Light up the Dark
Jesus was honest about what it might mean to represent Him to a less-than-receptive world. He didn’t say, “I send you out to enjoy ten steps to a better life,” or “Go and prosper in every way!” No, He was upfront the first time He sent out His disciples. He said, “Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves” (Matthew 10:16). In other words, don’t expect a great reception as you represent the King, quite the opposite. Sheep don’t generally fare well amid wolves. But then, He gave them some details about what they could expect in the future.
Well, here we are in the future, and of course, Jesus was right. The more overtly we represent Christ, the more virulent the opposition. As our culture slips further away from its Judeo-Christian moorings, many see merely incidental references to our faith as overt and offensive assaults. Naturally, then Christians get attacked. Under pressure from groups like “Freedom From Religion Foundation,” the ACLU, and “Americans for the Separation of Church and State,” many public squares, schools, and institutions are becoming religion-free zones. They once freely included decor reflecting Christian symbolism during the holidays, voluntary student-led prayer, or monuments celebrating our biblical roots, but now risk facing lawsuits.
A graphic picture of Jesus’ warning happened some time ago. Ironically juxtaposed, there were two stories, but you likely only saw one of them reported in the news. The first was a terrible shooting at a community college in Roseburg, Oregon. Ten died, including the gunman. It was horrific. Somewhat glossed over in the reporting was the killer’s question of his victims about their religion before shooting them. Those who responded, “Christian,” were killed. The media took little interest in that detail.
Then there was the other story they almost completely ignored. A few days following the tragedy in Oregon, in Oklahoma, in the middle of the night, ostensibly to avoid protesters, workers quietly removed a large monument of the 10 Commandments from the state capitol grounds. They said it violated laws “against government support of a religion.” Do you see the irony in this? The usual discussion of more gun laws followed the shooting. As they debated adding more human regulations to control sinful behavior, another step to eradicate God’s Law from the public consciousness took place.
Changed hearts have more effective control over people’s actions than laws that lawbreakers will break again. It is God’s Law, His Word, that transforms hearts and minds by the power of the Holy Spirit. It is no mystery that we need revival, not more rulings from a corrupt earthly authority. Yet the darker things get, the stronger the resistance to the Light grows.
God chose to be silent at a very dark time in Israel’s history. It followed the record we see in the book of Judges, which ends with the ominous summary: “…everyone did what was right in his own eyes” (Judges 21:25). Utter rejection of God and His many gracious acts of forgiveness and restoration, despite Israel’s cycles of sin, had led to God cutting off communication through His prophets for about 400 years.
Breaking the silence in Matthew 3 is John the Baptist. His voice came out of the darkness, speaking for God, pointing people to Christ. He was the answer to the people’s prayers for hope in a hopeless time. Initially, they flocked to him. Then, after having the audacity to get personal, pointing out the sin of someone in a position of power, they unceremoniously separated his head from his body.
So the lesson is, don’t expect people to thank you for representing Christ or His righteousness. Light and darkness don’t coexist. Sheep and wolves don’t share habitats. But until we inhabit the Millennial Kingdom or heaven itself, we represent Christ in a world hostile to Him. So keep holding forth His Truth in a loving and winsome way, despite His promise of potentially unpleasant consequences.
“For you were formerly darkness, but now you are Light in the Lord; walk as children of Light.” — Ephesians 5:8