Worshipping In Fear

"On the evening of that first day of the week, when the doors were locked, where the disciples were, for fear of [crucifixion], Jesus came and stood in their midst and said them, 'Peace be with you.'  When He had said this, He showed them His hands and His side. The disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, 'Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.' " -[John 20: 19-31].


On the morning of the first day of the week- - Sunday - - Mary of Magdala "came to the tomb early in the morning while it was still dark, and saw the stone removed from the tomb." -[John 20:1-9]. Jesus in physical body was gone! He had risen!

That evening, the disciples hid in fear in a locked room. They were terrified that they, too, would be crucified. It seems hard to believe that the disciples were not out right away, preaching and healing and converting unbelievers.

But, it is clear from their actions and demeanor, even before the Crucifixion in the Garden of Gesthemani, that the disciples were confused, overwhelmed, and fearful. It is quite possible that they did not even comprehend what had just happened.

Yes, Jesus had told them for a long time, how He had to suffer and die and return to His Father. But, when someone says that to you, there is an air of unreality, as if it is all a dream or perhaps a nightmare. That cannot BE, the disciples likely agonized.

The central story of Easter is that Jesus came to walk among us, to show us in human form the unconditional Love of His Father. The other enduring part of the story is that there is another life to come, in Heaven, which is made possible to us because of Jesus' Resurrection and Ascension.

The disciples' reaction to this is very much a mirror of our own reactions - incredulity; unawareness of its Truth; somnolence, as in the way the disciples literally fell asleep in the Garden of Gesthemani; confusion even as to Jesus' identity. And yes - Fear.

It is one thing to have an idea of the Divine, and of another Life in the supernatural. It is another thing to live it and confront it and experience it. Imagine Mary of Magdala's utter joy, but total shock, upon discovering that Jesus was simply gone!

But, imagine also the terror of the disciples when they realize the true cost of being followers of Jesus. He paid with His Life. The disciples could very well do the same.

The dawn of Easter brings the "dawning" realization that devotion to Jesus cannot be half-hearted. Jesus wants all of us, in the same way that He gave all of Himself, to us.

I see plenty of Fear in faith communities today. Synagogues and mosques and churches are being bombed and being subjected to mass shootings. I cannot in any way mock the Fear of the disciples. Their fear, OUR fear, are well-founded in some ways.

God and Jesus do not want merely a Sunday devotion. They want us to devote our lives- and our Life - to them. Our walk with Jesus merely begins on Sunday, but it continues on Monday and Tuesday and Wednesday . . .

And Jesus walks WITH us: Jesus the wounded, Risen Christ, who walks through walls to reach us, who calls us all disciples because, "As the Father has sent me, so I send YOU."



The world's churches and mosques and synagogues, by rights, should be filled with worshippers, who literally stand up to be counted. The Faithful are not called to hide in the dark, in fear.

The Faithful are called to come out in the light, to BE the light.

Theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote about "Cheap Grace" vs. "Costly Grace."  "Cheap Grace" is the kind of Faith that requires us to merely sit in church on Sundays and sing hymns. "Costly Grace is the gospel which must be sought again and again. . . It is costly because it costs a man his life, because it cost God the life of His Son."

Bonhoeffer goes on to write: "The messengers of Jesus will be hated to the end of time. They will be blamed for all the divisions which rend cities and homes. Jesus and His disciples will be condemned on all sides for undermining family life, and for leading nations astray; they will be called crazy fanatics and disturbers of the peace. The disciples will be sorely tempted to desert their Lord."

And WHY would a Christian ever contemplate such a journey, such a Grace Walk? Because Jesus shows us His wounds, and as He shows us the Truth of His wounds, He shows us that He is one of us, and we belong to Him.

[Related Postings: "Peace Be With You", 4/8/18; "Without a Doubt", 4/26/17; "Fear", 4/4/16; "The Benefit of Doubt", 4/29/14; "His Divine Mercy", 5/17/12; "The Truth of His Wounds"; "Doubt", 5/1/11].

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