I once heard a Catholic evangelist say something along the lines of, “I will go out of my way to make sure I do not offend anyone else, except for when it comes to Jesus. Then I let Him be disrespected again and again in order to not have an uncomfortable situation.” The Holy Spirit convicted me upon hearing those words, and I spent the next few moments internally repenting of the times that I had valued my pride and reputation over showing love to the One who loves me most.
I sit here over a year later still repenting, because little has changed. Sure, I try to pray a Glory Be every time I hear the Lord’s name blasphemed, and I also am intentional to not show acceptance whenever I know that sin is occurring right in front of me. But rarely do I step in as a man who wants to return the love that has been shown to me and defend the God of the universe who has given me everything that I have.
I ask myself, “Why?” Unfortunately, the answer is pretty simple: Fear. I am scared of what it means to be rejected for the sake of the Gospel. In fact, the fear runs so deep that I’m not just scared of rejection. I am scared of the possibility of rejection. Many people know who I am and what I stand for so if they heard me defend our Lord and His commandments, odds are they would listen, or at least respect what I had to say. But over my life, I have built up the habit of silence at the service of self preservation, not unlike my ancestor who stood silent at the foot of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.
Jesus directly combats this fear in today’s gospel, not in condemnation, but in love and common sense. He reminds us that our omniscient God knows everything and will reveal everything in due time. So what good is it to stand by and allow sin and evil to take place when it will all come to an end in His Kingdom. Additionally, Jesus reasons that nothing can truly harm us if God is on our side. God pays attention to every movement of simple sparrows, and we are so much more valuable to Him. We must not fear; and Jesus not only preaches this, but lives this out as He lays down His life for us.
This is not to say that we need to become the Pharisaical moral police. We are not to correct others for the sake of correction or from a pride of authoritarianism. Rather, we are to stand up for truth and justice in love for God and our neighbor who has fallen into sin. We are extending our hand to help our friend out of the mud, not pushing them down further in the filth until they agree to change their ways. And it is in the moments that we understand true justice that we become an advocate of mercy. Jesus is the perfect example of this because He comes not to condemn the world, but to offer mercy through justice.
So as I continue to reflect on the ways that I have failed to stand up for God, I am asking the Holy Spirit to send me Holy boldness that the Apostles asked for in Acts 4. After being reprimanded by the Jewish Sanhedren for speaking and healing in the name of Jesus, the early Christians rejoiced and asked for more boldness to proclaim Jesus. It was granted to them, and they found strength to evangelize the world in the midst of persecution. May we have that same desire and gift of the Holy Spirit to do the same in our own families and local communities.