In response to opposition.

 

 

The first impression Jesus made on people was that, unlike the rabbis, He spoke with authority. He exercised enormous personal authority (“I say to you”) and authority of office (as Messianic Prophet, Priest and King); As Luke 4-6 indicates, He spoke to demons as God spoke to Satan in Job 1,2. He rebuked sickness & healed lepers instantly; He healed all who came to Him. Peter fished at His command & caught fish which came at His will! He forgave sin as only God may forgive sin!

 

Such authority provoked opposition for it challenged men’s egos, denied people’s autonomy and threatened a take over! Both at Nazareth (Luke 4) and over the Sabbath (Luke 6) this opposition proved to be murderous. Jesus knew where it was leading – to the cross.

 

 

Faced with increasing opposition, we tend to cower and keep our heads down. Then we compromise. Many churches adopt a user friendly approach to church life; ministers affirm people and never challenge them; we avoid whatever causes people offence; we become music-centred rather than Word-orientated; we promote the feel-good factor rather than preach the truth; we make the church like a social club and do everything to be like the world. Certainly we do not separate from the world.

 

 

Faced with opposition, Jesus adopted a 5-point strategy.

1st Jesus separated Himself from His disciples for private prayer. He maintained His walk & communion with God. He gave priority to prayer. [Luke 612]

2nd Jesus set about building His church by appointing 12 disciples as apostles and training them for the work of the ministry, as His witnesses. [Luke 617-19]

3rd Jesus continued His outreach to the needy, doing good & showing mercy. This gave Him a point of contact with the people and showed His love for real people in desperate need. [Luke 617-19]

4th Jesus taught His disciples and preached the Word. [Luke 620-42]

5th Jesus taught God’s value system [blessings and woes] and applied it to the conduct of His disciples telling them to love their enemies – love despite enmity; do good despite hatred; bless despite cursing; pray despite abuse. One result of such conduct would be to witness to their enemies.

 

 

Let us be wise and follow the example of Jesus. In times of increasing opposition, our priority should be to maintain our walk with God and our prayer life, maintaining fellowship with God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. We should do our utmost to encourage gifted men to learn of Christ and to train for the ministry of the Word. We should make contact with people in the world by our good works, showing that we care for the whole person. And we should preach the Word faithfully as more necessary than bodily food. And we should abound in love towards one another and to our enemies that we may be like our heavenly Father and that we may witness a good confession to them by our lives as by our words.

 

 

This programme did not result in opposition fading away but it did ensure that Jesus left behind Him a vibrant church ready to continue His ministry in the world.

 

 

Bishop Arthur Bentley Taylor