of peace. Please understand it’s normal to wrestle with fear; however, we to can rely on the Holy Spirit to give us comfort when needed (John 14:25).