How are you feeling after 8 weeks of stage 4 lockdowns? How are you feeling after 6 months of restrictions on what some call basic human liberties and rights? Do you feel like fighting back? Do you feel like sometimes joining the protesters and fighting the system? Can you imagine how many times Jesus was tempted to fight back and didn’t?
In Paul’s letter to the Phillipians St Paul says that even though Jesus had every right to fight back against the injustices that were done to him, he didn’t. He says -though he was in the form of God, Jesus did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited. Jesus could have demanded his rights – in fact at one stage it seemed like he might do that but responded – your will be done – not mine. Jesus was tempted to exert his rights – you’re hungry – turn these rocks into bread – if you’re the Son of God. If you are the son of God – come down from the cross.
It is easy, when we feel our human rights are being infringed upon, to fight back and often what happens is that the problem then escalates and gets worse. Instead, as Christians, even when we might feel infringed upon – even if we truly feel we need to respond – we need to remember, again, Christ’s qualities: That he – emptied himself – he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death–even death on a cross.
What Paul is trying to teach us is NOT to be weak and like doormats for people to wipe their feet on.
No, humility is God’s hidden strength in us. Rather he is trying to show us a different strength where we actually use another person’s energy to defeat themselves.
I remember many years ago in my youth when learning martial arts my teacher said that the real skill is to use the other person’s strength against themselves. Paul sort of gave us an example a couple weeks ago when he said in Romans 12 – Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord. 20On the contrary: “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.” So rather than fighting back, aim for peace and reconciliation and allow their conscience to do its work.
Jesus also gives us an example today in our Gospel reading when he uses the strength of his accusers against themselves: When Jesus entered the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to him as he was teaching, and said, “By what authority are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority?”
Now, Jesus could have fought back, argued against them – what’s this to do with you – but he let them do that to themselves: Jesus said to them, “I will also ask you one question; if you tell me the answer, then I will also tell you by what authority I do these things. Did the baptism of John come from heaven, or was it of human origin? And what happened – their fighting against Jesus was turned in on themselves: “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say to us, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’ But if we say, ‘Of human origin,’ we are afraid of the crowd; for all regard John as a prophet.” So they answered Jesus, “We do not know.” Now Jesus doesn’t need to exert his own strength but neutralised their strength by themselves: And he said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things. And even against our greatest adversary – the devil – James says – humble yourself before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Don’t fight against him – resist him – and he will flee.
Stand and fight and you enter his territory.
Humility is the secret weapon that God has given to us. It doesn’t mean weakness, but has James says – it is handing over to God. And so, Jesus, instead of fighting back, like Peter did when he cut off the ear of one of Jesus’ attackers in the Garden of Gethsemane, humbles himself to God even to the point of death on the cross.
Most of us don’t like the way things are. We want our liberties back – we want our church gatherings back – but how do we express ourselves in the best way? By humility and obedience – as Jesus did.
Maybe some of the restrictions are unfair or over the top. Maybe the cure has become worse than the disease – but we need to be careful, as Paul says in Ephesians – in your anger do not sin. As Christians we trust in God to whom all must submit. If there is injustice in this then God is the one who judges, as Paul says – at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. And that’s where we turn for justice rather than taking justice into our own hands which we are always tempted to do as human beings.
The pandemic has turned our lives upside-down. We have been struggling to deal with the situation physically, mentally, spiritually, and economically. In times of difficulty and chaos, it is very easy to despair and fear and take matter into our own hands. And when that happens it causes more disharmony.
We can see it in the Israelites when they were led out of slavery from the Egyptians and were facing difficulty and challenge in the desert. They questioned and quarreled with Moses. They lost faith and sight of God’s presence, they would rather be back in slavery in Egypt. And that’s what happens when we fall back on our own defence rather than humbling ourselves before God and allowing God to take control. That’s what was behind Satan’s temptation of Jesus which on the surface didn’t seem that bad – you’re hungry – turn these rocks into bread. But this was about humility and trusting God. About letting God take control and not taking control himself. Christ humbled himself and God exalted him.
Just like the Israelites, when we lose sight of God’s control, all we can focus on is going back to the previous “normal” life. The truth is that there may be no “normal” life we once had. Things may be different. And we can either trust God or use all our energy to fight and demand our human rights back again. And so Paul encourages us that when we trust God then he brings about his glory: And he reminds us in the closing of our reading – God is at work in you, enabling you both to will and to work for his good pleasure.
It’s not easy to forgo our own rights but Paul urges us – Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility regard others as better than yourselves. Let each of you look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others. Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus,
