Fearing Jesus

One day as Jesus was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret, with the people crowding around him and listening to the word of God, he saw at the water's edge two boats, left there by the fishermen, who were washing their nets. He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little from shore. Then he sat down and taught the people from the boat.

When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, "Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch." Simon answered, "Master, we've worked hard all night and haven't caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets." When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break. So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them, and they came and filled both boats so full that they began to sink.

When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus' knees and said, "Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!" For he and all his companions were astonished at the catch of fish they had taken, and so were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, Simon's partners. Then Jesus said to Simon, "Don't be afraid; from now on you will catch men." So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him (Luke 5:1-11).

Do you believe in a ‘cuddly’ Jesus? Do you think of Him as a comforting Teddy Bear to hug when you are scared or depressed? Do you regard Him as a friend that you share morning coffee with while you make your plans for the coming day? Do you treat Jesus as your psychiatrist, counselor, or therapist? Do you value Jesus because He makes you feel comfortable?

If you believe in a ‘cuddly’ Jesus—and many American Christians do—then how do you account for Peter’s behavior in the boat? When he realized that Jesus had caused the huge catch of fish, Peter dropped to his knees and begged Jesus to leave; he said: "Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!" Peter did not grab Jesus’ hand to shake it; he did not throw His arms around the Lord in a hug. Peter’s reaction was to back away from the Lord; to him, Jesus was anything but cuddly.

Throughout the Bible, people were afraid when they were contacted by someone from heaven. When God spoke to Abram in a vision, He started by saying: Do not be afraid, Abram (Genesis 15:1). When He spoke to Isaac, the Lord said: I am the God of your father Abraham. Do not be afraid (Genesis 26:24). When the Angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon, He spoke these words of reassurance: Peace! Do not be afraid. You are not going to die (Judges 6:23). And when God’s angel spoke to Daniel, he said: Do not be afraid, O man highly esteemed…Peace! Be strong now; be strong (Daniel 10:19).

In the New Testament, people who saw angels also reacted with fear. Although he was a priest, Zechariah was still terrified when an angel came to speak with him: Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard (Luke 1:13). Mary did not know what to make of Gabriel, prompting him to say: Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God (Luke 1:30). When the shepherds outside of Bethlehem were approached by an angel, the first words they heard were: Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy (Luke 2:10). And when the women entered Jesus’ tomb early on Easter morning, the angel who met them said: Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen (Matthew 28:5).

In fact, Jesus Himself sometimes provoked fear in those around Him. When Jesus calmed a storm with nothing but His spoken command, the disciples were scared of Him. When He drove legions of demons out of a possessed man into a herd of pigs, the people who saw it were afraid and asked Jesus to leave. When the disciples saw the Lord walking on the water towards their boat during a storm, they were terrified. And when Jesus appeared to them alive after His crucifixion, He had to offer words of reassurance because His visit frightened the disciples.

Throughout history, people have been afraid when God’s power and authority are revealed. This is only natural. Fear is a manifestation of our instinct for survival. Fear causes us to be careful when danger threatens. And when God appears, we know that we are in danger.

God is pure holiness; there is nothing evil within Him, and nothing evil can even approach Him. A sinner who dares come near to God is like a moth that gets too close to the flame—a flash of brilliance and life is reduced to ashes. We see it happen in the Old Testament. While camped at Mount Sinai, God told Moses: Put limits for the people around the mountain and tell them, `Be careful that you do not go up the mountain or touch the foot of it. Whoever touches the mountain shall surely be put to death (Exodus 19:12). During their stay, God was present on Sinai, making the mountain holy ground—sinners dared not approach, on pain of death. When the Ark of the Covenant was built, God treated it as His throne on earth—anyone who touched it died instantly. When the Temple was built, God’s glory was so intense that no one could approach the innermost room where the Ark was stored. It is no wonder that Isaiah responded as he did when given a vision of God’s heavenly throne room: "Woe to me!" I cried. "I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty" (Isaiah 6:5).

Now some people think of Jesus and God in different ways. They have a mental picture of God the Father as a harsh judge, and of His Son as our gentle friend who protects us from His Father’s anger. But this artificial distinction is wrong, and does a disservice to both the Father and the Son. God the Father is not just an angry judge; He is also our loving Father. He designed a beautiful, perfect world to be our home. He made Adam and Eve beautiful and perfect as well, people who could walk with Him in the Garden of Eden side by side, unafraid. And when their sin ruined everything, God did not strike them dead, instead He promised His Son to suffer and die in their place. The Father is a God of both law and love.

Nor is Jesus just a teacher, healer, or sacrifice for our sins. Jesus hates sin with the same passion as His Father; remember how He braided a whip and cleared the Temple grounds of people who were only there to make money? What about all those times Jesus issued words of warning to repent before it is too late? Remember, on the Last Day it is Jesus who will judge the world; it is Jesus who will welcome the faithful into paradise and condemn the unbelievers to everlasting torment in hell. The Son of God is committed to both law and love.

Jesus and His Father have the same hatred of sin and the same desire to save us from our cursed wretchedness. Jesus makes this clear when He says, I and the Father are one (John 10:30). On one occasion Philip said, "Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us." Jesus answered: "Don't you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, `Show us the Father'? Don't you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you are not just my own. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work. Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me" (John 14:8-11).

The morning when Jesus showed His power in Peter’s boat, it was only natural that Peter react in fear—in fact, such a display of humility was quite appropriate. There is more to fearing God than just being afraid of His holiness. There is also the matter of shame. When Adam and Eve disobeyed God by ignoring His rules, the first thing they did was make clothing for themselves. They were ashamed—ashamed of what they had done, ashamed of the kind of people they had become. And when God let them hear Him coming, they did not come forward to admit what they had done and beg for mercy—they tried to hide from God, and when He forced them to come out, they each tried to shift the blame rather than take responsibility for their actions. Shame made them try to flee from God and cover up the truth.

When the majesty of God is revealed, the sinful human being becomes afraid. Afraid of being revealed as a despicable person, unworthy of love or respect. Afraid of being held accountable for breaking God’s laws and being punished as any criminal should. And the sinner is right to be afraid—the Father and the Son hate sin. God hates chaos, disobedience, and imperfection. The Great Flood that destroyed everyone except Noah and his family is proof of how much God hates sin. The cross where Christ died for our sins naked and in shame is proof of how much God hates sin. The fact that God made hell to punish faithless sinners is proof of how much God hates sin. We are right to fear the anger of the Almighty.

But there is one other reason why we fear our Lord. It is only through God’s Son that we have the avenue of forgiveness. It is only by the blood of Jesus given in sacrifice on the cross that we can be forgiven and find peace with God. Our God has the ultimate power over us—the power of welcoming you to heaven or condemning you to hell, all dependent on whether or not your sins are forgiven. And so Psalm 130 says, with you there is forgiveness; therefore you are feared. As Jesus said, do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that can do no more. But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear him who, after the killing of the body, has power to throw you into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him (Luke 12:4-5).

Yes, Peter was right to fall to his knees and tell Jesus that he was not worthy of being in the same boat with the Savior. We are not worthy, either. But notice how Jesus responded to Peter; He said Don’t be afraid. When Jesus reaches out to us, He takes away our fear of standing in the presence of God. In Jesus there is forgiveness; the reason He suffered and died was to make Peter clean, make me clean, make you clean. John writes: the blood of Jesus, [God’s] Son, purifies us from all sin (1 John 1:7). Knowing that Jesus offers forgiveness to all who seek it, we don’t have to cover up what we have done. Cleansed by His sacrifice, we no longer have anything to be ashamed of, no reason to distance ourselves from God. In fact, Jesus shares His holiness with us, making it safe to come before God and bask in the beauty of His glory. Jesus reaches out to we who are sinners because He loves us and wants to free us from the sin He hates, the sin that makes our lives miserable.

In the Catechism, Luther repeatedly says "we should fear and love God…" If you only fear God, you will doubt His love for you; if you only love God, you will not take the danger of sin seriously. Luther said that a sermon must crush the listener into utter despair over his sins; only when this happens will the love of God be seen for the wonderful gift that it truly is.

If you look at Jesus carefully, you see that He is ‘masculine’ in the best sense of the word. Jesus was powerful. He could change water into wine and feed thousands from a few scraps of food. He could change the weather and exorcise demons. He could heal diseases and correct birth defects. He could even raise the dead. Yet although He had all this power, He never misused it—He never lost His temper or did anything He later regretted. Jesus hates sin with a passion we cannot begin to understand, yet He never let that anger overwhelm His loving concern for us. All of His vast power was strictly controlled, used only in service of the goal to free us from Satan, sin and hell. Great power under total control, used only to serve the good of others—Jesus was and is the perfect man.

Is Jesus ‘cuddly’? No, I don’t think so. If you want to know how to think of Jesus, look at His disciples. For three years they walked with Him, ate with Him, shared times of joy and sorrow. During those years they listened to Him, they asked Him questions, and they sought His mercy when they did things that were thoughtless or stupid. They loved Him, and He called them friends. But they never forgot that He was their Master, and there were times when they were scared of Him. Everyone who looks at Jesus with awareness of His true glory instinctively draws back in fear, as Peter did. To look at Jesus without some fear is to fail to give Him the respect that He is due.